[YachtForums]

Each year, Bertram faces off against sport-fish rival, Hatteras, in perhaps the most prestigious and storied Blue Marlin Tournament of the year, the ‘Bertram – Hatteras Shootout’. This year, Bertram regained its title as Grand Prize Winner despite being outnumbered in craft (26 Bertram craft versus 35 Hatteras’).

In recent years, despite not bringing home the trophy, Bertram has managed to out fish the competition pound for pound. This year however, marked the first ‘strictly release’ format for the Shootout, implemented to aid in Billfish conservation. The organizer for this year’s Shootout, Mr. Kaye Pearson of Show Management, recognized the need for a handicap system in order to increase the level of “fairness” in the tournament, due to the overabundance of Hatteras lines in the water, compared to Bertram. Yet during this year’s 5 day event at Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco in The Bahamas, the Bertram team of elite anglers never once needed to use the new handicap system and outscored the Hatteras team across the board, proving once again that true strength is about “quality, not quantity”.

The boat which took home the grand prize for achieving top points overall was a 60’ Bertram named ‘Wynsong’. The outstanding point total of Bertram was thanks largely in part to the great success of the “Bertram Fishing Team”, reeling in several Marlin on the smallest boat in the tournament, the Bertram 360-‘Moppie’. Moppie Team Captain, Ken Duell, showed the fleet that the 360 is a fish raising machine. Finally, fishing on the spectacular new Bertram 630 mezzanine version with ARG stabilizers, Allied Richard Bertram Marine Group - Bertram’s Florida Dealer - proudly sealed the victory on the final day with 2 spectacular marlin releases.

The legendary Miami-based sport-fishing manufacturer, Bertram Yacht, a Ferretti Group Company, currently builds models (36’ to 67’) and remains the benchmark for superior performance, durability, reliability. Bertram Yacht is part of the Ferretti Group, one of the world leaders in the engineering, manufacturing and selling of luxury motor yachts.

For more information:

Bertram Yacht Inc.
3663 NW 21st Street
MIAMI FL 33142
Tel: (305) 633 - 8011
www.bertram.com

Picture Caption: Don Jones and Joe Bubenzer holding up the trophy.

[CTdave]

Oh yeah! Go Bertram!!!

[Arniev]

Did any YF members participate in the Shootout?
If yes, some pictures will be nice!

[wdrzal]

Is that pic a negative or do they spend way to much time in the sun ??????

[CTdave]

Originally Posted by wdrzal

Is that pic a negative or do they spend way to much time in the sun ??????

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kevin]

It's a fishing tourney... can't expect them to catch anything from inside! LOL

[two-wheel]

Sunscreen? What's that?!

Originally Posted by wdrzal

Is that pic a negative or do they spend way to much time in the sun ??????

[Loren Schweizer]

Back in the ol' days--late '80s for you kids--- Shootout XI was run out of Walker's Cay.
The debut of the new 60 (a stretched 54 and better for it---she was a real hotrod with her extra LWL and 12-92 Jimmies)) ran out the first morning and cleaned the clock of brand H during the 'Le Mans' start.

That prototype 60 sported a broom (denoting a 'clean sweep') from her flybridge navlight mast following the morning's dash out of the harbor.

Cannot recall whether Brand 'B' or Brand 'H' won the tourney ( hell, we were all pretty plastered by the time the boats got back to the dock) but the rivalry was a great deal of fun and sportsmanship: honor, valor---was still valued, as were the friendships up & down the docks!

But, we always wondered about those 'unmade beds' who hung out on the Hat docks(!)