2000 King Kamehameha Fishing Tournament Report

Story by Mike House
Photos by Kathy House
Y2K must not have been as much of a problem for many mariners as Y99, as the 5th stop on the season’s points run for the gold had excellent participation for a one-day event (recall last year’s mechanical problems with 5 or 6 boats).  The King Kamehameha Tournament, despite competition from Ahi Fever, ran smoothly, with 17 boats (5 sail) entering to fish on June 10th. 

The weather has been kind to us lately, and most of the day saw flat to 2 foot conditions.  We were also graced by the presence of several pilot whales, porpoise schools, and for a few, even some fish.  No Marlin were caught, but several boats found some good Mahimahi and Ono through the day. 

I had an opportunity to fish on board Manawale’a, Lou Nagy’s Bertram 38.  Lou won the No Alibi/Spring tournament in 1999 with a 262 pound Marlin, but has had a few tough runs since where the fish haven’t been that kind to him.  Perhaps it was the luck of the draw, the luck of the lures, or the luck of the TV crews we had on board, but Manawale’a had a good day at sea this weekend. 

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King Kamehameha

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Team 20/20 Winners of the Sailboat Division

 A trip to P buoy, followed by a run along the 1000-1500 fathom lines produced no fruit, but as we got to the HH Buoy, we picked up a double strike of Mahimahi and Ono.  Both were small and failed to qualify, but it was a good indication that the bite was coming on.  A few moments later, we hooked into a nice Ono that Brian Souza expertly angled in short order.  Made for good footage on film, too.

Returning to the scales at about 4:30, the rest of the fleet was curious to see what we had, as the rest of the fish weighed for the day had been quite small.  Al Bento on the Alele II had weighed a 25 pound Ono, and as we hoisted our fish onto the scale, the crowd gathered.  Guesses of 18 pounds were called out, but as the scale read 25 pounds, there was some disbelief and dissention.   Later, the fish were weighed side by side and there was no way to distinguish one from the other, so a tie was declared.
Afterwards, we called Rick Abille on the Blue Diamond who was fishing out of Waianae in the Ahi Fever.   A 34 pound Spearfish was caught by Waikiki Yacht club member Clarance Adams on the Nalani Kai, and that fish ultimately took first prize for the tournament. 

In the sail division, Tony Miller’s 20/20 was the only one of the fleet to catch, and they managed to land a 22.5 pound Ono to take the win. 

It’s mid-way through the season, so below is the tally for the seasons points thus far.  With five tournaments to go, it’s still all up for grabs.

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Team Alele II tied for second
Hawaii Yacht Club

Power Division                                      

1. Akele, Bob Goodman, 547.5 points 
2. Sea Verse, Lee Severs, 537 points               
3. Alele II, Al Bento, 286.5 points

Sail Division

1. Bustin Loose, Steve Mann, 90 points
2. 20/20, Tony Miller, 35.5 points

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Team Sea Verse with some nice Mahi

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Steve Shoda Skipper of Chime with a nice Mahi

 Waikiki Yacht Club

Power Division                                                  

1. Blue Diamond, Rick Abille, 252 points
2. Kuu Huapala, Glen Paxman, 179.5 points**
3. Kahuna Kai, Dudley Worthy, 151.5 points

Sail Division

1. 20/20, Tony Miller, 35.5 points

**Kuu Huapala needs to fish all remaining tournaments to qualify

Entry Information

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