Heading into the last leg of the series, Final Sail, we knew we had an opportunity to win the overall series. We also knew we would have our hands full with Captain Art Sapp and the Native Son crew who were hungry to claim their fi rst burgundy jacket. You could sense the intensity throughout the preparation including the bait and prefishing days. With Miami being our backyard and a promising weather forecast, we felt like it was our title to win. The bite got off to a hot start on Day 1 with a few boats posting double digit releases. We were in the mix with 6 releases, however, we fell a few more points behind Native Son after Day 1. On Day 2, the wind continued to increase to over 25 knots making conditions harder to deal with and the decision of where to fi sh even harder. There was no turning back or changing our approach on that morning. Captain Nick Carullo decided to run south into the head sea for almost 2 hours until we arrived at Ocean Reef. As we put out the kites and waited for lines-in there was dead silence despite a honking wind with 100% focus on what we needed to accomplish. The kite lines were humming as the sun broke in the horizon and the lines in call was made. It wasn’t long after lines-in that we released a quick double and things started flowing. By mid-morning we were almost into the double digits for releases on the day. The bite continued with Nick and JC in the tower and Kyle and Jorge working the pit. At one point I recall looking around and seeing 6 of us tight on multiple fi sh. It was hard to keep count of how many we had and quite honestly how Jason managed to capture them on the camera and record all the release numbers was a feat in itself. When the dust settled and the smoke cleared, we managed to release 21 sailfish for the tournament, 15 which came on Day 2 to win the daily! Frankie took home the Master Angler award for the series and most importantly, we accomplished our goal. With a second place fi nish in Final Sail,
Showtime earned its 2nd burgundy jacket and overall title as World Champions for 2021. Th ank you to Bluewater Movements for putting on a world class series and all of our sponsors for helping us make truly amazing memories. – Joe Fernandez, Team Showtime
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Quest for the Crest
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