OCEAN CITY- The 41st annual Charles Kratz and Scott Smith Challenge Cup last weekend was one of the closest ever with just a handful of release points separating the Ocean City Marlin Club from the Cape May Marlin and Tuna Club.
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 1978 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 Challenge Cup is a release tournament and the top six boats with the most billfish releases count toward each team’s final tally. Last weekend, the Ocean City Marlin Club’s top six boats combined for 2,850 points, for an average score of 475. Meanwhile, the top six boats for Cape May combined for 2,775 points, for an average score of 462.5. Essentially, a single white marlin release proved to be the difference for the Ocean City Marlin Club, which retained the coveted Challenge Cup for another year.
For Ocean City, the top release boat was the DA Sea with 675 points. The Billfisher was second with 600 points, followed by the Electric Bill and Instigator, each with 450, the Reel Chaos with 375 and the No Quarter with 300. The overall points winner was the DA Sea with 675 points for nine white marlin releases, based on time of catch.
