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By Capt. Dave Lear

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament is gearing up for another memorable event as top teams throughout the Mid-Atlantic compete in the fertile waters off North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The latest edition will feature a purse topping the million-dollar mark, competitive entry categories and a charity raffle to benefit the local community.

Again this year the PCBT will offer split entries on all but the Base Category for tournament boats. Non Omni Directional Sonar boats can expect to pay approximately $15,500 across the board with an additional $1,000 to enter the charity Lay Day Tournament. Boats that plan on deploying an Omni Directional Sonar at any time during fishing hours will enter separate categories with additional fees totaling just over $25,000 including the charity event.

”Our Omni/Non-Omni split registration is designed to level the playing field yet still allow boats that wish to use the technology the opportunity for additional payouts. The split option has been well received by the teams,“ says tournament director Heather Maxwell. The 34^th Annual Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies Only Billfish Tournament, one of the largest lady angler only competitive sport-fishing event in the world, will not allow Omni Directional Sonar to be deployed during the event. The ladies event precedes the PCBT.

”Oregon Inlet is finally perfect,“ Maxwell adds. ”The channel is fully dredged and in great shape and there are no height clearance issues for the larger tower boats. We also have four Yeti Ice Tanks filled with fishing and hunting trips and other great prizes that we‘ll be raffling off to benefit our local charities.“

The Alice Kelly Memorial allows pre-registration on Friday, August 11 at the Pavilion at the Pirate‘s Cove Marina. Regular registration is Saturday, August 12, followed by the festive kick-off party, with fishing on Sunday, August 13. The Pirate‘s Cove Billfish Tournament starts on Monday, August 14, with fishing slated for August 15-18, 2023. Advance registration for both tournaments is available online at www.pcbgt.com.

To book a slip at the Pirate‘s Cove Marina, call 252-473-3906. For condominiums rentals on-site, call Pirate‘s Cove Realty at 252-473-6800. Golf cart reservations can be made by calling Maxwell at 252-305-3610.

Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that accepts grant applications for local charitable distributions which topped $80,000 in 2021. The Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies Only Billfish Tournament raises upwards of $50,000 annually for local cancer patients and the Annual Sheep Dog Veterans Challenge raises awareness and much needed funds for vets and first responders in Dare County and beyond. Tournament Week kicks off on August 13, 2022. For more information contact PCBT at 252-305-3610 or visit www.pcbgt.com.

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