The year is 1968, one or our most historic years in recent American history. During this year the world witnessed the assassination of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., Apollo 8 became the first manned space craft to orbit the moon, Boeing introduced the 747, two black American athletes staged a protest during the national anthem by raising their fists at the Summer Olympics and Captain James T. Kirk and Lt. Nyota Uhura of the USS Enterprise made history with the first interracial kiss on national TV, all while the war in Vietnam was in full swing and Americans were glued to their black and white television sets for daily updates on the progress of the war. An intense and historical year indeed.

During this year, amongst all of the excitement and chaos, something magical took place in the little seaside town of Cape Canaveral, Florida. A small group of anglers that shared a passion for fishing decided to start a fishing club they called the Florida Sport Fishing Association (FSFA). To build awareness for the club and in the spirit of competition, they decided to hold a sailfish tournament out of Port Canaveral, and so began what we now call the FSFA Offshore Tournament. It’s hard to believe we are celebrating fifty years of this historic tournament.

It hasn’t always been peaches and cream, though. Over five decades the tournament has experienced incredible highs, such as in the 80’s when featured sponsors like Sea Ray Boats would give away a new boat as the grand prize. There have been significant lows as well, like the late 90’s when the tournament most likely would not have taken place if it wasn’t for the contributions from a couple local business owners that understood and cherished the rich history and significance this tournament holds for our area.

Fast forward to today and the 2018 FSFA Offshore Tournament is going stronger than ever. With the sponsorship of local businesses, the dedicated efforts of individual volunteers, and a tournament committee focused on producing the best tournament to date, expectations are BIG for the upcoming 50th annual event.

The FSFA Offshore Tournament plans to give away $25,000 in guaranteed cash payouts with a five thousand dollar Big Fish Grand Prize! This is the largest cash payoff of any offshore tournament here in Central Florida. This year, the tournament will take place June 1st and 2nd. The tournament will kick off with the Captains Expo Friday June 1st located at Kiwanis Island Park Gymnasium. The tournament weigh-in and awards will be held Saturday, June 2nd at Sunrise Marina at Port Canaveral.

This is a boat tournament meaning one boat will be registered per team. The entry fee is $175 per boat. The main target species that qualify for the $5,000 Big Fish Grand Prize are dolphin, wahoo, kingfish and grouper. There is an independent category for amberjack and cobia paying $1,000 for the biggest fish along with both ladies and junior prizes as well. There will be exciting raffles both Friday and Saturday so even if you do not plan to fish the tournament, bring the family out for a fun experience and watch the anglers compete for their shot at the $25,000 purse. You will not want to miss the 50th anniversary of the FSFA Offshore Tournament!

To learn more or register for this historic event, visit offshoreslam.com.