26th Annual SPM / Grady White Owners Tournament Results
A sold out limit of boats was greeted by the best weather of the summer on Saturday, July 12 for the 26th annual Somers Point Marina Grady-White Boat Owners’ Fishing Tournament. The superb weather produced flat seas that allowed the contestants the opportunity to head far into the ocean if they desired.

The largest fish weighed-in was an 89-pound tuna taken at the 19 Fathom by Frank Masse of Berwyn, PA from his new Grady 330 Express, “Tiburon”. A number of tuna in the 60 and 70-pound range were taken by other contestants.

The bluefish also were quite large. The biggest was an even 14-pounds and was caught by Pete Corelli of Oaklyn, NJ, fishing from his Grady 280 Marlin, “Still On Company Time”.

The winning striped bass was 7.13-pounds and was caught by Mike Schlembach of Marmora, NJ fishing from Michael Tamburri’s new 225 Tournament, “Reel Time”. After weighing and measuring the bass it was released.

Top flounder weighed 4.5-pounds and was nabbed aboard “Fleur de Wilds”, a 272 Sailfish owned by Bill Wilds of Longport, NJ. Other award winners included a 14.11-pound dolphin taken by Frank Bigley from the “Marianne”, a 282 Sailfish; Bob Kaufmann of Ardsley, PA for a seabass caught from his 282, “Dad’s Dream” and Bruce Cutilli of Maple Glen, PA for a ling caught from his 232 Gulfstream, “Strike Zone”.

Close to 300 contestants, their families and friends attended the post-tournament awards ceremony which featured a BBQ and live music by casino and club entertainer, and Grady-White owner, Dr. Bobby Fingers.

The Somers Point Marina Grady-White Owners’ Tournament is one of the longest running in the entire dealer network.

Grady-White Plant Visits
Heading south on vacation this fall or winter? Why not take some time to visit the Grady-White manufacturing facility in Greenville, NC? Greenville is situated about half way between I-95 and the coast.

Grady welcomes walk-ins but they really roll out the red carpet if they know you are coming. Just contact someone in our sales department and they will be happy to make the arrangements for you.

Recreational Boaters Dodge Big Bullet
The U. S. House and Senate did the recreational boating industry a big favor in late July with the passage of the Clean Boating Act of 2008. Without passage of this law every recreational boater in the county, regardless of size or type of propulsion, would have had to apply for the federal permit to discharge any water from their vessel. This included rain water runoff, cleaning water and engine cooling water. Even those with a kayak using a sponge to dry out their craft would have needed this permit. Over 18 million boat owners would have been affected.

The law on which the regulation was based originally was passed years ago to control bilge water discharges from ocean-going ships.

Save Those Old Socks
Old socks wear out or go out of style but do not throw them away. They make a very helpful tool when it comes to maintaining your boat.

A sock on your hand, preferably a clean sock, is a great way to apply a protectant such as Aluma-Guard to your hardtop frame and stainless steel. With the sock on your hand you simply can wrap completely around the pipes without missing a spot. It also makes it easier to apply protectant to that hard-to-reach area where the top meets the frame.

Another sock can be used to apply a protectant such as 303 to your bolsters and seat cushions. Using a wadded up rag usually results in many spots getting missed.

Ocean City 9th Street Bridge Progress Report
Despite all the progress that has been made on the new causeway between Ocean City and Somers Point the project still will not be completed until sometime in 2012. Right now this is the biggest bridge project in the state.

You can follow the progress on line by checking these sites: njdot.nj.gov/commuter/roads/route52 and state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt52.

Meanwhile, with the hot weather upon us, there always is the possibility that one or both of the existing draw bridges that make up the causeway will get stuck in either the up or down position. Good luck!

Rendering of future bridge (from Somers Point)

We Love To get Your Emails And Letters
Like to see your pictures or boating/fishing stories on the SPM site? Just send them along and you could find yourself in Docklines. Send your material off to Jim Pieklo at office@somerspointmarina.com. Also, Grady-White Boats website also has an area where you can upload your Grady Life photos and stories. Check it out at www.gradywhite.com.