CHARLESTON, SC – The HMY-Viking MegaDock Billfishing Tournament concluded on Saturday, July 10 at the Charleston City Marina with the release of 14 blue marlin, three white marlin and 63 sailfish. Sixty-two boats fished this fourth and largest event in the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series.

Stephen Davis’ Bench Mark, captained by Bobby Garmany, won the event releasing five sailfish and one blue marlin for 1,600 points. Reel Passion, owned by Bill Ingram, took home second place by releasing two blue marlin on Friday, and a sailfish on Saturday. Bench Mark won a total of $105,184, while Reel Passion took home $61,708 for the second place showing. Secotan finished third with 1,200 points for releasing three sailfish and a blue marlin. Jabez also had 1,200 points with one blue marlin and three sailfish releases.

The non-billfish winners were as follows: Ryan Higgins’ 50.6 pound dolphin on Miss Magnolia, a 12.2 pound tuna caught by James Lucas aboard Gusto IV, and a 42.0 pound wahoo reeled in by Carter Smith on Mindset. In addition, Taylor Wood took home the Youth Angler award with a 6.4 pound dolphin catch aboard the Emily Bliss.

Scoring at the HMY-Viking MegaDock Tournament is 600 points for a blue marlin release, 300 for a white marlin release, and 200 for a sailfish release, with additional weight categories for dolphin, tuna and wahoo. In accordance with the South Carolina Governor’s Cup, one point per pound is awarded for blue marlin weighed over 105 inches in length.

As in past years, proceeds from the HMY-Viking MegaDock Tournament will be donated to local water related charities. Organizations that the event has donated to in the past include Anchors Away, Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Dragon Boat Charleston, Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund, Junior Sail Training Program, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Beach Sweep/River Sweep, South Carolina Waterfowl Association, Wallace F. Pate Memorial Fund and Water Missions International.

Dates for next year’s HMY-Viking MegaDock Tournament will be determined later this summer. For more information regarding the event please visit www.megadocktournament.com or contact McKenzie Huttaff Estes at mestes@megadock.us.

The City Marina Company, a subsidiary of The Beach Company, has privately operated the Charleston City Marina since 1994. The City Marina Company’s other affiliates include The City Boatyard, The Bristol Marina and The Sea Store Fuel & Convenience Store. The two marinas, the boatyard, and convenience store have a tradition of exceeding industry standards by providing exceptional customer service and products. The Charleston City Marina’s MegaDock is one of the largest in the world with over 3,000 feet of floating dock for transient vessels visiting Charleston.