Malta Fishing Forum

The Porto Rotondo Big Game Fishing tournament is probably the biggest and most important fishing tournament organised in the Mediterranean Sea.  Porto Rotondo is located in the nothern part of Sardegna next to the Costa Smeralda.  The tournament is spread over 2 days, with one day dedicated to trolling, and one day to drifting. 

This year, the tournament is to be held on the 28 and 29 August 2010. 


            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l9uQMRw70E


Why am I writing this.  Well guys, most probably, The Gaffer will this year take part in the tournament 8) 8)

This involves massive planning and organisation, together with the finances to make this dream possible.  3 Members of this forum, probably 4, including myself, will be participating.  The intention is to ship The Gaffer all the way to Porto Rotondo, take part, and ship it back again.  We are on the lookout for potential sponsors for this event, and suggestions as to the best way to ship The Gaffer.  My current thinking is to ship the boat on its own road trailer.  Simply haul the boat onto a ship bound to Naples, and then via roro to Sardegna.  Any of you guys have suggestions on potential shippers, like Grimaldi lines or Seaways passages, are more then welcome. 

Grimaldi is safe and comfortable...... used it last november when i came down from the UK with my new car...... we boarded at Catania.

Recomended

Sullivan Marine. ask for Jesmond

Guys , we'll discuss this next Tuesday at the Briefing

Wow.Thats awesome.Good luck with your quest. Have you considered leasing a boat at Porto Rotondo? I'm sure that would reduce your overheads. In saying that....nothing beats fishing out of your very own boat. Good luck!

Hi Twoutes - Thats an option...there is IBS boats present in Porto Rotondo, and leasing a boat for 2 days would be an Option.  I am of course inclined to fish out of my own boat.  I used to the wake, pressure waves, and all instrumentation, making it easier for me to concentrate on the fishing.  If you saw the youtube clip, there are some big assed fishing machines there, like the famous aussie built Riviera sports fisher.

Fishing out of your own boat definitely give you lots of advantages, and like you say you can concentrate on the fishing. Yes l saw the clip and very envious of you. Don't let those big flash game boats intimidate you either...l've fished many tournaments where the smaller trailor boats have outclassed the bigger boats....its a fishing tournament remember?

Thats right.  The Gaffer's a 28foot, 32 year old Trojan Flybridge, but she's very sea worthy and an excellent fishraiser.  The point about the boat size and flash is spot on...the guy who won last years Forum tourney for albacore was on a RIB!!.  But taking part in this tournament has always been my dream...the only problem is getting my boat there.  She stands 18feet from the ground up because of the flybridge and it will be a challenge to get her onto one of these ferries with their low headroom inside the cargo bay.  Anyways, I'll do some checking, work out the expenses, and take it from there.  But to be taking part in a tournament with some of the best fishermen in the Mediterranean, and that includes some world class Italian champions, is an experience in itself. These guys know the area by heart, have fished tourneys for many years in the same area, and will definitely be amongst the winners.  I have no expectations whatsover, its just the thrill of being part of such a grand tournament.

Good on you! Live your dream, and remember that 'we are here for a good time not a long time'

Gaffer.  I fished in Sardegna this year, all I can tell you is go for it, the italians are amazing people and always willing to let you in on a lot of secrets (after the competition ofcourse).  We went for a Jigging Competition in April.

In my opinion it will be a LOT cheaper to charter a boat and skipper for the Competition.  I can ask some of my Sardinian friends if you would like.

Why not doing the trip with the Gaffer? Its a long distance but the Gaffer should do it I guess.

if you go in a straight line there is about 400 nm to the north of sardegnia. if you have 2 weeks off from work it might be a good idea. you take 6 days to go stopping at night 2 days competition and 6 days to come back.

if you have a month of from work it would be better. you can take longer to come back stopping fishing along the way back

Why 6 days busu? 400nm at 20knots makes 20hrs. And you can stop half way in sicily at some port in the north.

Its a long journey guys.  I know I could hop to Sicily, make for the nearest port like for example Gela, then hop over to Trapani, then make the dash to Caligari Sardegna, then hop up the coast from there.  But its a very long journey.  Next week my objective is to get some quotes on shipping the boat over and back, and will look at the alternative of leasing a boat from there.  The Team will have to work fast and efficiently.  There is a lot to do.  
Clutch-Kick - We could use all the help we can get.  Contacts in Porto Rotondo, fishing grounds, winds, currents, anything which might help us.  We're starting this journey with a clean sheet.  We know nothing, but willing to learn fast.    

I'll see who i can hook you up with.

Thanks Clutch-Kick, much appreciated.  We can use all the help we can get.

Some more info about this Tournament.

The Tournamant is spread over 2 days, and runs under the control of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA)

I've just been on the phone with the organisers and registered our intent to participate.  IBSGroup, joint organisers of the Tournament together with Big Game Italia, were very pleased and are looking forward to our participation.  Boats from all over the Med take part in this tournament, with big game boats coming from Italy, Spain, France and portugal.  Some of the best big game anglers are present, as the winner automatically qualifies for the IGFA world championships.   :o :o :o

Our intention is just to take part. Compete we will, but our expectations are minimal.  The thrill of taking part with such high profile anglers in the Big Game fishing sphere is simply a chance not to be missed. 

All of our tackle, including rods and reels, will have to be in accordance with IGFA rules. Alot of work to be done there.


My wife always says that when I'm idle I'm dangerous.  My mind never stops working...always inventing new thrills and projects...if not renovating the Gaffer, I'm thick into helping ro organise the ORIS alongi competition.  Then I set a high objective...50 boats, that reached, I move on.  I have a set my sights on a new and more demanding project...taking part in the Porto Rotondo Big Game fishing tournament.  This tournamanet has always been on my radar screen.  Now as Twoutes said, I'm following my dream, together with the team we have put together...watch this space...more details will follow ;)

Excellent...l'll be watching this space.

What line class are you fishing?
It won't be hard to comply with IGFA standards...just watch the lengths of your doubles and leaders, and if you're using skirted lures, be very aware of the hook position....l'm sure you will have lots of fun working it all out.
I'm an IGFA member, so if you need any help with info give me a hoy.

I'm sure you are familiar with this site.

http://www.igfa.org/

GOOD LUCK!!

Thanks Twoutes. 
I also am a member of the IGFA, and quite familiar with the rules and regulations.  We're not sure what line class we'll be fishing, from what I could gather from the promo video, it should be in the region of either 8 or 12 kgs range, same goes for rods and reels.  I know for sure that all tackle is scrutenised the day before the tournament.  We'll be using skirted lures for sure, probably Pakula Lures.  I'm a great fan of those lures, and on friendly terms with Peter Pakula.  I've been a member on his site, the Marlin Bar, for over 12 years now.  I have about 12 soft pakula lures, mainly uzi, cockroach, sprocket and zipper in lumo, Mexican flag, stinger and screamer. I also have some Pakula Dojo Peche Hybrid lures in lumo.
I'm very excited at the prospect of competing in an international tournament.   
Pity you live on the other side of the Globe, it would have been great to have an experienced angler with the team.

As much as l love being on this side of the globe...due mainly to the many wonderful fishing opportunities we have here, and you would have seen from some of my posts......I would have loved to be a part of your team on 'The Gaffer'. thanks for the comment  :)
Peter Pakula would be one of the nicest persons  (in fishing cirlces) that l know. His knowledge on, not just making fantastic lures, but also enticing fish to bite them is unbelievable.
When given the opportunity at fishing shows l listen to his lectures, and pick his brain behind the scenes, and always walk away feeling satisfied that l have learnt something new to try.
All the lures you mentioned are winners for targeting tuna, but like me l am sure that you keep an open mind and cover all bases, knowing that tuna can be caught at different depths you would also have a good range of hard bodied deep diving lures as well. Halco fill the nitch for me in this area.

Thanks for all your updates about the comp, its even making me excited all the way down under :)

I have a couple of Halco rattlers...would you suggest trolling them on weights?...if yes, how far back?

l usually run the deeper lures down the center of my spread so they end well under the prop wash, and clear of the skitred lures on the surface. The prop wash is probably the best 'teaser' you have, with fish coming up for a look. I dont use weights but run it far back enough to get it under the wash. If you want to go deeper checkout the largest of the  'Halco Laser Pro's' they have very large bibs with good quality trebles..probably my favorite.We have had alot of success with them here recently.
All other skirted lures l run outside the prop wash with another way way back down the centre.
Do you have and use 'outriggers' & top 'shotgun' on your boat? If so they will allow you to put a good spread out...6 outfits not out of the question. But there are usually regulations on how many outfits you can deploy, so be careful there. But more importantly your crew needs to be 'switched on' when the tuna hit with that many lures in the water.

Yes, the boat is equipped with Tigress outrigger poles.  This enables me to troll either a 5 or 7 lure spread depending on the sea conditions.   I also intend on installing a centre rigger, that way I can deploy 2 lines down the middle, one at shotgun distance, and one just outside the prop wash.  As you quite rightly point out, the boat vibrations and propwash are the first attractants towards your lure spread. 

The heat is building up towards this grand event.  I can reveal that the Team will be represented by 4 members from the Malta Fishing Forum.  We have opted to lease rather then ship The Gaffer all the way to Sardegna and back.  Logistics are easier that way.  Stay tuned for further details.

Well...That's one hurdle out of the way, and l am sure less headaches for you.
Are you leasing just the boat? or does it come with a skipper? Local knowledge can be very beneficial.
Looks like your quest has begun...l'm very jealous.

We have an option to lease with or without skipper.  I'm a bit sceptical of leasing with skipper, as there are many Italians taking part in this toruney, and I'm sure the guy wouldn't reveal any hotspots to Maltesers.  My current thinking is to go spend a weekend there before the tourney, speak to the locals, and get as much info as necessary on fishing grounds and hotspots.  We also have some help from a local (Sardegian) whom I've yet to start comms with.

That's good that you have some options, and even better that you are going there a bit earlier to check it all out.
I don't know about skippers in Europe, but here in Australia a skipper would out fish his brothers to win such a prestigious tournament, and would put him in much demand.

I hope you don't mind my input, but just want to give you somethings to think about.

Cheers

Just a quick update.  Today we recieved the official programme for the tournament.  We went through it, and have 1001 questions still pending.  We know the entry fee...which is 1200 Euros per boat...(that was me swallowing hard) and we know for sure that there has to be an independent judge on each boat, to ensure all rules are respected and also oversee the release of any BFT caught during the two days of the tournament (the independent judge's decision is final on weight and points awarded).  The tournamant is split over two days, 1 day for offshore big game trolling (triana d'altura), one day for drifting; this is dependent on weather conditions, whereby the organising committee can switch the tournament to two days offshore trolling or 2 days to coastal trolling. But we only get to know this on Friday, which creates a logistical problem in terms of tackle!!!...
The tournament is scored using a points system, and points are awarded according to tackle used, lenght of fight, type of pelagic fish caught, ect.  The organisers will only divulge the exact fishing grounds during a briefing to be held the day before the tournament starts (again Friday).  This will be based on reports of where and what type of pelagic fish are present in the waters surrounding the northern part of Sardegna.  These reports will be coming in from several professional fishermen who operate out of Sardegna and the west coast of Italy.  The tournament start times are 7.30am and boats have to end thier fishing by 4.30pm, by 6.30pm, all boats must return to port.  The 7.30am start time is applied so that all boats leave the port toegther, in daylight.  They also have 4 boats which set the pace, in this case speed (velocita di partenza) so that no boats are in any way put in an awkward or dangerous situation caused by the wake of other boats speeding past them during the start...(this rings a bell here...we all know what the start looked like yesterday at 4.30am outside the freeport!)

We also know that IGFA rules apply to this tournament, and that all tackle will be scrutinized and marked on Friday. 

This years team has now be finalised and will consist of: Team Captain Joe The Gaffer, Skip, Alfadelta, Mundinu, Kaptan Jr and Cla144. The entry fee has been paid and our flights were booked yesterday so we now have just over 3 weeks left to prepare for this massive event. We will be fishing on a 2003 Luhrs 360 and leaving Malta Thursday at around 1pm to arrive in good time by early evening. The registration, briefing and checking of equipment will be done on Friday and the competition starts early morning on Saturday for Round 1 and Sunday for Round 2.

A gala dinner will be held in the evening on Sunday and then we'll be leaving around 1pm on Monday to make our way back to Malta. Our biggest issue is not knowing their local fishing grounds so in the case of Day 2 (drifting) we'll have no advance knowledge of the depths and conditions we'll be fishing in, forcing us to take up a whole range of tackle and line to try and be as flexible as possible. Travelling with 10-12 rods plus reels, lures and terminal tackle will be no easy feat and we've had to rent a 9 seat mini-van to accomodate the team and all our kit.

The IGFA's main charter is conservation, education and promotion of catch and release....the MFF has just signed up as an IGFA contributing club and one of the main reasons for going up to Porto Rotondo is to make new contacts with the IGFA representatives and the President of Big Game Italia to see how we can colloborate better in the future and perhaps introduce some new concepts locally.

How exciting!! That's great news that you have become an IGFA contributing club

Skip ... PM me the flights you will be travelling on, to and from the competition.

Well done guys! Keep the videos, pics and info coming as we'll all be with you in spirit in this fantastic experience which you're undertaking  :)

great vids to watch and good luck to the crew who are participating, this must be a great experience!!

The Team have been working frantically around the clock to organise all acivities and tasks.  We secured our participation, we've leased a luhrs 36 powered by two 450HP Cats, we hired a nice villa that sleeps six, a mini van with a/c to transport us to and from ther fishing village.  In total, we have about 14 rods and high end reels in the 30lb and 50lb category.  We still need to spool the reels with IGFA line, and re rig outr lures to IGFA regulations. Our flights are booked, and WE ARE GOOD TO GO!!!

good luck to all, have fun. 8) 8) 8)

next time there is such an event i would open a topic re-organizing a few social activities to help finance part of this competition and similar adventures.

Goodluck guys. Keep us informed. Enjoy the experience!

Quote from: caldaland on August 02, 2010, 12:28:45 CET
next time there is such an event i would open a topic re-organizing a few social activities to help finance part of this competition and similar adventures.

good idea.

Have fun guys. If you with your boat I would gave a good idea but its to much hassle to go till there.

To: Caldaland........

Hahahahah....... I invite you to try to organise an event especially for fund raising!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some won't come even if you promise to give them a ferrari for free......

baghira,i never said i would organize.all i said was i would open a topic for discussion re-organising fund raising activities.i know it is not an easy task ,as organising such events is sort of routine for me.but ,having said that,nothing is impossible!

good luck MFF ..... keep the flag flying high!

Good luck guys.

Not long to go now guys.

Any reports on how the area is fishing at the moment?

Good luck to you all!

Best of luck guys - missing being with you. Take some light rain jackets with you also cos it may rain. Auguri & God speed, I would be constantly thinking of you from here in North Africa.

The heat is on Guys.  Tomorrow we fly out to Olbia in Sardegna to what we all anticipate will be an experience of a lifetime.  The MFF Team have maximised the use of the internet, and in particular the MFF site, to enable communication, discussions and debates.  We opened at least 10 private boards, where the team actively participated in all discussions. This saved us a lot of face to face meetings, although we did manage quite a few of these as well.  

We now know that the Tournament fishing grounds will be about 30Kmiles NE of Porto Rotondo, and all fishing rules adhere to the IGFA fishing regulations, including line class, lures, hooks and fishing tackle in general.  We will mostly be fishing the 30lb class lines, with additional rods and reels in the 50lbs class just in case we do go for drifting on Day 2 of the competition.  All hard lures (Rapalas, Yo-Zuri, etc) need to have their trebble hooks removed and instead rigged up with one single hook.  This facilitates catch and release.

Minimum lure size is 15cm, and only single hooks are alowed on skirted/artificial type lures.  All this rigging has been in preparation for the past week.  

Yesterday had a long chat with the boat skipper, and we finalised details there too.

Flights, villa accomodation, mini van hire, and logisitics are all taken care of.  We intend to transport all rods (about 12 I think) in plastic drain tubes with the ends glued in.  Reels will bne taken on board as hand luggage, and all fishing tackle  will go into the checked in luggage.  

All systems are GO, and all whats left is today's briefing in my garage, last minute tackle checks, make sure all the team know what they have to do, AND WE'RE GOOD TO GO.

Will keep you all posted on the days' events here.  Watch this space.

good luck and bring the first prize to Malta

our thoughts are with you all. goodluck!

good luck guys!!

Good luck Guys.......however it turns out you have taken the first step in the right direction........pity we dont have enough sponsorship and help from Government entities...........keep the Maltese Flag up high............

good luck and go have fun........ tight lines

Good luck and enjoy each and every minute of it, tight lines.

Good luck and enjoy every moment of this great experience!  :)

Good luck and tight lines.

Thanks guys, we just finished the final rigging of all the lures and getting the rods all properly packed up, everything looks good.

We leave tomorrow at 1245, and we should be in Olbia by 1745, Friday morning we'll be down at Porto Rotondo for registration and inspection

Enjoy it guys.

Goodmorning MFF.  team Malta Fishing forum is at this very moment sitting in the La Vallette lounge, relaxing and discussing last minute tactics.  Its been a great 2 months preparing for this event.  We have a very compact team.  Our main aim is to have fun, enjoy the event, and network with some of the best big game fishermen in Europe. As promised, we will keep you all popsted on the event as it unfolds.

enjoy guys and good luck :)

good luck guys and tight lines

I dont know whats happening at Porto Rotondo but it seems that there is a bit of wind. I hope that our friends enjoy it, after all the expenses.

Boys bad new from porto rotondo first competition day canceled due to rough seas. Here is the post of Kaptan Jr :-

            ‎1st competition cancelled because of rough seas!!! can't describe the disappointing feeling..... hope that tomorrow its better:-(

OH.... that's bad! was disappointed I can't go out here let alone them!

Dont' give up guys.
Hope tomorrow is a better day.
Good luck to you .

As CaptanJr said...todays tournament was cancelled. Wind was NW blowing at 45knts. We still went it with
Luhrs....amazing boat!. We were doing 28knts in F8 winds. Tomorrow promises to be better with NW winds of 14knts. We'll see tonorrow . A detailed post will follow once we get hold of a PC.

Wow - 28knts in F8 wind! I want one of those boats.

that would be good for us moonwalker. than we could compete with our friend

I am sure you will do well , good team & dedicated to fishing so keep your hopes up.

Good Luck on the weather & the toght Lines.

this is what I hate about competitions but like this everyone gets out all his knowledge. It s easy to fish in calm sea, but when its rough, tension comes high with consequence of mistakes.

Guys hope that today was better

Well, it is in times like these that the real fishermen shine out above the rest.  If you have faith in what you are doing, you will do well.  I am sure our team have gone prepared. Last April during the Jigging competion in Sardegna we were fishing in 1.5m swells, rain and F4 wind, couldn't really stand up properly but we managed to catch an Amberjack and placed 3rd overall in the first day,  we eventually finished off 6th, on the final day.

I'll see you guys later in Naples ;)

... and with a stroke of luck ... the boys are back lol

We're back thanks to Charles and today's Captain on the Air Malta flight from Naples to Malta - thanks to you both for that one guys :)

Sadly whilst our rods made it back, our luggage didn't! So all our clothes, reels, lures and the various other bits of fishing equipment are somewhere at Naples Airport (need I say more!!).

It was one hell of an experience, certainly I think the team can all confirm that it was an experience of a lifetime, if nothing else I reamined in awe that a 36 foot boat can handle Force 7-8 winds with relative ease. Whilst the boat was getting soaking we were all able to stand up without being thrown around as this battlewagon destroyed the waves ahead of it and pushed its way through. Twin 450hp mighty Catepillar Diesels providing the propulsion.....the noise was awesome! I might add that the skipper thought we were crazy when we asked to go out, but given that there were no refunds for the charter we figured may as well go out and see what's what. Cadrick and Gaffer did in fact try some Sibiki rigs for a bit trying to catch some bait and we then trolled inshore for a couple of hours with 3 rods mostly so that we could see the boats pressure wave, the black spots it created etc.

Sunday, well less wind at Force 4-5 but with a restricted fishing area with a max of around 14nm offshore it was extremely tough fishing, out of the 40 boats that took part only 2 had valid catches (1 Pastardella at 22.xkgs) and a 5.xkgs dentex, the other two pastardella that were caught were undersized for the competition rules. I think (stand to be corrected) that 5 boats managed to land 1 fish each and the other 35 got nothing including us. We tried everything we could but we werent lucky enough to find any fish.

More to follow later.....

Thanks charles for your help mate because we hardly made it here!!! I can confirm that although we didn't have any strike at all it was an unforgettable experience seeing and meeting all the pros of sardegna!!!!!!!! and Btw we were a massive team guys :-)

Good to hear that u enjoyed it although the weather wasn't helpful.
Looking forward to hearing a full report on the event and what u guys learned from the adventure.if u have any picts they will be appreciated by all MFF members.

we are proud of you! start planning for next year!

Glad you had a great time and made it back safely....That's the most important thing of all :)

Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done about the weather, or even the fishing for that matter. But at least you can say that you went and gave it your best shot, and hopefully learnt something from the experience.
I can just imagine the 'BUZZ' at the marina, with all the teams fine tuning things in their boats with all the equipment and fishing gear. Checking drags, hooks, etc, etc.
I would have to say that the social side of large tournaments outweigh any fish caught on a given day, and hopefully you got a feel for this.
Remember that there will always be other tournaments, and as they say 'there's always next year'.
At least you will all know what to expect and perhaps be just a bit more prepared.
Kudos to you for having a go....l look forward to some pics, and all the juicy details.
Well done guys!

(http://i325.photobucket.com/albums/k372/twoutes/CairnsMarina.jpg)

This is what the 'Cairns Marlin Marina' looks like during a tournament.

The Big Game Porto Rtondo Fishing Experience

Well, what can I say....as Skip wrote further up, it was on hell of an experience.  From the moment we stepped onto the Airmalta flight on Thursday, down to the rush we had at Naples airport coming back, laughter was and still is the best medicine, and believe me, we were overdosed on that!

Thursday evening, Olbia in Sardinia.

On arrival, we get VIP treatment, our oversized luggage (11 rods packed into  two 5" drain tubes, were hand delivered to us by a courteous ground handler.  Great, we all agreed - this is a good start.  Picked up the Mercedes Van, and our dedicated driver - Nick il-Palmier - drove us off to our accomodation.  The place was to die for.  Set on the hills overlooking Olbia harbour, our villa had breathtaking views of the valley beneath us, and the picturesque port of Olbia.  We quickly unpacked, arranged sleeping quarters, and off to Auchan supermarket to stock up on foodstuff and goodies.  Then, by 8.30pm, we made our way down to Porto Rotondo.  This is where the real fun started.  On arriving at PR, we quickly discovered that this is a true gem of a place on the Costa Esmeralda.  Full of superyachts and designer finished boats, this was no ordinary marina.  Then we glimpsed the sport fishers, magnificent battle wagons, all geared up for big game fishing, no amount of $$$$ spared, Bertrams, Rivieras, Vikings, Tiaras, Cabos, Luhrs, Pursuits, Storm all in the 40 to 70 foot range.  Big game rods and either Shimano tigra or Alutecnos reels all spread on on the rocket launchers, flanked by massive double set outriggers, and centre rigger, all electronics which can aid the angler available and switched on for show - some of them equipped with 37 to 40 inch LED screens watching TV or news updates - Simply out of our world, ....with all their soft cockpit lights on, underwater LED's in either blue, white or red...the place looked like a complete spectacle set for the rich and famous.  From the flags they were all flying on their outriggers, it became obvious to us that this was our competition.  Though we were all dead tired from the days' travelling and excitment, we could not bring ourselves to leave this place.  Never before had any of us witnessed in real life such a scene before us.  One thing which immediately struck us was the way the marina and indeed all of PR is well kept, clean and simple.  The marina path is dotted with fine gourmet resturants, all specialising in Mediterranean cuisine, small caffees and ship chandleries.  The people in their hundreds, walk past the boats, looking, admiring, some commenting....Time for us to get back to the villa...its already 11.00pm, and my feet are killing me.

Friday Registration and fishing tackle scrutiny day.

We all wake up to a sizzling breakfast prepared by none other then our resident chef Antoine (Alfa Delta) nothing beats an english breakfast except for the concerto of sunbeams dancing over Olbia harbour as the sun was rising...we got to enjoy both!!.  

Nick drives Cadrick (CaptanJR) and myself down to PR to enable us to register the team and tackle for the upcoming event.  The place is buzzing with activity...People running around with rods and reels, registering, chit chatting to the judges.  We complete registration, and are handed our boat number, T-shirts and caps, and wrist bands.  Nick drives up to the villa again to transport our rods down to PR.  Unfortunately, on Friday, the Sardinia farmers and animal breaders decide to vehemently protest against the EU on the grounds that the open market is destroying their business, and they close off access to PR.  We're in a fix - I ask the organising committee when do they think the road will be opened again, and they say well, it could be late afternoon...we say our rods and the rest of the team are caught outside the barricade...they say well in that case we trust you to tell us what you have....great people...we register 8 30lbs rods and 2 50lbs rods.  This is what a friendly competition is all about, organised by gentlemen for gentlemen...they take our word for it.  at 2.30pm I recieve a call on my mobile from Cap. Giovanni, the Luhrs 36 skipper...he's coming into port and wants to know where to berth?...I inform the marina authorities...a place is already reserved...in she comes...here twin CATs turning over at idle revs...meanwhile, Nick manages to get through, and we still display our rods to the judges for scrutiny in time.  I feel a slight breeze hitting my neck...could be nothing...but that breeze picking up as the sun is going down spells trouble for me at this time of the year.  We all walk past the competing boats, taking in the scene, we decide its NO COMMENTS.  That breeze I was telling you about earlier on has picked up, and the flags are now flapping away...I mention nothing to the team, but I can already see and hear comments from other teams that Saturday's event may be cancelled due to a NW'ly wind which is steadily picking up.  By 8.30pm, we leave PR and head back to our villa for a spaghetti marinara with prawns, mussels and fresh calamari in ink sauce, and of couse, washed down by a chianti classico.  Splendid, we all hit the sack by midnight..as we need to wake up at 4.30am.  Did I mention the laughs and more laughs we had during the day?...

Saturday day 1 of the competition

Skipper's briefing at 7.00am, wind is NW blowing at 30knts, gusting at 40 to 45 knts...its not looking good...we are advised that another briefing will be held at 8.00am.  The wind speed is showing 45knts...Briefing is short and crisp...todays event is being cancelled...too much wind...the judging committee make a good call, they need to think of the worst case scenario, we have '2' 28foot Pursuit boats taking part, sea conditions are not acceptable....its all gloom and doom...what about tomorrow....various opinions are flying...the wind is suppose to drop tomorrow...the locals intervene...we know this place...if the wind drops, then we can have a reduced fishing area, and the competition can go ahead...we'll see.  Walk back to the team to relay this unfortunate detail...the guys are dissapointed...we already have a contract in place for the boat, we're paying good money to have the boat for the weekend...someone suggests we call the boat owners and try and get a partial refund for today...I do just that..they answer is no...quick discussion...and we all decide to go out and try he boat...hmmmm, out in Force 7 to Force 8 winds, gusting now at 50knts...the boat skipper is not that happy...his idea was to get the day free and head back home by car.  No way mate, we paid for today, and by hook or by crook we're going out.  We leave our mooring, and head out of the marina.  The waves are lapping against the Luhrs bows...but she does not even move...what is this battle wagon?...I ask the skipper to increase speed, he opens the throttles and gets her on plane.....the boats CAT's burly engines, all 900HP of them...are now playing music to my ear...OK, its heavy metal with a blast, however you can tell that there's massive power on these engines by the sound they make as they pick up revs...its like well, the CATs full throttle is 2800rpm, she planes off at 1200rpm, by that time she's doing 10knts...skipper, increase the speed...we're up to 15knts, the sound resembles the gates of hell just opening...we're up to 1800rpm....increase the speed please...the skipper takes her upo to 22knts, CATs are turning at 2200rpm...2mtr waves are smacking the port side of the hull, and the Luhrs doesn't even move....Geez, impressive...Nick asks what her speed at WOT...skipper says when she's clean, 32knts, right now we can get 30knts...what about the sea conditions...skipper just smiles...great, I get the message - I ask everybody to hold on, we're going wild....the CATs are now screaming holy blue murder, sea spray is washing up and over the bows, and we're all huddled inside the cockpit...the Luhrs now is speeding at 28.9knts, CATs are turing at 2700rpm, and we're flying past 2mtr waves and wind gusts of 45+knts....impressive?...thats just being modest...to use a yank's expression, this was just bloody AWSOME!!!!...we continued like this for about 20minutes, and we said to ourselves...I WANT THIS BOAT!!!!!....pull back on the throttles, and we decide to test the spread, look at the wave patern, and do some trolling...no problem...the Luhrs comes down of the plane like a real pro landing a aircraft...no after wave, no rolling and pitching...just down and smooth.  Do some troilling, taking in the scene which is unfolding before us...the islands, the heavy sea...look guys-Antoine points out to a phenomenon none of us had ever seen before....sea spray over the waves...it happens when the wind is gusting way above the highest wind speed over the area...so you get to sea the huge waves, and right aboove that....a mist of sea spray just skimming the surface...what can In say...unbelieveable until you actually sea it.

Back to port, people are looking at us, we're all smiles...we've braved the sea conditions, we've been out, and we went WOT in F7 to F8 seas.  6.00pm is the briefing, and we get the idea that the event might take place tomorrow as the wind forecast is looking good after 4.00am...it should drop to about 15knts by 7.00am, making it possible for a slightly late start.  We're optimistic, in high spirits, and hungry as a dogs!!!

Back in the van, a quick discussion about whats for dinner.  Its already 8.45pm, we decide on chicken + mushrooms with white souce served with pasta....we race back to the supermarket...its closed..Antoine and myself sneak into the supermarket via the employee's door, we're in, an attendant holds me up, we're closed...I argue, and Antoine escapes hidding among the market's isles.  I plead with the attendant that we only need a few things, she argues that my friend has already escaped (of course he has, that was the idea stupid)...she's in a hurry to go home..and leaves me standing there. Off I go in search of Antoine, we meet up, and Antoine's arms are full of shopping items...hmmm, we need a trolley and some directions...another attendant is pushing a series of trolleys down one isle, I ask about some foodstuffs, he answers we're closed, I say I know, and could I please borrow your trolley - the attendant doesn't even know what hit him, he looks at me as if I was a fart in a space suit...he lets go of the trolley, and I whizz past him in seach of Antoine again!!!...Team work at its best, ALA Maltesers!!!
We finally sit down to a scrumptious dinner of chicken pasta with mushrooms, and washed down by our favorite chianti!..Our midnight prayers are dedicated to the our Lord to intervene and calm down the wind, and with that, we get some much needed sleep.

Sunday day 2 of the event.

Will follow shortly......

thanks mate a real treat............anxiously waiting for the next........so if i might ask when did u say u are getting ur LUHRS boat..?!?!?!?!

don't need to see pictures,your description of the place is so well put that you can just imagine and see it!!

ooooooolaaaaaa gaffer.
Did you forget anything??????  :-)   :-0

I don't think so Baghira, and when I find the time tomorrow I'll fill you guys in on what happened on Sunday and our ordeal on Monday on our way back to Malta

Wow thanks for sharing such an impressive write-up. It is evident that notwithstanding the setbacks it was still a great experience.... looking forward to reading part 2 and seeing some pics! :)

Nice experience indeed!
So Luhrs is better than Berthram?

Prosit Gaffer. we're waiting for part 2  ;D

Sunday 2nd Day of the event.

Nick wakes up at 03:55, he can't sleep with the excitement and wants to make sure that we don't oversleep. Knowing that both Joe and Antoine like their coffee he puts on the perculator ready to wake them up with the smell of 'fresh' coffee. We all awake at 4.30am and make our way out on to the porch to check the wind.  I had been sitting there for the last 15min, watching and listening to every leaf and branch russtling in the morning breeze, looking up at the dark blue sky, trying to figure out why the wind had not died down as previously forcasted.  Actually it had, however, up here in the hills, the wind plays tricks with you, and because the wind passage has to make its way through the meandering valley and slopes, it tends to get funnelled and concentrated, hense the increase in the wind speed.  I was convinced.  The tournament today would happen.  Ray (Mundinu) prepared round two of the coffee, and we all sat outside the porch discussing the day ahead.  By 5.40am, Nick the driver has ushered everyone into the van and we're all heading down to Porto Rotondo.  

On arrival, Ray and myself rechecked and calibrated the drags to about 3kgs trolling drag and 8kgs strike, even though Nick and I did these on Saturday some of them were out of calibration so needed doing again.  We were definitely using the 30lbs gear rigged up with an array of lures, from Williamson to Pakula, to Rapalas and Yo-zuri, feathered lures, black bart...as I was saying, a whole Sh_t load of lures!! The 50lbs reels were on standby in case we came across the big ones!

7.00am the briefing...the competition director declares today as competition day, albeit with a reduced fishing zone.  A huge cheer comes up from all the skippers present.  In the meantime Nick is busy preparing the boat with the others so that everything is ship shape, we all rush to our boats.  We need to be out by 7.30 to make it to the start line for an 8.00am start.  On board the Luhrs, the excitement is electrifying.  Our on board commissionar...a French man from Corsica, and KaptanJr together with the boat skipper are entering the revised fishing zone coordinates into the GPS, Alfa Delta is his usual self, busy snapping away with his camera, capturing the various activities taking place on our boat and other boats, Nick is taking one last look at the lures and leaders, ensuring everything is well crimped, CLA144, mundinu and myself are busy arranging the rod setup...and off we go. Antoine and Nick head up onto the tuna tower to get the best vantage point for filming/photo's, unfortunately when we approach the start position the skipper orders us down to the deck - he won't take no for an answer!!

We make it to the startline and position ourselves just port of a superyacht.  The Competition judges are calling out to each boat to take up position, and leave enough space in between boats to facilitate the run out to the fishing gorunds...The judge boat, a Pursuit 32 powered by 3, yes, you read right, 3 350HP verados, is setting the pace.  I hear the radio crackling...we've started the count down...10...9....8.....the Luhrs steadily picks up speed and we're already on plane.....7....6.....5......we're doing 20knts, a chopper is filming us, we all keep a lookout for the other boats......4....3......we're up to 23knts...the wake from the other boats is playing havoc with our stability......2....1......my heart is pumping.......LA Gara e' comminciata.....We're off.....the Luhrs is doing 28.9knts.....we whizz past a Storm 36, 2 Bertrams 50 and a Riviera 45 are just in front of us....I ask the skipper to follow them, (I've been tipped).....the wind is blowing a strong force 4, but this is nothing compared to yesterday....various boats head out in all directions, with one thing in common...seeking the best possible fishing ground!!!.

30 minutes later, the Riviera 45 is off the plane, and has already dropped her outriggers....I tell the captain to keep going out a bit further....5 minutes later...we throttle back, and our fisrt rod is deployed, while the skipper deploys the outriggers, we're all busy feeding out line, and snapping on release mechanisms from the outriggers....we're fishing.

As the hours tick away, complete radio silence...its becoming evident that the fish aren't biting today...we try all sorts of trolling patterns...up and down, zig zag, large circles...nothing....time to change the lures...  I spot a flurry of surface ativity, and tell the boat captain to steer in that direction.  The radio comes to life...'Combattimento in corso'....the Bertram I was tipped to follow discretely has hooked up a BFT....we're just 200mtrs away from it....I'm thinking we're next!!!.....again the VHF crackles...They lost it...tough....maybe it'll take our lure now....Nothing.  no bites, no strikes, not even a damn sound out of the reels.

By 3.00pm we are aware of only 2 confirmed catches...not much for the 40 boats taking part.  We loom dissapointed, but we're also happy...happy to have been here, taking part, out at sea....One hell of an experience.

At precisely 4.00pm, the competition director declares the tournament closed.  That's it, its finished.  We slowly reel in the lures, put away the rods, and at 20knts make our way back to port again.   We enter port, and head for the refuelling station.  We refuel, and in all...yes here it comes guys...remember the Luhrs is powered by 2 450HP CATs...for 7 hrs trolling, and 30mintes doing 28.9knts, and about 45 minutes doing 20knts, we burn 269lts of fuel.  Remember, there are 8 persons on board, a full fuel tank (1500 litres), and a full water tank.  This is unbelievable.  

We arrive at our berth, and I jump down onto the marina, and make my way towards the PR yacht club to inspect the catches.  In all, 5 boats come in with one catch each...3 pastardellas, and 2 dentici.  The winner, a 22.6kg pastardella, the other 2 pastardella are too small to qualify, and 2 dentici, one of 6 kgs and 1 5.3kgs.  

We head back to the villa in a rush, we need to be at PR by 8.00pm for the dinner and presentation but we get stuck in traffic and with 6 guys all needing to shower it's around 8.45pm by the time we find parking and get there.  We all talk about todays' event, in particular the start of the competition, and the fuel consumption.   We are all amazed by what we experienced today.  

Down at PR dinner, we meet up and mingle.  Dinner is a pasta with red marinara sauce followed by pork, sausages and slightly undercooked Spnott.  We still enjoy the evening, but the days events are slowing draining us of any energy left inside us, so we decide to call it a day and head back to our lodgings to crash out!  

Monday - Last day at Sardinia.

We do not set an agenda for today, rather we all awake around 8.00am after a well deserved rest.  Alfa Delta is busy preparing breakfast, while Nick, Mundinu and myself take off all reels from the rods.  
We have breakfast, wrap up the rods in their protective bubble plastic, into the drain pipes, and pack up the array of fishing tackle.  

At the airport, total confusion.  Our flight is delayed by 1hr.  We originally had a 90min stop over at Naples airport before we board the Airmalta flight to Malta.  We're thinking now, we'll never make it on time.  Ground attendant is telling us we need to check in again at Naples, including all our baggage.  Impossible, we start thinking of alternatives.  Antoine and myself approach the Meridiana desk and pour out our problem to the attendant.  She takes matters in hand, re checks our baggage direct to Malta, but we still need to phyisically check in.  No porblem, Nick is already on the phone to Charles (Clutch_kick)...explaining our problem.  No promises, but he'll look after us.  Our spirits start to lift, we might make it today after all.  We land at Naples and run like mad towards the check in desk for Airmalta.  Nothing...we can't see it.  Its closed.  We approach the meridiana desk, and they kindly issue us with new boarding cards.  Again, rush through security, and finally make it to the gate. Boarding the plane, I send one final msg to the wife..we made it...see you in 2hrs!!.

We land in Malta after an uneventful flight.  Down at the baggege reclaim, we eagerly await our luggage.  1st out are our rods, and our expectations are high that our luggage made it too.  20 minutes later, we're all still looking at the mouth of the carousel, waiting for all our bags...6 pieces of them, including all our reels, lures, and personal belongings.  Nothing.  We head towards the lost baggege desk, put in our claim, and are greeted by family members in the arrival lounge.


So folks, thats a fair account of our experience in the Big Game Porto Rotondo tournament.  We thoroughly enjoyed it, learnt alot from the experience, and hopefully next year the same team can try a different tourney.  We are all now members of Big Game Italia, which will serve the purpose for contacts, networking and sharing experiences.  

PS.  Our luggage has been finally traced, its still in Naples airport, and will be delivered on the next flight out from Naples tomorrow.

simply awesome experience ....... you all must feel winners at heart!

that beats any novel any day.... enjoyed reading every detail, well done to all.

Well at least you guys got to see a 'fishermen' boat show. Although the competition was not ideal, the weather unfortunately is an unpredictable force, at least you guys got to meet and mingle with other people who can teach us a lot! (well some of them maybe).

Unfortunately your Meridiana woes are not an isolated incident.  I had trouble going to Cagliari and coming back also.  I urge you guys to write to Air Malta, maybe somebody will pull Meridiana's ear!  On another note, since you guys were in the Terminal in Naples, there was no way I was going to let my buddies remain on the ground ;D

Now show us the pictures!

Alfadelta was our official paprazzi photographer in every sense of the word! He risked life and limb to get some truly unique shots!!!!! That included a wall of water that came straight at him taking photographs and me with the video camera resulting on both devices getting wet with sea water. I think his camera lens faired worse than mine, but only time will tell.

I will try and have some video footage up soon (unedited for the time being) so that you can get a general idea.

Skip - I can second that post.  We have some fantastic footage and pics shot at impossible angles of that wall of water coming towards us.  For the benefit of our MFF friends here, while the Luhrs was doing 28.9knts, we encountered a rogue wave which was about 3.5 to 4 mtrs high....this wave was demolished, thats the appropriate word to use here, demolished by the bows of the Luhrs, with the consequence that the remnants of that wave after hitting the bow came towards our camera crew. 

WELL DONE (had to shout that) a remarkable experience, makes me wish I was younger........it sounds fantastic.......
thanks for the detailed write up NOW for the pictures..........

looks like you had a hell of a time :)
Pics please!

Gaffer .. 6points for the fishing ... 10+points for the writing.  Hell .. you should be writing books whilst trolling out there in silence :) Well done to all

Thanks for the insight on what was an incredible experience for you all.
Welcome to the world of 'Big game fishing tournaments'.
It is these images that give people the perception that game fishing is a 'rich mans' sport, but don't let that fool you. On given days, anybody can get out there in smaller crafts and enjoy the sport....but l must say, nothing beats being out there with all the comforts those big game boats can give.
I'm glad you now have a taste for it and enjoyed the experience.
Thanks again for sharing it all with us.

Thanks for sharing this detailed experience. Wish I was there with you guys.

Nick the second Youtube video is not loading.

Second video is stuck in processing mode on Youtube, not sure why as its had all night. Probably I will have to delete and re-upload!!

A great written account of your experience at the competition, thanks for sharing!!!

A pointer:  At the very last part of the vedio, top right hand corner, is the GPS clearly showing us coming out into the open sea doing 28knts. 

wowoowowowowowo
I have never seen such power being dispersed all at once.
That's thrilling
Shivers down my spine...............

Wonderful

Great boat for sure ! It must cost a couple of Euros .......but spending a fortune on that must be worth it ...... ;D ;D ;D

All the boats seems to be top class. I wonder if they do really use them for fishing or just for competitions.

Great write-up and great video... the excitement of the event is buzzing throughout. Thanks for sharing!

Great what a boat eh.......very steady in that wind and rolling sea....

From 2mins 57 onwards we're heading back returning to the marina in a head sea very close to land (approx 0.5nm) to try and get some shelter. I would say the wind picked up to its strongest in the afternoon just after we tied up, the last part of the video show the extent of it.

prosit nick what a nice detailed video.....well done

lovely boats , great video nick