The 2016 Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown tournament “kicked it up a notch” and ended with a “BAM!”
Quoting celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, who recently fished out of Los Sueños, best describes the events that took place last week during the third and final leg of the 2016 Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown Series.
Boats reported between 70 and 100 billfish releases per boat just days before the start of the third leg of the tournament. Expectations were high and the dock was buzzing. On the first day of Leg II in February 1,103 fish were released. Although that number was not outdone this leg, the fish were here, there and everywhere; they were just too full to take the bait. At the end of Day One 651 billfish, including 2 marlin, were released. That is more than one fish per minute or an average of 15 billfish per team. “Kind of a slow day.” Really? Words one only hears in Los Sueños! By the afternoon of Day 3 though, the fish were hungry and attacked en masse. All told, there were 6,570 fish released by an average of 43 boats over the nine days of competition that made up this year’s Signature Triple Crown. Last year’s all-time record of 5,732 fish was beat by 838 fish with an average fish to boat ratio of 51. Where else, we ask?
Day One ended with an exciting finish, Tarheel winning over Agitator on time, each with 2,800 points (28 sails) and only 5 minutes between them. Agitator who placed 2nd in Leg One and 1st in Leg Two, was able to move even further ahead in the running for Series Champion.
Day Two brought a reversal of fortunes. A total of 460 billfish were released during the eight hours of fishing. When lines out was called at 4:00 pm Agitator had relegated Tarheel into second place for the tournament win. Sea Angel had a great day moving up to third position after having placed 14th at the end of Day One.
Day Three was not only the last day of the tournament but also the final day of the Triple Crown Showdown. The day started off promising with 80 billfish released during the first hour. As time progressed things slowed down a bit. At 1:01 pm though, Jaruco called in a quintuple (5 fish released at the same time) and initiated a hail storm that continued past lines out! While doubles, triples and quadruples are commonplace in Los Sueños, quintuples are still considered a special event. At 1:33 pm another quintuple was called in by Jaruco. A third was called in at 1:37 pm by Blue Eagle, then another by Wire We Here at 2:10 pm, followed by Plan B at 2:41 pm, Fish Tank at 2:55 pm, Uno Mas at 3:04 pm, and Pelese two minutes later. In the end there were 10 quintuples and 15 quadruples, not to mention an uncounted number of doubles and triples, radioed in to Control between 1:01 pm and 4:11 pm. A total of 455 billfish were released in the same period. BAM! Pelese who had a slow start in the morning with only 4 fish by noon, released 38 billfish in the last hour and a half. Jaruco released 43 billfish, the highest number of releases in a single day during the entire Series.
One could not have asked for a more exciting finish of the third leg of the 2016 Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown tournament. With this amount of fish anything was possible until the very end of the competition. All set and done Agitator dominated winning First Place of the Third Leg and was crowned Series Champion, Pelese having an incredible come back after Day One took second place and Sea Angel took Third Place. A total of 1,855 billfish were release during the Third Leg of the Series. Overall during the 9 days of competition 6, 570 billfish were released kicking it up 832 “notches” compared to 2015.
Back Stories
Agitator, a 51’ Scarborough, is new to Los Sueños and participated in the Triple Crown for the first time this year. They are a family team with son Captain Jon Duffie on the bridge. Mother Judith, father John and brother Jeremy angle with their friends Danny Gough and Charles “Billy” Gerlach. This was the year of the Agitator, having finished second in Leg I, First in Leg II and First in Leg III, ultimately being crowned 2016 Signature Champion. This talented team of anglers released an incredible 246 sailfish over a period of 9 days.
Pelese, a 60’ Spencer came in second place during Leg II and were the come-back kids on the third day of Leg III. Captain John Lagrone has been fishing the waters of Los Sueños for more than a decade. Owner Marc Stanley has put together a solid team of anglers including himself, John Bankston, Scott Levin, Matt Traber and Andy Moyes, who have proven to become one of the strongest teams in the competition.
Sea Angel, a 63’ F&S Boatworks just missed the leaderboard in Leg I by 100 points and in Leg II by 8 minutes, forcing the tournament committee to go back to the second last time in order to break the tie for third place. Needless to say, this team of family and friends with owner Greg Angel, his son Austin Angel, and their friends Greg Voell, Nolan Rauswinter and Jasen Gast, manning the lines, earned their place on the stage in Leg III, finishing just 100 points ahead of the 4th runner up, Trophy Box.
On behalf of the tournament committee, a heartfelt congratulations to all of the participants!
Cash Prizes and Awards
The evening could not have been any more perfect for the awards ceremony on Saturday night, held under the stars on the white sand at the Los Sueños Beach Club. Guest were treated to a special musical performance by Latin Grammy winners Editus from Costa Rica performing a fusion of classical and rock music. Immediately preceding the presentation of trophies, prizes and checks to the tournament winners, guests enjoyed the highly anticipated Dock Show filmed by Rich Christensen and edited by Adam Moffat of RK Productions. The ceremony was closed out by a spectacular fireworks display followed by the after party with DJ Charlie Stevens at the Terrace Lounge. Tournament winners took to the stage to receive a total of $240,000 in cash, as well as other prizes provided by tournament sponsors.
| Series Champion | Agitator | $100,000 | 24,600 points |
| 1st Place Leg Three | Agitator | $70,000 | 8,300 points |
| 2nd Place Leg Three | Pelese | $42,000 | 7,900 points |
| 3rd Place Leg Three | Sea Angel | $28,000 | 7,200 points |
Trophies by Gray Taxidermy and Signature Champion Trophy by Metal Ocean – Sean Tuttle Designs.
Other prizes and awards by: Tunaskin- apparel; Steve Goione- framed prints of the 2016 Triple Crown tournament art; Vanmark, Inc.- gold pendants and top angler ring; Costa– sunglasses for the winning anglers; and Flor de Caña- aged rum for winning teams and top angler.
Top Angler Leg Three and Overall
Congratulations to Carlos Gonzalez of Gunsmoke on releasing 23 sails for an individual total of 2,300 points during Leg III and a total of 96 sails for an individual total of 9,600 points overall. Carlos took home a custom Triple Crown trophy, the 14K gold diamond studded championship ring designed by Vanmark, Inc., Tunaskin aquatic apparel, framed artwork by Steve Goione and Flor de Caña Aged Rum.
Top Lady Angler Overall
Of the 15 female anglers in 2016, there were only 5 who angled all three legs of this year’s Triple Crown. Amanda Cofer of Tranquilo released 42 sails and 2 marlin for 5,200 individual points, ending 15th out of 309 participating anglers and in the top 5% overall. Amanda took home a custom Triple Crown trophy, a grand slam 14K gold pendant designed by Vanmark, Inc., Tunaskin aquatic apparel, and a bottle of champagne.
Series Champion Captain
We introduced an all-new category this year – Top Captain for the Triple Crown billfish series. Captain Jon Duffie of the Agitator drove off with a brand new 2016 Aprilia STX 150 sponsored by Moto Desmo, the exclusive Ducati and Vespa dealership in Costa Rica, a custom Triple Crown trophy and a gold pendant designed by Vanmark, Inc.
Acknowledgements
The entire tournament organizing committee would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who came together to support this event. Our gratitude goes out to all the anglers, captains, mates, observers, technical advisors, cameramen and videographers, Los Sueños staff and of course, our sponsors (in alphabetical order): Bristol Marine Supply, Canvas Designers, Caterpillar/Gregory Poole, Chantilly Air, Clinica Biblica, Costa Sunglasses, Costa Rica Dreams Sport Fishing, Costa Rica Luxury Rentals & Tours, CR Primo Fishing Tackle, Cummins, Flor de Caña, Galati International Yacht Sales, Gato Gordo golf cart rentals and sales, Gray Taxidermy, Los Sueños Resort and Marina, Moto Desmo Costa Rica (Ducati and Vespa), MTU/Tractomotriz, Poms & Associates, SeaDream Finance and Insurance, Sevenstar Yacht Transport, Steve Goione Marine Artist, Tunaskin Aquatic Apparel, Vanmark Inc., Viking Yachts, Weather Routing Inc. For more about our sponsors, please visit www.LStournaments.com and click on Sponsors.
OWC Qualifying Event
The top team from each leg of the Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown will be eligible to compete in the 2016 Offshore World Championship. For further information, please visit www.offshorechampionship.com.
About The Los Suenos Signature Triple Crown
2016 marks the 3rd Annual Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown billfish tournament series. The Triple Crown consists of three annual tournaments, in January, February and March each year, and is fished out of the world class Los Sueños Resort and Marina in Costa Rica. The dates for 2017 are Leg I: January 18-21, Leg II: February 22-25, and Leg III: March 22-25.
About Los Sueños Resort and Marina
Los Sueños Resort and Marina is the premier luxury real estate resort in Costa Rica. Nestled on the Central Pacific Coast, Los Sueños is an 1,100-acre oasis offering incredible ocean, rainforest and golf course view properties; a gorgeous waterfront Marina Village commercial area with restaurants, shops and lively entertainment; a large private beach club for residents; an 18-hole championship golf course; a superb 201-room Marriott Hotel; and much more – all within close proximity to world record-setting sport fishing waters. Information on Los Sueños Resort and Marina is available online at www.lossuenos.com.
For further information, please contact Ashley Bretecher, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, Los Sueños Resort and Marina, Toll-free: 1-866-865-9759, Direct Tel: 011-506-2630-4005, Fax: 011-506-2630-4010, or e-mail: a.bretecher@lossuenos.com.
