The BLG Logistics Tuna Classic has been tweaked and improved yet again to cater for a greater audience and for more fishermen to compete. The Tuna Classic will officially be opened on the evening of the 29th April starting with team registrations and will run through until the closing function on the evening of 2nd May 2015.
The organising committee decided to add Marlin, Dorado, Skipjack Tuna and Bonito as official species with their own prize monies to this year’s competition and this will definitely add to the appeal of this event due to declining Yellowfin Tuna catches in recent years.
Another exciting addition to this year’s event will be the inclusion of the Ford Broadbill Night Challenge. Broadbill Swordfish is mostly caught at night when they rise to the surface from 500-600 meters deep to feed. Competing boats will be offered the opportunity to overnight on the continental shelve approximately 70km off-shore to try and catch one of these elusive beasts and win R20,000-00 in cash for the largest Broadbill caught.
One of the popular features of the revamped BLG Logistics Tuna Classic will be the Beer Tent, which will operate alongside PEDSAC, in the PE Harbour.
“The organisers have lined up some top local and national musical talent to liven up the evenings. “The ever-popular Pretoria outfit “Marulaboom” will perform at the Tuna Classic on Friday, 1st May starting at 20:00 and fans should get there early to guarantee free access”, said PEDSAC tournament director, Richard Donaldson.
Registration for the anglers who will compete in the Tuna Classic will happen between 4pm and 6pm on Wednesday evening, 29th April, followed by Niven Marcus providing live music to entertain the crowds for the rest of the evening.
The flotilla of ski boats will gather for the “blessing of the fleet” off Shark Rock Pier, at 6.30am on Thursday morning, 30th April, before a flare sets off the spectacular start and they head off to the continental shelf, about 80km south of Cape Recife.
The stakes are high at this year’s Classic, which is in the last of a 3 year sponsorship deal with local logistics company, BLG Logistics and boasts three of the largest prizes ever offered.
The total value of prizes is valued at R750,000-00. Ford and Eastern Cape Motors will once again provide a Ford Ranger 2.2 Diesel Super Cab kitted out as a bonanza prize offered for a new record Yellowfin Tuna. Andre Wilken Jnr broke the record in 2014 landing a fish weighing in at a whopping 102.7kg and thereby winning him the top of the range Ford Ranger 4x4 double cab that was offered as a bonanza prize in 2014.
This years heaviest yellow-fin tuna will win R100 000-00 and the top boat will win R50 000-00. Cash prizes ranging between R10,000-00 and R15,000-00 is offered for the biggest Marlin, Bonito, Dorado thereby ensuring that over 40 boats will be expected to cast their lines in the water to try and clinch the big one.
2008 Tuna Classic winner, Shane Gerber, of BLG Logistics, said “We believe that the 2015 Tuna Classic will see this event further established itself as a leading event on the national game fishing calendar. We will use the Tuna Classic to raise funds for an Autistic little boy named Gabriel Landzaat who lives in Cape Town. Gabriel has been diagnosed as being Autistic and has to attend a Doecial School catering for autistic children with specialised needs.
The costs of attending such institutions are extremely expensive for the parents and therefore we are planning to assist in raising funds to help make a difference in this little boy’s life.”
Entry forms and information on the event can be obtained on www.pedsac.co.za
