SEVENTY YEARS OF DISTINCTION

The International Billfish Tournament of San Juan hits an incredible milestone later this year

- SAM WHITE

SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1930, CLUB NÁUTICO DE SAN JUAN HAS CHAMPIONED PUERTO RICO'S NAUTICAL LIFESTYLE FOR MORE THAN 90 YEARS. THIS ISLAND NATION, THE GATEWAY TO THE CARIBBEAN SEA, HAS ALWAYS CELEBRATED ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH BIG-GAME FISHING. THAT LOVE AFFAIR NATURALLY LED TO THE CREATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL BILLFISH TOURNAMENT OF SAN JUAN, WHICH HAS NOW BECOME THE LONGEST CONSECUTIVELY RUNNING BIG-GAME FISHING TOURNAMENT IN THE WORLD. THIS YEAR, THE EVENT CELEBRATES 70 YEARS OF HISTORY, COMPETITION AND CAMARADERIE FROM THE SHOTGUN START AND FLAG CEREMONY TO THE CLOSING AWARDS CELEBRATION, IT'S A SPORT-FISHING SPECTACLE LIKE NONE OTHER.

The club began, not surprisingly, as one dedicated to the gentlemanly sports of sailing and yachting, attracting boats of all kinds in those early years between the world wars. And while the world was gripped by the Great Depression for nearly the entire decade of the 1930s, the wind was free, and so a grand regatta was held in 1930, drawing boats from across the island. Three years later, the foundation for Club Náutico de San Juan's headquarters was laid next to San Antonio Channel, a location where the institution remains today.

AN INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE

With club member Chilo Bird volunteering as the first chairman of what became known as the International Billfish Tournament, the club held its first event in 1953. Even from its earliest years, the international attraction was undeniable. While those early years saw the event as primarily an interclub tournament for the various fishing clubs on the island, it also was among the first to invite international teams from the Anglers' Club of New York and the Miami Beach Rod & Reel Club, eager to experience the opportunities to catch blue marlin in an idyllic Caribbean paradise. Bird remained as director for six years, and the tournament was up and running.