New Jersey Sea Birds Ride Saturday Surge to Win Atlantic Division Championship

It was a weekend to remember for the New Jersey Sea Birds. 

The Flock entered Championship Sunday trailing defending tournament winner  and 2025 division champion Lights Out Boston by 275 points. It took them just 23 minutes after Lines In to erase that deficit. 

From there, New Jersey survived challenges from Lights Out Boston, North Carolina Flare and South Florida Sails before two late white marlin releases provided the separation the club needed.

“It was a little hectic to start there,” New Jersey Sea Birds Captain Blaine Birch said.

It was also a little hectic in the final minutes. Lights Out Boston hooked a blue marlin at 3:20 PM that would have given them the win at the buzzer. 

The three-day tournament overlapped with the final day of The MidAtlantic and utilized the same 125 nautical mile boundary, creating a unique opening to championship weekend. Fishing earlier in the week, Sea Birds angler Dave McKendrick caught a 680-pound blue marlin on Thursday, winning the Sea Birds a $1.47 million pay day. 

After collecting that check, the Sea Birds and South Florida Sails entered the weekend fighting for the Atlantic Division title, with both clubs officially clinching their Zane Grey Championship Playoff berths as they crossed the sea buoy to compete on Friday. 

While the two championship contenders went scoreless Friday, Lights Out Boston seized control with Spencer Talbot's 450-point blue marlin release, which put the defending division champions atop the leaderboard. White marlin releases from Casey Carmichael, Matteo Scena and Ross Nasin pushed their total to 750.

South Carolina Outcast finished Day 1 with 200 points, while North Carolina Flare matched that total but sat behind Outcast on time. Rhode Island Breakers and East Coast Remix each finished with 100.

Saturday morning started with North Carolina Flare AC’s David Dressler, Trey Baranyai and Mark Dressler releasing white marlin. Their run eventually brought Flare to 700 points. At 12:41 PM, Baranyai's second white marlin release of the day pulled North Carolina to within just 50 points of Lights Out.

Meanwhile, the Sea Birds began  mounting a charge of their own. Jay Brower released three white marlin during the day, but the defining moment arrived at 1:09 PM. McKendrick, fresh off his 680-pound catch during The MidAtlantic, connected with yet another blue marlin.

The 450-point release launched New Jersey from the middle of the leaderboard into a tie with Lights Out at 750 points, but Boston kept the lead due to the time advantage. 

The club that hadn't released a fish on Friday had suddenly erased its entire deficit, but Lights Out had an answer. Rob West released a sailfish at 2:49 PM to complete a tournament grand slam, triggering the 200-point bonus. 

South Florida Sails also mounted a late rally, with white marlin releases from Mark McDevitt and Lee Albarty, bringing the Sails to 300 points.

Boats began departing Ocean City at 3:00 AM Sunday for one final run offshore, the lines went in at 8:00 AM, and at 8:23, the tournament had a new leader.

Brower released a blue marlin for the Sea Birds, catapulting them 750 to 1,200.

After Saturday, Sea Birds’ Captain Blaine Birch had predicted that Captain Mike King and the Sails would find a blue and a white marlin by Sunday morning.

At 8:49 AM, half of the prediction came true when Lee Albarty released a blue marlin, sending the Sails to 750 and suddenly putting them within striking distance of both New Jersey and Lights Out.

“I told you Mike was going to catch a blue marlin early and that's what happened,” Birch said.  “I thought ‘oh here he comes,’ and he’s gonna beat us.”

“Of course Mike went and got a blue marlin out of the gate,” Captain Rob Carmichael of Lights Out Boston said. “It laid him up for the grand slam bonus.”

Mark Dressler released the club's eighth white marlin of the tournament early on Sunday, pushing Flare back ahead of South Florida Sails with 800 points.

Captain Rob Carmichael and Lights Out had gone south to Norfolk Canyon Sunday morning along with Captain Mike King and the Sails.

At 9:57 AM, Ray Rosher found a white marlin helping Lights Out to 1,125 points and placing them only 75 behind their old rival Sea Birds. A sailfish would be enough to draw even.

For the next several hours, the top of the leaderboard remained unchanged.

East Coast Remix added another white marlin at 12:12 PM courtesy of Brent Feder, moving to 300 points and even with South Carolina Outcast.

Back aboard the Sea Birds, meanwhile, the crew found another way to pass the time.

After winning the heaviest fish honors at The MidAtlantic with their 680-pound blue marlin, McKendrick had a bet to pay off: shave his head and dye his mustache. The clippers came out around 1:20 PM. Mate Mike O’Connor also lost the hair on his head, leaving only side burns, and his beard turning into a fu manchu.

The hijinks ended when Lights Out Boston finally found the fish it needed. At 2:07 PM, Kyle Paparelli released a sailfish to bring them even with The Flock. 

But Blaine and the crew immediately hit back at 2:16 PM, when McKendrick capped his makeover with a white marlin and 100 critical points for New Jersey. 

The Lights Out sailfish release sent Mike King and the South Florida Sails barreling towards Carmichael. 

“We got on some sailfish and of course, in the distance, we see a boat powering in towards us and everybody’s asking ‘what boat is that?’” Carmichael said. “It's gonna be Mike.” 

It was Mike. He knew securing a sailfish would trigger the grand slam bonus for them too, making a 275 point swing and second place in the tournament.

Jay Brower added more insurance for the Sea Birds at 2:47 PM when he released another white marlin, his second fish of Championship Sunday, and fifth white marlin of the weekend. New Jersey's advantage stretched to 1,400 points with less than an hour remaining.

South Carolina Outcast added a white marlin three minutes later through Steven Lackey, moving the club to 400 points and creating separation from East Coast Remix.

As the clock moved toward lines out at 3:30 PM, New Jersey appeared to have finally created enough breathing room, but at 

At 3:20 PM, word came in from Lights Out.

They were hooked up with a blue marlin and they were bringing it in at a rapid pace. The 450-point release would send Lights Out from 1,200 to 1,650 points and secure a comeback win at the buzzer. With the Atlantic season coming down to its final minutes, Lights Out had the tournament-winning fish on the line.

At 3:25 PM, it was gone. The blue marlin swam away before the release could be secured, mere feet from the boat. 

There was heartbreak in the Lights Out cockpit, but also immediate support for the angler as the crew quickly put lines in the water in hopes of finding one final opportunity.

Yet at 3:30 PM, Lines Out was called. The New Jersey Sea Birds were Atlantic Division champions.

"Winning the 2026 SFC Atlantic Division Championship is a testament to the relentless grit, focus, and standard of excellence that defines the New Jersey Sea Birds,” club owner Ethan Rigel said.

In a statement released by the club, Rigel goes on to commend the entire organization:

“Capping off our regular season with statement wins at The MidAtlantic and the SFC Atlantic Division Championship, allowing us to punch our ticket to Cabo as Division Champs is an incredible milestone, but it took an entire community to make this vision a reality.

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our boat owner, Ken Hager, whose unwavering commitment on the Taylor Jean provides the foundation for our team, and to Captain Blaine Birch for his masterclass leadership at the helm all season long. To our world-class anglers, crew on deck, and dedicated support staff behind the scenes: thank you for your relentless execution, tournament after tournament.”

Atlantic Division Championship Final Results
New Jersey Sea Birds - 1,400 points
Lights Out Boston - 1,200 points
North Carolina Flare - 800 points
South Florida Sails - 750 points
South Carolina Outcast - 400 points
East Coast Remix - 300 points
Rhode Island Breakers - 100 points