South Florida Sails AC Dominate Day 2 of The Walker’s Cay Open

We may as well call it Sails Saturday, because Walker’s Cay Day 2 belonged entirely to the South Florida Sails Angling Club.

Battling tougher conditions and a noticeably slower bite, the Sails separated themselves from the other six SFC clubs and the overall 20-boat field with a dominant performance that turned a narrow overnight advantage into a commanding lead. The Sails are 2-for-2 with daily’s meaning they get yet another tomahawk steak for dinner.

“We caught the first fish [today] and we knew we were behind on time and were pretty content with that,” said Captain Mike King of South Florida Sails Angling Club. “Then the next fish came and we really started to think about that steak. We’re really looking forward to the next one tonight.”

Lines officially went in at 8:00 AM, but unlike Friday’s early flurry of releases, the morning bite was far more difficult. An east wind that developed overnight appeared to slow the action considerably, forcing crews to grind through long stretches without opportunities.

The first major moment of the day came from South Carolina Outcast. Dakoda Hawkins reported the team had already hooked and lost what appeared to be a large blue marlin in the 8:00 AM hour, with Captain Stuart Lackey circling the area in hopes of finding the fish again.

Shortly afterward, Lights Out Boston finally broke through.

At 9:13 AM, Ray Rosher completed a hard-fought blue marlin battle that included fighting belts, and underwater GoPro angles to verify the species. The 450-point fish put Lights Out Boston on the board for the first time this tournament and vaulted them into fourth place overall.

“Got one on the board,” said Capt. Rob Carmichael of Lights Out Boston Angling Club. “We’re going to need a few more tomorrow.”

That fish would stand as the only release across the entire SFC fleet for nearly three hours.

At noon, the lone scoring fish remained Rosher’s blue marlin, highlighting just how dramatically the conditions had changed from Day 1.

But then, the South Florida Sails took over: At 12:09 PM, Lee Albarty hooked up, and moments later the crew confirmed another blue marlin release. Capt. Mike King and company added 450 points to extend their advantage over the New Jersey Sea Birds in second.

Less than an hour later, Alex Stanley added a sailfish release, worth 75 points, just before the SFC’s live social hour broadcast at 1:00 PM, pushing the Sails to 1,575 total points and firmly in control of the leaderboard.

At 2:24 PM, Albarty struck again with yet another blue marlin release. Other clubs attempted to mount a charge late in the day. South Carolina Outcast added a sailfish release from Trey Kemmerlin after missing their earlier blue marlin opportunity, while North Carolina Flare battled through frustrating gyro issues as rougher seas challenged crews throughout the fleet.

The final hour delivered action across multiple boats. South Florida Sails, North Carolina Flare, and Rhode Island Breakers all appeared hooked up at nearly the same time, but once again it was the Sails who capitalized.

At 3:08 PM, Lee Albarty completed his third blue marlin release of the day, adding another 450 points and the rout was on. The release pushed South Florida’s total to 2,475 points, nearly 1,500 points clear of second-place.

“All I have to do is worry about putting them on a fish and they do the rest,” King said. “It’s amazing to see two really professional mates work, there’s no yelling and no screaming.”

While the overall lead may now seem daunting, the defending champions still found a late bright spot. Late in the afternoon, the Sea Birds hooked up while trying to avoid something owner Ken Hager rarely has to display aboard the boat: the dreaded skunk flag, reserved for days without a billfish release. 

"We need to hide that flag from Ken [Hager]" said New Jersey Sea Birds Angler Dave McKendrick.

At 3:48 PM, the defending champions avoided the goose egg when Mike O’Connor released a white marlin, pushing their score to an even 1,000 points and keeping momentum alive heading into Championship Sunday.

When lines officially came out at 4:00 PM, the South Florida Sails look primed to capture the flag tomorrow thanks to the efforts of Lee Albarty, Alex Stanley, Capt. Mike King, Ben Simmons, and the rest of the crew. 

Will they hoist the Citizen Trophy and climb the gantry tomorrow? Tune in to find out.