Published on: 26 May 2014

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John Cramer (1971) competed in the 2014 Offshore World Championships (OWC) in Quepos, Costa Rica, in April. The tournament, with competitors from 32 countries, set a new world record with 2,314 billfish caught in just four days. John said despite fishing in this event for the past three years he was not prepared for such an amazing outcome. To enter, you must qualify by winning a previously sanctioned tournament or the OWC itself. This year, John was invited to join a team from Bermuda including Danny Fox, Bobby Rego and Captain Allen DeSilva. “It was a privilege to fish with such eminent anglers, especially with the level of spirit and competitive experience they brought to the event – not to mention the good old sledging and banter to ease the tensions when four billfish were hooked up, all at the same time!” The event is held over four days with species such as sailfish, marlin, dorado (mahi mahi), tuna and wahoo all attracting prizes. John’s team finished a creditable 16th, missing out on the top 10 by only a few fish. “Just competing in a world event such as this, is for me at least, like climbing Mt Everest.”