The afternoon was quiet.  We didn't pick up another fish until 4:00, and then the bite turned off.   Here's our 2nd fish of the day caught by Tim:

We fished until dark, but didn't have any more bites.  Meanwhile, Team Easy Does It lands a fish.  Day One ends: Outlaw 2, $EA $ICKNE$$ 2, Easy Does It 1. 

Day Two:  Once again, bitten by BB.  We don't leave the dock until late as we had to fix a bilge pump that at some point in the night became stuck in the on position.  We get lines in late and don't land a fish until 1:30 or so.  Once again, Tim handles the rod.  We have a little excitement as this fish fought hard.  We had to chase the fish down, evening spinning the boat  360° at one point to keep him out of the engines. 

While didn't land any more sailfish during day Two, we had numerous cutoff's (likely kings) and Ben did manage a small mahi mahi, and a little tunny:

 We ended day Two with the BB striking again.  We had already lost a kite line in the morning, but this afternoon we lost another kite line and this time the kite went with it.  It sank before we could get all our lines in, and run over to retrieve it.  Ouch!!!!  We finish the day with just the one fish.  Meanwhile, Team Outlaw has caught two fish to total four for the tournament, Team Easy Does It lands two more fish, and Team Glory Days lands their first sail.  We'll go into day three with a one fish deficit.

Day Three - Everyone is ordered to the boat early.  We have to catch Team Outlaw.  He's one fish ahead of us.  Since he caught his first fish before us, he is also holding the tie breaker.  Therefore, we need two fish to beat him.  Assuming he’ll catch at least one more fish, we know we’ll need to boat two or three fish today to be in contention.  Meanwhile, the weather has turned sour, winds have calmed and the temperature has gone up.  It’s going to be even harder to catch any fish today, nonetheless two or more.

Jace &  I head to the boat early, and once again the BB strikes hard.  Jace slips on the proverbial banana peel while boarding the boat, and breaks three ribs.  That's right, we lose a team member.  Tom & Jace race to the ER, tossing Tim the boat keys in the parking lot.  If we have any chance, it’s up to the remainder of our crew.

While Jace & I head to the ER, Outlaw arrives to a surprise on his boat.  This time its not the BB that has struck, but some other anomynous jokester that has stolen his release flag and left him with his own version, a pair of white cotton briefs (in this picture, the guys haven't noticed anything yet):    

Perhaps this interested party had something to do with it? While I don't want to point fingers, they sure do:

It's up to Mike & Keith to do some detective work...

Everyone enjoyed the lighthearted moment.  We needed something to provide a little distraction with so much worry about Jace.

Sure enough, Day three is as tough as it started.  Blue bird skies, no wind, and no bite.  Captain’s reports are due in at the marina at 5 pm, no excuses.  I constantly try to call Tim & Trey, but their cell phones keep cutting out.  After lunch, the wind picks up which should help the bite. I think I've heard they catch a fish in the early afternoon.  There's no report about what Team Outlaw has done.  Back at the hotel sitting with Jace watching John Wayne movies, we are anxious to hear what's going on.  From what garbled messages we can put together, at 3:45 I conclude the score is Team Outlaw 4,  Team $EA $ICKNE$$ 4, and Easy Does it 3.  It sounds like a tie, with Team Outlaw holding the tiebreaker.

We know the guys have to quit fishing about 4-4:15 to make it back to the dock and have our report in by 5 pm..  At 4:00, still no word about a 2nd fish.  At this point I'm thinking they probably are heading back in to make the deadline as we would be in 2nd place assuming Easy Does It hasn't caught another fish.  Since we caught our 1st fish before EZ Does It, we had the tie breaker with them if it ended as such. 

At 4:17, I can't stand it anymore. I try Tim's mobile, but can't reach him.  I try Trey's phone, same result.  I conclude they are running home to secure 2nd place.  I try Trey's phone again, still no answer.  I minute later or so later, Trey call's me. The phone is garbled, a bad connection, lots of noise.  I think he's screaming about a fish! OMG, it can't be,... I'm sure of it, he's telling me he has a fish.  A WINNING fish!!!!   I hang up so they won't be late to the marina, we'll place last if we have the captains report in late.  I call Mike on Outlaw, but no answer.  I assume he's fishing until the last minute also.  I go hang out at the dock a little before 5, and finally see Outlaw motoring in.  As they pull up to the dock, Mike starts to congratulate me for my team's win.  I'm in shock, they did it.  They pulled it out of a hat.  Tim, Ben, & Trey had delivered a win.  Unbelievable.  I call Jace to share some good news as I know he's feeling bad stuck in the room.  Of course, we can't celebrate until we turn in our captain's report.

Now the worry sets in.  Does Tim know how to trim the boat to get back in on time?  The wind picked up in the afternoon, and Mike said it had gotten rough.  If I talked with Trey at 4:17, it would be tough to make it back from above Jupiter by five o'clock.   This part of the story is what sets this club apart.  While Tim's running in, Randy on Easy Does It notices he's slapping hard and not making good time.  Randy, a competitor and previously a catamaran owner, radio's Tim and give him tips on how to trim the boat so he can run faster and make the deadline.  Now that's a true sportsman!

I'm relieved as at 4:50, I see $EA $ICKNE$$ turn the bend out of Lake Worth Inlet, and head up the ICW toward the marina.  There are a couple boats in front of him, and its all no wake.  Ten minutes to travel the distance & dock.  Oh and BTW, does Tim have any idea how hard it is to dock in a wind against the current????  Once again, they pull it off.  At 5:00:27, I hand over the signed & completed captains report. 

Congrats to the guys! Tim, Ben, Trey, Jace, what a week, what an effort.  Thanks so much to teams Outlaw and Easy Does It, you guys are great, I've dreamed all year about fishing with your guys again in West Palm.  You made it great.  Special Kudos to Randy, an unselfish, first class guy! 

Congratulations to the teams, top five places were as follows:

 1^st Place – $EA $ICKNE$$, Capt. Tom Adrien

2^nd Place - OUTLAW, Capt. Mike Springer

3^rd  Place – EASY DOES IT, Capt. Steve Gunter

4^th Place - Glory Days, Capt. Ted DuBose

5^th Place -  Last Bastion, Capt. Jim Mason

The Atlanta Saltwater Sportsman Club, meets monthly, sharing tips, techniques, and our latest adventures. If you would like more information please visit www.aswsc.org, or e-mail me at theseasickness@yahoo.com.   Our next club fishing event is in Venice, hope to see you there.

Let’s troll………. Tom Adrien, Captain Team $EA $ICKNE$$