Fremantle Sailing Club’s 47th Sovereign Blue Marlin Classic was successfully held over the weekend of 7–8 March after the difficult decision was made to defer the event by one week due to strong winds and large swells that made fishing unsafe. The committee and FSC staff worked tirelessly to pivot the registrations and all associated events, ensuring the competition still ran seamlessly.

A record fleet of 90 boats from 13 clubs across Western Australia entered the tournament, with more than 310 anglers participating. The previous record was 42 boats, making this year’s event the largest Blue Marlin Classic in its 47-year history and the biggest bluewater game fishing tournament ever held in Western Australia.

The incredible level of interest was the result of several factors. While the committee has worked hard over many years to grow the event, this year also benefited from a perfect alignment of circumstances. Sovereign’s continued support as naming rights sponsor allowed the promotion of the event to be elevated to a new level, including securing the first ever event ambassadors from the Tall Tails Podcast team — Mark LeCras and Jake Rotham.

This partnership significantly expanded the event’s reach across multiple media platforms including Tall Tails Podcast content, weekly social media promotion across more than 20 fishing and boating groups, coverage on Channel 7 News, interviews on 6PR radio, and articles in The West Australian and Sunday Times newspapers.

Another contributing factor was the State Government’s recent decision to ban demersal fishing across the West Coast Bioregion. While tagging a marlin may not provide fillets for the fridge, tournaments like the Blue Marlin Classic offer recreational anglers the opportunity to stay on the water and experience the challenge and adrenaline of targeting one of the ocean’s greatest sportfish right on Perth’s doorstep. Tackle shops such as Compleat Angler Nedlands and Diamond Networks have been strong supporters of this shift, helping promote marlin and swordfish fishing as exciting sportfishing opportunities.

The famous Boat Calcutta Auction, held during the briefing night and expertly run by FSC member Matt Donnelly, raised $23,000 from enthusiastic bidders. Raffles and the sale of section shirts raised a further $8,000, contributing to an overall event budget now exceeding $120,000.

Friday night’s crew event at Samphire on Rottnest Island attracted around 250 anglers who enjoyed paella and drinks as the sun set over Thomson Bay. A highlight of the evening was the marlin lure raffle which achieved a record price of $2,200.

The shotgun start took place at 7am on Saturday off Phillip Rock outside Thomson Bay, Rottnest Island. Perfect weather greeted the fleet, with a light easterly providing ideal conditions for boats to run west to the Rottnest Trench at speed. Despite favourable sea conditions, water temperatures were slightly lower than expected at 22.5–23.5°C and bait and bird activity were limited.

Despite the challenging conditions, marlin were still found. The first blue marlin of the tournament was tagged by FSC boat Harmony, soon followed by another FSC boat, Eleventh Hour catching the second but missing the tag shot. Fishing remained difficult throughout the fleet, with only a handful of additional marlin tagged including by boat Winora.

One of the most dramatic battles occurred aboard Bait Ball, which experienced a double hookup on blue marlin. After fighting one fish for 1.5 hours before losing it, the crew then battled a second fish estimated at 180kg for nearly six hours until sunset before successfully tagging it. Special thanks go to the FSC vessel Success and the Tall Tails crew for providing a second harness, and to Exmouth charter skipper “Whitey” who coached the Bait Ball team through the battle.

Sunday night’s crew event at the Mezz Bar on Rottnest was a more subdued affair, with most anglers having spent more than 10 hours on the water preparing for the final day’s fishing. FSC Commodore Neville Norkett introduced Rottnest Island Authority Chair Hamish Beck, who welcomed anglers and thanked Fremantle Sailing Club for once again delivering a successful event on the island.

Sunday saw a light southerly building throughout the day to around 15 knots. Fewer boats ventured wide, however Winora tagged another blue marlin while Saratoga tagged two. Several other boats also hooked marlin but were unfortunately unable to convert them into successful tags.

Across the two days many boats travelled more than 180 nautical miles during the competition — roughly the equivalent distance from Fremantle to Geraldton. In total the fleet steamed an estimated 16,200 nautical miles (approximately 30,000 kilometres), the equivalent of nearly two laps around Australia.

A total of 25 marlin were raised during the event, with 15 fish hooked and 6 successfully tagged. All were blue marlin, with no striped or black marlin reported. Three anglers achieved the milestone of tagging their first marlin.

Other gamefish encountered included wahoo, yellowfin tuna, southern bluefin tuna, skipjack tuna, mahi mahi, tiger sharks and bronze whalers. Crews were also treated to remarkable wildlife sightings including blue whales with calves, sunfish, flying squid and turtles.

The strength of this year’s sponsorship exceeded expectations and was instrumental to the tournament’s success. The support allowed registration fees to remain accessible while maintaining an attractive prize pool along with fully catered crew events and presentation night.

Presentation night was held at Fremantle Sailing Club with more than 200 anglers, friends and family attending. The evening showcased FSC’s excellent facilities and hospitality, and it is pleasing to see several anglers joining the Club as new members following the event.

Champion Boat Overall, decided on countback, was Winora – skippered by Jim Stevenson with two blue marlin tags, closely followed by Saratoga – skippered by Ben Coppin, also with two tags. Champion Boat under 8.5 metres was FSC boat – Rock n Roll – Skippered by Rodney Staggard.

FSC Clubman of the Year was awarded by Captain Brian Arnett to Luke Sicree in recognition of his outstanding commitment to the section, coordinating the Rottnest crew events and playing a major role in bringing new sponsors on board.

The ongoing success of the Sovereign Blue Marlin Classic is a direct result of the support of a loyal group of sponsors, many of whom have supported the event for well over a decade. The section committee has also welcomed new volunteers who have worked tirelessly alongside experienced members to continually improve the event.

Finally, the proactive and professional support from all Fremantle Sailing Club staff — particularly the Harbour Office, Accounts, Sailing Office, Galley and Bar — was critical to delivering the event, especially given the unexpected record number of boats.

With many new boats entering the tournament this year, including crews fishing for marlin for the first time, excitement is already building for the 48th Sovereign Blue Marlin Classic.

– Johnno Wroth (Rear Commodore)