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Fishing Tournament Raises $5,000 for Seafarers' House

William Murray
William Murray of Murray & Associates

Published Apr 2, 2015 2:26 PM by The Maritime Executive

Murray & Associates LLC—a premier Fort Lauderdale-based naval architect and marine engineering firm—hosted their fourth Annual Murray & Associates’ Fishing Challenge March 27 – 28, 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. New to this year’s tournament was a charitable component, with proceeds from the weekend-long event going to Seafarers’ House at Port Everglades. A registered non-profit organization dedicated to providing a refuge and resources for professional mariners while in South Florida, Seafarers’ House serves as a ‘home away from home’ to more than 150,000 cruise and cargo ship crewmembers annually.

Presented by Murray & Associates in partnership with SEACOR Ocean Transport Inc. and ABS, the event kicked off Friday, March 27 with a Captain’s Meeting & Networking Reception for participants, guests and sponsors at Bimini Boatyard Bar & Grill in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. On Saturday morning, March 28, ten boats filled with tournament participants left The Bimini Boatyard to compete for various awards including Top Angler Sailfish; Most Sailfish on Boat; Largest Dolphin; Largest Tuna; Largest King Mackerel; and the coveted Top Boat Sailfish award. Anglers enjoyed plenty of sunshine, beautiful conditions, and active fishing. Most boats managed to line at least one sailfish, multiple dolphin, tuna, and kingfish.

The Patriot was the top boat of the day, captained by Greg Nowell. The Patriot lined an astonishing nine sailfish. On board the Patriot was one of the tournament’s top sponsors as well as the day’s top angler, Dan Thorogood of SEACOR. Thorogood lined an incredible three sailfish and was awarded the prize of top overall angler. 

More than 150 industry professionals attended and participated in Murray & Associates Fourth Annual Fishing Challenge weekend, including representatives from SEACOR, ABS, Transmarine Propulsion Systems, Inc., PK OEM Parts, Goltens and Crowley. Winners were honored at an awards dinner ceremony and cocktail reception that evening at Bimini Boatyard Bar & Grill in Fort Lauderdale, where angler’s friends and family joined for live music, a delicious pig roast, silent auctions and great company. 

Bill Oppenheimer of Kirby Offshore Marine won the largest dolphin award with a dolphin weighing in at 11.2 pounds. Phil Gering of Celebrity Cruise won for having the largest Kingfish weighing in at 27.6 pounds. Rueben Byrd of Grand Bahama Shipyard won the award for by far the largest tuna of the day, weighing in at 9.3 pounds.

The event was an immense success and raised over $5,000 for Seafarers’ House. A special thanks to William Murray, Captain Taco and the rest of the sponsors for making such a wonderful day possible.