Team TRUE GRIT Aboard Paul Mann 54 Takes Second in 28th Annual Alice Kelly Ladies Only Billfish Tournament August 13th 2017
The team aboard 54′ Paul Mann TRUE GRIT held second place positon after a full day of action and tough competition from all 97 boats entered in the 28th Alice Kelly Ladies Only Tournament on August 13. TRUE GRIT, captained by Hank Beasley, racked up three sailfish releases, good for 300 points to take
second. The Alice Kelly Tournament is held to promote and fund breast cancer charities and is one of the most popular and successful ladies only anglers billfishing charity events in the world. And TRUE GRIT was not the only Paul Mann boat to enjoy winning a top award in this year’s Alice Kelly. The ladies team aboard SNIPER, a 58-foot Paul Mann, with owner and captain Jimmy Bayne on the bridge, weighed in a really nice gaffer dolphin to win both the top dolphin and the optional dolphin jackpot of $19,500. Susan Wolf was theangler.
Thirteen-year-old Emily Bracher, competing aboard PELICAN, another well-known 56′ Paul Mann with her Uncle Capt. Arch Bracher, earned the Top Junior Angler for the second year in a row after releasing a nice billfish. Summer Bracher, also aboard PELICAN, won the coveted Paula Stanski Award for Angling Excellence. More than 500 lady anglers competed in the Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies Only Billfish Tournament this year. The day started out looking like rain but by “lines out,” at 3:00 P.M. Sunday, a total of 64 billfish had been brought to the boats and released. Perhaps most importantly, some very serious money was raised for the Outer Banks Cancer Support Group. All in all, it was some very “pretty work” and congratulations to all the participants and especially the Paul Mann fleet!