CAROLINA REEL MEN: 13TH ANNUAL FINAL SAIL CHAMPIONS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 2026
FINAL SAIL DELIVERS ANOTHER ENCORE PERFORMANCE IN COCONUT GROVE
Every spring, Miami sets the stage for one of the most electric finishes you’ll see in this sport. Now three years deep in Coconut Grove, the 13th Annual Final Sail, is where everything from the Quest for the Crest Sailfish Series presented by Raymarine comes to a head. Every bite feels bigger, and every release holds more weight. For some crews, Final Sail is a last chance to cash in big for the season. For others, it’s about closing it out and proving they’ve earned the privilege to don the crest in burgundy.
Powered once again by presenting sponsor Raymarine and Yamaha, the official outboard sponsor of the series, Final Sail continued to raise the bar. A $100,000 guaranteed payout anchored an impressive $345,035 overall purse, drawing 25 elite teams back into the hunt. With a strong number of Atlantic sailfish in play, the grand finale delivered exactly what the series demands when the stakes are at their highest.
GRAND FINALE EVENT RECAP
The 13th Annual Final Sail officially kicked off its weeklong celebration on April 8th at Shake-A-Leg Miami in Coconut Grove. Set against the backdrop of Biscayne Bay, teams gathered for the captain’s meeting, signaling the start of one of competitive sailfishing’s most anticipated stages and setting the tone for the days ahead.
The evening carried the energy Final Sail has become known for, with anglers, owners, and crew connecting over cocktails and conversation. Tournament partners Islamorada Brewery & Distillery, Josh Wines, and Serpentes Tequila kept the drinks flowing, while premier partners Raymarine, SIMMS Fishing, and Altier Jewelers joined the tournament’s beneficiary Shake-A-Leg Miami Foundation in building momentum for the competition to come.
Two days of fishing on April 10–11 delivered exactly what Final Sail demands: high-pressure competition and leaderboard swings from start to finish. The weekend’s events culminated Saturday night at Bayshore Club Miami, where the awards ceremony reflected the series’s prestige. Top teams were honored with custom trophies by Bentley’s Art, while Quest for the Crest Series Champions, Reel Deal, were presented with the coveted SIMMS Burgundy Jackets. Individual honors were equally distinguished, with luxury timepieces from Cartier and Patek Philippe, courtesy of Altier Jewelers of Boca Raton, awarded to Koby Dobbelaer, the Top Captain of the Series, and Sandra MacMillan, the Top Female Angler of the Series. Final Sail’s connection to its host community remained front and center, highlighted by a $3,000 donation to the Shake-A-Leg Miami Foundation, reinforcing the tournament’s commitment to giving back.
GRAND FINALE TOURNAMENT RECAP
DAY ONE
Day One set the tone early, and it was about as tight as you’ll ever see it with 85 Sailfish raised and released by lines-out. The top ten boats were stacked within just two fish, which tells you everything about how competitive the bite really was. Vitamin Sea, Priceless, and Fish Tales all picked away at the Sailfish, each putting up six releases. But it was Fish Tales, led by Capt. Daniel Enriquez aboard their Yamaha-powered 37’ Sea Vee, who were able to capitalize on the bite early on, wrapping up their six before noon to lock down the Early Bite, earning the team third in the Tier One Daily Calcutta and a solid $2,210 to start the weekend.
In second place, Three Little Birds, led by Capt. Tyler Walsh looked exactly like a team that’s been there before. The defending Final Sail Champions finished the day with seven releases, securing second-place finishes across both Day One Tier One and Tier Two calcuttas and stacking up $10,125 in checks for the day.
At the top, it came down to minutes between True Grit and Three Little Birds. Both teams put up seven, but True Grit, led by Capt. Ryland Dickey came out on top by the time of last release. Their efforts secured the crew a top finish in the Day One Tier One and Tier Two for a $21,915 payday.
Over at the scales, Native Son / Steel Got It made their presence felt in the meatfish division. Led by Raymarine pro-staffer Capt. Art Sapp, they brought in an 86.8-pound aggregate, highlighted by a 42.1-pound dolphin, to win the Dynamite Daily Meatfish Calcutta and secured a $3,150 daily payday.
DAY ONE STANDINGS
Day One Leaderboard
1st – True Grit – 7 Points
2nd – Three Little Birds – 7 Points
3rd – FishTales – 6 Points
4th – Priceless – 6 Points
5th – Vitamin Sea – 6 Points
Tier One Daily – 50/30/20 Split
1st – True Grit – 7 Points – $4,275 Payout
2nd – Three Little Birds – 7 Points – $2,565 Payout
3rd – FishTales – 6 Points – $1,710 Payout
Tier Two Daily – 70/30 Split
1st – True Grit – 7 Points – $17,640 Payout
2nd – Three Little Birds – 7 Points – $7,560 Payout
Dynamite Daily – Meatfish 70/30 Split
1st – Native Son/Steel Got It – Aggregate – 86.8 Points – $3,150 Payout
2nd – Carolina Reel Men – Aggregate – 50.6 Points – $1,350 Payout
DAY TWO
The bite on Day Two ramped up quickly, with 134 sailfish released by lines-out, and right along with it came a surge in competition, as constant leaderboard swings reshaped the standings from top to bottom.
Vitamin Sea and True Grit closed out Day Two to stay in the mix. In fifth place on Day Two, Vitamin Sea, led by Capt. Matt Kniskern added 10 more releases to finish with 16 on the weekend, good enough for third overall, securing third in the Final Sail $100,000 Guarantee, the Leaders Board, and the Quest TNT Series Calcutta, for a weekend earnings of $32,180. Ahead of them, True Grit, led by Capt. Ryland Dickey, backed up their strong Day One with 11 more releases, bringing their total to 18. Their effort secured the crew second overall, highlighted by wins in the Release Round-Up and Sporty calcuttas, plus runner-up finishes in several others, pushing their weekend total to $91,925. One other Final Sail standout moment for the True Grit team came on prefishing the day before the tournament, when crew member Ben Dixon pitch baited a 70-pound swordfish on a spinning rod with 25-pound leader and landed it!
In third place, Contender prostaff team REMIX, led by Capt. JC Cleare, after sitting in 14th with four fish on Day One, put up nine releases before noon to grab the Early Bite. Adding two more in the afternoon to close out with 15 points for the weekend pushing them up to fourth place overall, along with a third-place finish in the Day Two Tier One Daily. They also backed it up at the scales with a solid meatfish bag to take second in the Dynamite Daily, wrapping the weekend with $5,060.
In second place, Sandman led Capt. John Dudas delivered one of the day’s most notable climbs after sitting 15th at the end of Day One with just two releases. The team added 13 fish, anchored by a standout nine-fish performance from Sandra MacMillan, who took both Master Angler and Top Female Angler honors. They finished the weekend with 15 releases, climbing all the way to fifth overall. Add in second-place finishes in both Day One Tier One and Tier Two calcuttas and the heaviest cobia of the tournament at 21.1 pounds, and it turned into a well-earned $11,625 weekend.
As the sailfish bite picked up on Day Two, the meatfish guys got their shot too, and Hank The Buffalo made the most of it. Capt. Frank Langdon and his crew came to the scales with a strong bag, anchored by a 65.6-pound kingfish, a new tournament record, for a Day Two total of 79.1 pounds. They took top honors in The Grand Daddy and Heaviest Kingfish, added a second in the aggregate, and swept through a handful of optionals along the way for a $13,325 payday.
DAY TWO STANDINGS
Day Two Leaderboard
1st – Carolina Reel Men – 16 Points
2nd – Sandman – 13 Points
3rd – REMIX – 11 Points
4th – True Grit – 11 Points
5th – Vitamin Sea – 10 Points
Tier One Daily – 50/30/20 Split
1st – Carolina Reel Men – 16 Points – $4,275 Payout
2nd – Sandman – 13 Points – $2,565 Payout
3rd – REMIX – 11 Points – $1,710 Payout
Tier Two Daily – 70/30 Split
1st – Carolina Reel Men – 16 Points – $17,640 Payout
2nd – Sandman – 13 Points – $7,560 Payout
Dynamite Daily – Meatfish 70/30 Split
1st – Hank The Buffalo – Aggregate – 79.1 Points – $3,150 Payout
2nd – REMIX – Aggregate – 46.8 Points – $1,350 Payout
CAROLINA REEL MEN DELIVER A GRAND FINALE PERFORMANCE ON COMPETITIVE BILLFISHING’S MAIN STAGE
It’s no secret that the door doesn’t open for everyone in the Quest for the Crest Sailfish Series, where the sport’s elite converge on one of competitive sailfishing’s most prestigious stages. When it does open, it’s reserved for the teams who knock hard and often, those who have earned their way in through persistence, performance, and a commitment to the process. For the crew aboard Carolina Reel Men, with Captain Sean O’Donnell at the helm, that moment arrived, as the team delivered a ‘kick-down-the-door’ performance at the 13th Annual Final Sail.
After finishing Day One in eighth place with six releases, the crew of anglers James Barnett, Steve McLaughlin, Jonathan Bickett, Jimmy Hendrix, Brandon Simmons, Marc Toledo, Phillip Bryan, and Ramiro Hidalgo-Gato took charge of the leaderboard on Day Two. Seven early releases before noon set the tone, followed by a quad hookup just ten minutes into the afternoon that shifted the momentum entirely. They added five more releases to close out the day, bringing their two-day total to 22 and securing the overall victory, a clean sweep of multiple optional calcuttas and three meatfish categories, culminating in a total weekend payout of $140,020. A performance worthy of a grand finale on the sport’s biggest stage.
Congratulations to Carolina Reel Men, the title of the 13th Annual Final Sail Champions is now yours to hold forever.
TOP TEAMS
Overall Leaderboard
1st – Carolina Reel Men – 22 Points
2nd – True Grit – 18 Points
3rd – Vitamin Sea – 16 Points
4th – REMIX – 15 Points
5th – Sandman – 15 Points
Highest Earnings
1st – Carolina Reel Men – $140,020
2nd – True Grit – $91,925
3rd – Vitamin Sea – $32,180
4th – Reel Deal – $16,200
5th – Hank The Buffalo – $13,325
QUEST FOR THE CREST SERIES STANDINGS THROUGH LEG THREE
1st – Reel Deal – 80 Points
2nd – Priceless – 76 Points
3rd – Sandman – 73 Points
4th – Vitamin Sea – 70 Points
5th – Native Son/Steel Got It – 60 Points
6th – Reel Lucky – 56 Points
7th – Fish Tales – 52 Points
ABOUT THE QUEST FOR THE CREST SAILFISH SERIES
The Quest for the Crest Sailfish Series stands as the ultimate battleground for the world’s top billfishing teams. This prestigious 3-leg series boasts an estimated purse of over $1.7 million, attracting fierce competitors from across the globe. But the true prize—the one that every team covets—isn’t about the money. It’s about The Crest.
The Crest represents the highest honor in the world of tournament sailfishing, a symbol of unmatched excellence. This coveted award, embodied by the iconic burgundy jacket, is reserved for the team that rises above all others in skill, strategy, and stamina. To don the jacket is to hold the title of world champion. It is not just a prize; it is a legacy earned through sheer dominance over an elite field. Only the best of the best can claim this privilege on their quest for the ultimate crown in billfishing.
ABOUT FISH BLUEWATER
Based in the heart of South Florida, the sportfishing capital of the world, Fish Bluewater is a premier sports marketing company with over three decades of expertise. For 30 years, we’ve been at the forefront of the competitive fishing scene, developing some of the most successful tournaments in the industry. Our deep-rooted knowledge of tournament fishing, paired with cutting-edge event marketing strategies, has allowed us to deliver unparalleled experiences for both anglers and sponsors alike.
With a portfolio of seven highly sought-after tournaments, each hosted at iconic venues across South Florida, Fish Bluewater continues to set the standard in competitive sportfishing events. Our commitment to excellence ensures that every tournament we produce is more than just a competition—it’s a premium experience that celebrates the passion and spirit of the sport.
For media inquiries, images, and additional information, please contact:
Chris Caravello
Phone: 954-725-4010
Email: Chris@bluewatermovements.com
