Sailfish Fever…Coming to an Inlet Near You

Sailfish doing sailfish things.
Photo credit: Derek Goodrich@webshots.

The air has turned decidedly crisper, time has has been turned back an hour, and scores of world class captains, anglers and mates are beginning to show up on the docks and tackle shops along the Treasure Coast can only mean one thing:  Sailfish Tournament Season is just around the corner!

Long nicknamed the Sailfish Capital of the World, for the next three months Stuart and Treasure Coast offshore waters will host some of the world's best in the sportfishing world. This Friday, we will feature our annual Sailfish Tournament Season show bringing incredible insight into several local tournaments that have molded our past as a sportfishing destination and major tourism generator.

Talkin’ Tourism resident fishing and boating guru, Ed Killer will be with us dockside at Finest Kind Marina on the Manatee Pocket to provide historical perspective on the tournament scene and share his perspective on what the future of these historic tournaments may be. World-class competitor Fa-La-Me Captain Rob Moore, a consistent top-placer in local tournaments, as well as those in the Virgin Islands and beyond, will share his views on the tournament scene as well.

The first local tournament, the Finest Kind Quickie, will be represented by Krista Chasmar. As a relative newcomer to the tournament scene, the "Quickie" has rapidly gained the reputation of being a great event. Next is the Pirates Cove Sailfish Classic, the first tournament in the Treasure Coast Sailfish Championship Series. Dave Berard, a consistent tournament winner, will be give us details on the Classic. The Stuart Sailfish Club’s 57th Annual Light Tackle Tournament, one of the country’s oldest, will be represented by Tournament Committee co-chair Char Griggs. The Stuart Sailfish Club is credited with being the first tourism promotion group on the Treasure Coast.

So ladies and gentlemen and fishing fanatics, dust off your rods and reels, strap on your fighting belts, slap on your favorite SPF lotion, fill your coolers with ice and your favorite beverages, and “let go fishing”!

Rum Running, Pineapple Rum and Lots of Laughter!

Rum Runners, pineapple rum, fundraisers, lots of laughs and nautical flea market were all topics of lively conversation and laughter this week!

Leading off the show, Maritime and Classic Boat Museum executive director Jody Clifford gave listeners the scoop on the museum’s origins, current happenings, and future vision for a new facility at Indian Riverside Park in Jensen Beach, Florida. As the show photos attest, if you have a “thing” for old boats and nautical memorabilia, put the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum on your "must see" list. 

With the cause well established, Chris Cooke gave the scoop on the upcoming Real McCoy Rum Runner Party. This 'spirited event' will be the talk of the town. Food, fun, entertainment and plenty of rum will ensure a good time by all attendees. Wrapping up the weekend will be a super Nautical Flea Market and Classic Boat Show. Committee member Julie Lentine described what to expect. Boating and marine enthusiasts, as well as their families, will enjoy this special day at Indian Riverside Park!

With the Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival on everyone’s radar screen, what could be better than having seven visiting Eleutherans in the studio to share their perspective on Gregory Town, Eleuthera’s 20 year Sister City partnership with Jensen Beach, Florida! Lead Junkanoo’er Avian Morley headed up the conversation with his love of the Treasure Coast. Glenda Johnson, senior executive with the Eleuthera Ministry of Tourism, shared her impressions of 20 years participation in the event. Did you know there is a Jensen Beach Travel Club in Eleuthera? Max will tell you all about it. There are even Eleutheran high school students here that will spend time with the music students at Jensen Beach High School during their stay. And folks, those are just the highlights!

Download the November 5th show and share in the fun, good times and great information that made this show truly special.

Rum and Junkanoo--A PERFECT Combination!

Are you ready for some Junkanoo?
(PHOTO CREDIT: DeusXFlorida@Flickr.com.)

The season is starting to crank-up along the Treasure Coast and the Talkin’ Tourism crew is revving up to bring you all the action. Taking a quick road trip this week, show hosts Gary and Robin will be stopping by the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum located in Jensen Beach, Florida. This unique museum is home to some of the finest collections of maritime memorabilia and classic boats in South Florida.

A signature event sponsored by the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum is the Annual “Real McCoy” Rum Runner Party, which is slated for November 19th, 2010. Featured this week will be the museum's executive director, Jody Clifford, Rum Runner Committee member Chris Cooke, and Nautical Flea Market and Classic Boat Show Committee member, Julie Lentine. Collectively they will talk about future plans for the museum, describe the current collections and detail their collaboration with other local marine institutions and organizations. And of course, they'll give all the details on the Real McCoy Rum Runner Party, and the Classic Boat Show & Nautical Flea Market, which follows on November 20.  So, what does William (Bill) McCoy have to do with the Treasure Coast?  Myth, legend or fact? Expect History Lady to shed some light on this one.

Another huge festival on the Treasure Coast approaching this weekend is the Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival. Celebrating 23 years and a 20 year Sister City relationship with Gregory Town, Eleuthera, Bahamas, Talkin' Tourism will have some Eleutheran friends in the studio! Avian Morely, lead Junkanoo’er, along with Glenda Johnson, Eleuthera Ministry of Tourism, and VIP Bahamian friends will share their relationship with the Treasure Coast and describe what they find appealing about our region. How is a Junkanoo costume made? Where does the word Junkanoo come from? These Bahamians will give listeners the real deal.

So fellow tourism fans, sit back and enjoy another round of Talkin' Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast (and Beyond). It's the show that keeps you informed and entertained about things to do, places to go and people to meet on Florida’s Treasure Coast (and Beyond!). See you all Friday morning.

The Lost Episode....Somewhere in Cyberspace

Bahamas Director General of Tourism Vernice Walkine smiles
when Gary mentions Misti wants to return to Eleuthera soon.
Standing behind Ms. Walkine is Warren Pinder,
Consultant Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board;
sitting next to Ms. Walkine is Shaun Ingraham, Director Island
Journeys; Hon. Oswald Ingraham, M.P. South Eleuthera;
Talkin' Tourism co-host Ed Griffith and show host Gary Guertin

Well fans, sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned. The show we planned to bring to you last Friday did not air due to a programming error. As a result, the show from Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club that had aired on August 13 was replayed. If you missed the first airing of the show, you probably found it extremely interesting to hear Earlston McPhee, the general manager of Sustainable Tourism for the Bahamas, Leon Gibson, the administrator of the Blue Flag Programme, along with Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club general manager Stephen Kappeler discuss the commitment by the Islands of the Bahamas to ensure their beautiful waters remain as clean and pristine as possible.

The show also featured movers and shakers in the tourism industry including Vernice Walkine, now the former Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, Tommy Sands, a local businessman and investor of Cotton Bay Estates, Avian Morely, restaurateur and conch salad master, and Member of Parliament, The Hon. Oswald Ingraham.

Once the “missing show” is located, we'll post it here on the blog as a “special bonus show” for your listening and vacationing pleasure.