Hundreds of participants in the 79th annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby waited anxiously at Sunday’s award ceremony at Farm Neck Golf Club to see which of the six eligible anglers’ keys would fit the lock and win them a brand new boat.
Over the course of a 5-week long competition, roughly 3,000 fishermen brought in 1,590 bonito, bluefish and false albacore to derby headquarters: 62 of which were weighed on the last day after a few painfully slow weeks.
The leaders in the six derby categories each get a key and in turn each try to open a lock. This year, first-time derby fisherman Carmelo Torres was the last grand leader winner to test his key.
When it seamlessly turned, a larger-than-life smile took over his face and derby president John Custer told him he would be taking home the coveted 22-foot Sisu Hardtop boat donated by Eastern Boat Works…