The Sixth Annual No Sancocho Tournament was held 29 January to 01 February 2010 in
Guatemala. Host for the third time is Casa Vieja Lodge. Tournament Director Hill Dishman has this report:
Day one started out with high expectations………some heads hurting for the Opening
Ceremonies party at Casa Vieja the night before, and those expectations were met with a total of 213 sailfish released on Day One. The seas were calm, the water was blue, and the sailfish were snapping. All day long the radio was abuzz with releases being radioed in to the
Committee Boat. It was a dogfight all day between Decisive, Rum Line, and Yo No Cuido but
when the dust settled it was Rum Line taking the day with 32 releases, followed by Decisive with 31 releases, and Yo No Cuido (aboard Circle Hook) with 30 releases. The Circle Hookers aboard the Allure where able to spot the first whale of the tourney.
Here is how it looked after Day 1:
Rum Line 320
Decisive 310
Yo No Cuido (Circle Hook) 300
Reel Nasty (Finest Kind) 200
Circle Hookers (Allure) 190
Four Fat Boys (Intensity) 180
Los Menirosos (Canaso) 170
Club No Minor (Release) 150
Team Penguino (Pelagian) 150
Tenacious (Adios) 130
Day 2 the bite slowed down just a little for everyone. Teams were allowed to fish baits only,
which awarded 10 points for a released sailfish until 12:00 noon. At that time, the fly became
optional and a sail released on the fly was worth 20 points, with an additional 5 point bonus if
the fish was billed and the fly successfully retrieved. It was as close as it could get for Day 2,
however the Circle Hookers made a charge late in the day releasing 4 sails on the fly. When the lines out call came at 3:30 the Circle Hookers had held off Team Decisive and Team Rum Line to take the day with a total of 240 points, edging Decisive who had 230 points, and Rum Line who had 225 points. Chris “Kiwi” van Leeuwen took home the Top Captain slot, and Philipps took home the second place Captain. The overall lead saw Team Rum Line holding the top spot, but with a very, very slim 5 point lead over Team Decisive. Yo No Cuido was in 3rd, and Circle Hookers moved up one spot to 4th. Perhaps the biggest shock of the day was at the Gringo vs Guatemalan soccer game at the local school. We handed out clothes and toys to the local kids, and then had a heated soccer match that saw the Gringos tie the Guatemalans 2-2. The first time the Gringos have ever come close in this match. The standings looked like this after Day 2.
Day 1 Day 2 TOTAL
Team Rum Line 320 225 545
Team Decisive 310 230 540
Yo No Cuido (Circle Hook) 300 140 440
Circle Hookers (Allure) 190 240 430
Club No Minor (Release) 150 185 335
Reel Nasty (Finest Kind) 200 120 320
Four Fat Boys (Intensity) 180 120 300
Los Menirosos (Canaso) 170 110 280
Team Penguino (Pelagian) 150 100 250
Tenacious (Adios) 130 30 160
Day 3 for many it boiled down to a two team race for the top spot and a two team race for third place. The boats headed out a little further than the previous two days. Day 3 teams had the option of fishing the fly, the baits, or a combination of the two. The fishing started out hot and Decisive and Rum Line were constantly calling in releases. It was a see-saw battle between these boats all day. At the 1:30 pm update given by the Committee Boat, amazingly both teams were exactly tied with 805 points. With two hours left, it was anyone’s guess who would win the top prize. Rum Line quickly called in a release to take the lead, but Decisive answered right back with a double…..one released on the baits and one released on the fly. It was a lead that they would not relinquish for the rest of the tourney. Decisive went on to capture the 2010 No Sancocho Sailfish Shootout. They ended up with 370 points on Day 3, followed by Rum Line with 320 points. Their victory earned them first place on Day 3. Rum Line took home second place on Day 3. Canaso and Team Los Menirosos finished strong on Day 3 and took fifth place. Yo No Cuido and the Circle Hookers finished in a dead heat for third. Philipps was for top captain on Day 3, and Haole for second place captain on Day 3. For the tournament the ten teams released 525 sailfish on the baits, and 34 on the fly in the three day tourney. Decisive and Rum Line tied for the most releases on the baits with 73. Circle Hookers and Allure had the most releases on the fly with 9. At the award ceremony Sunday night at Casa Vieja….the cherished Rich Smith Memorial “No Sancocho” Game ball was awarded to my friend Antonio Valdez. What a deserving recipient. Also, each team had to contribute $20 per missed bite (sancocho) to the Sancocho Pot, and we were able to raise $5,800 for the Casa Vieja sponsored local school to help pay for books and supplies to these kids, who would otherwise be left without. Congratulations to Team Rum Line for their second place finish….Jim Turner, Rick Murphy, and Juan Cruz Anon, and also to Captain Chris Sheeder. Congratulations to Team Decisive…..Steve Cothron, Scott Lund, and Harvey Steinhagen and also to the Captain of the Decisive Brad Philipps….Champions of the 2010 No Sancocho Sailfish Shootout.
Final Standings looked like this:
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 TOTAL
Team Decisive 310 230 370 910
Team Rum Line 320 225 320 865
Circle Hookers (Allure) 190 240 230 660
Yo No Cuido (Circle Hook) 300 140 220 660
Los Mentirosos (Canaso) 170 110 305 585
Four Fat Boys (Intensity) 180 120 260 560
Reel Nasty (Finest Kind) 200 120 210 530
Club No Minor (Release) 150 185 165 500
Team Penguino (Pelagian) 150 100 140 390
Tenacious (Allure) 130 30 40 200
Hill Dishman
Tournament Director
