Ocean City Hopes To End Cape May Challenge Cup Run

Sep 08,2016 by Shawn Soper

OCEAN CITY- The Ocean City Marlin Club will face off against old rival Cape May next week in the 38^th Charles Kratz and Scott Smith Challenge Cup, pitting boats and teams of anglers from each club against each other with bragging rights and the handsome trophy on the line for the next year.

The Challenge Cup, which pits teams of boats from the Ocean City Marlin Club against teams of boats from the Cape May Marlin and Tuna Club, officially began in 1979 as a formal competition between the friendly rivals which share the same canyons off the coast. The two rival clubs meet each September to compete for the Challenge Cup and bragging rights for the next year.

The tournament used to alternate between Cape May and Ocean City, but has been a strictly Ocean City event the last several years because of the nightlife and other amenities the resort officers. If ever one team wins three Challenge Cup tournaments in a row, the trophy is retired and turned over to the winning club, while the losing club purchases a new trophy. The contest has been fairly close over the years with each team retiring trophies, but Cape May has had the upper hand in recent years.

The tournament gets started next Wednesday with a captains’ meeting and registration, with the first of three fishing days set for next Thursday. The competing boats will choose to fish two of the three fishing days, next Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Challenge Cup is a billfish points tournament with points awarded for releases only, meaning there will be no weigh-ins for tuna or dolphin, for example. The tournament concludes next Saturday with an awards banquet and the presentation of the Challenge Cup to the winning team.

Last year, the Cape May club edged the Ocean City Marlin Club in a tight contest for its fourth straight win in the decades-old series. Cape May finished with 562 total points, including 22 white marlin released, five blue marlin and one sailfish. Ocean City finished with 437 total points including 20 white marlin and one blue marlin released. Cape May retired a Challenge Cup with its third win in a row in 2014 and won again last year to start a new run with a new cup.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.