The 2023 Sea Horse Anglers Club Bermuda Billfish Tournament fleet of 33 boats and 277 anglers caught a total of 75 blue marlin and 16 white marlin, all of which were released except two. Teams also caught 15 yellowfin tuna ranging from 100 to 168.1 pounds. Among prize packages and trophies awarded, this year’s Sea Horse Anglers Club tournament paid out a record total cash purse of $290,900.

The Sea Horse is the third and final leg of the Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Championship. As a fitting end-cap to the 2023 Bermuda tournament season, the team fishing on Lunático won first-place honors in the 50th annual Sea Horse Anglers Club Billfish Tournament, held July 20-24. Hailing from Palm Beach, Florida, and fishing aboard a 63-foot Titan, the team of Capt. Cory Gillespie, mates Neil Ashley, Andrew Kennedy, and Slade Crumpton and angler/owner Lance Converse released a total of six blue marlin and four white marlin to rightfully achieve their status as top team overall. First place earned Lunático a combined check of $58,950 and an invitation to the Costa Offshore World Championship. Team Big Deal weighed the heaviest blue marlin of the tournament at 692 lbs to win a check for $96,000.

2023 marks 50 years since the inception of the Sea Horse Anglers Club Bermuda Billfish Tournament, formed by a handful of local enthusiasts determined to protect billfishing as a sport. Recognizing their precious commodity and the paramount need for local sustainability, they were one of the first tournaments to set a 500-pound minimum weight for blue marlin. The success of the Sea Horse helped propel Bermuda to the world stage as a premier blue marlin destination.