Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:

The sole Kingston entrant in the Montego Bay Yacht Club's Marlin Tournament walked away with the 2006 championship title and the Peter Charley Memorial Trophy for the boat with the most marlin, last weekend

The champions upstaged defending champions 'Marlin Madness' from Montego Bay for the top prize in the three-day competition.

The eight-member team landed a 105.5-pound marlin on Thursday to secure themselves the major trophy. Thursday's catch was the only marlin landed over the three days.

Noting that it was their first time entering the Montego Bay tournament, spokesperson, Gregory Christian, said that they were elated at the win.

"We are excited about the victory," he said. "It was a good tournament despite the fact that a lot of bites were not happening. We did well on the first day and we are elated."

As winners, the team received fishing equipment as well as an invitation to the Rolex IGFA Marlin Tournament in Mexico, slated for later this year.

Particularly thrilled was the star angler, Robert 'Sponge Bob' Ilgner.

"It was my first marlin and I feel great," he said, adding that he would not have been able to pull it off without the help of his crew.

"It took about 15 to 20 minutes to land," he continued. "It should have been longer but because my crew is excellent, we landed him very quickly."

Although a bit disappointed that the teams were unable to catch more marlin, Patrick Reid, a member of the tournament's organising committee, said he was pleased with the number of non-Montego Bay anglers that came out for the competition.

The tournament had eight competing teams from Montego Bay, Negril, Kingston, and the United States.