Battle of the Yacht Clubs Coming Up

Event to Feature: Off shore fishing tournament with cash prizes, raffle, live entertainment, dining and most importantly, fun.

Daytona Beach, Fla. — The Halifax River Yacht Club and Sunset Harbor Yacht Club has announced the dates for their 4th Annual fishing tournament to be held in the Spring of 2012. The “Battle of the Yacht Clubs” is scheduled to take place May 11-12, 2012. The tournament is open to boats of all sizes; provided there is at least one member of a recognized yacht club aboard each vessel.

Anglers will compete in Dolphin, Kingfish and Wahoo divisions, an opt-in Slam tournament within a tournament, and a Lady Angler award. Mike McQuarrie, tournament director, believes that the tournament will be a great opportunity to enjoy a weekend on the water. The tournament began when Rick Taylor, Past-Commodore of SHYC and Mike McQuarrie, Vice-Commodore of HRYC were engaged in a debate about which club had the better fishermen. Since then, the challenge was on.

“In 2009, our inaugural tournament, we hosted 20 teams of members, and raised money for the Halifax Sport Fishing Association's Special Needs fishing tournament. Halifax River YC took the trophy, but we had so much fun, we decided to continue 'the battle.' In 2010, we hosted 26 boats and had even more fun, and again HRYC was the winner. In 2011, Sunset Harbor took the trophy for the first time. This year we decided to invite other local yacht clubs to compete as well. McQuarrie said, “Fishing is an equal opportunity sport: short, tall, old or young, everyone has an opportunity to catch the winning fish.”

The event will begin on May 11th with a Captain's Meeting and Kick-Off party at Sunset Harbor Yacht Club, featuring live entertainment, and a raffle featuring some outstanding products and vacations. Fishing teams may depart from Ponce Inlet and begin fishing at 6:30 am; however, a registered representative from each team must be in attendance at the Captain's meeting. Weigh-ins will begin on May 12th at 3 p.m. at the Halifax River Yacht Club and end at 6 p.m. The tournament will wrap up with an awards ceremony to be held at HRYC on Saturday evening. Cash prizes and trophies for the top 3 catches in each division will go to the winning teams. The Slam prize will be awarded to the team with the heaviest fish of all 3 divisions. The “bragging rights” trophy will be awarded to the Yacht Club whose members placed best overall. And, last but not least, a Lady Angler award will go to the female who caught the largest fish.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the tournament, with community sponsorship levels starting at $100. For more information on sponsorship packages or angler registration, contact Mike McQuarrie at 386-843-3266.

For additional information on the tournament, please visit www.battleoftheyachtclubs.com. Or become a fan of the tournament page at facebook.com/battle of the yacht clubs.

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The Halifax River Yacht Club is a member-owned private club founded in 1896 and still resides in its original location. A brand new clubhouse facility and expanded dockage welcome the members from Tuesday through Sunday. Reciprocal privileges are offered through the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs and the Yachting Club of America. The club is located at 331 S. Beach Street, Daytona Beach. Call 386-255-7459

The Sunset Harbor Yacht Club and Conference Center is a privately-owned club founded in 2004 located on the Intracoastal Waterway and offers full service banquet facilities available to the community. Reciprocal privileges are offered through the Yachting Club of America. The club is located at 861 Ballough Road Daytona Beach 386-947-9900

Both clubs offer both casual and fine dining, riverfront pools, and marinas.