Under the glow of lighted power pedestals dotting the docks, crewmembers quietly made the trek to their respective boats on the first morning of the Charleston Billfish Invitational. It was a scene staff at the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series had anticipated for months. The first tournament of the 2025 season had officially begun, and lines would finally hit the water just a few hours later.

Among the fleet sat Viking Yachts’ latest demo boat, a 74-foot build with a recent tournament win already notched on her belt. Having just won Skip Smith’s Shootout – Production vs. Custom in the Bahamas the week before, Viking 74 arrived in Charleston eager to foster a streak. 

Although the demo team fishes all around the world, Charleston is home to the three core members of the operation. Mates Thomas Garmany and West Rivers were both raised along the Holy City’s docks and grew up fishing the Gov Cup every summer. And Capt. Sean Dooley, a member of the Gov Cup’s Advisory Board of Directors, lives here full-time and has been regularly fishing Charleston’s waters for close to a decade.

“Charleston is a place that is near and dear to our hearts,” Dooley says. “There’s a tight knit group here. We’re all friends. And whenever you get a chance to beat your buddy’s butt, you take advantage of it! It’s all friendly competition but we all want to win. And that’s what makes fishing here most special. You’re not competing against strangers like you do in a lot of bigger tournaments. A lot of these guys we go hunting with, play golf with, get a drink with. We’re all a big family here.”

The navy sky still clung tightly to the horizon as Garmany, Rivers, and Dooley prepared for the day ahead, yet another welcome opportunity to battle it out with friends and family fishing on other boats. Chris “Bootsy” Wilson busily moved about the boat’s gargantuan cockpit and mezzanine while adjusting reels and fiddling with tackle, and soon Joe West, Tim Gredick, Eric McDowell, Dan Pettit, Casey Roohan and Sean Healey would join him. Thirty minutes or so later, Viking 74 would finally race away from Charleston’s amber skyline.

Several boats called in releases almost immediately after lines in, but Viking 74 wouldn’t get on the board until a couple hours later with an unexpected catch. Reports of white marlin caught in South Carolina typically raise a skeptical eyebrow. More often than not, crews mistake spearfish for white marlin. But that was not the case for Viking’s seasoned captain and crew. The boat indeed raised and released a white marlin and would later go on to tally a slam with a blue marlin and three sailfish.

As lines came out of the water on Day 1 of the tournament, Viking 74 sat atop the fleet in first place based on time. Bench Mark, a 57-foot Spencer owned by Stephen Davis and captained by Jordan Parker, held second with the same number of points. Claytime, a 60-foot B&D owned by Jon Clay with Capt. Phillip Fender at the helm, was just 200 points behind them for third. 

Viking 74’s lead would be challenged several times on Day 2 of the tournament, most notably by Cha Cha, a 72-foot Spencer owned by VOR Sportfishing and captained by Bennett Griffin. By lines out, Dooley and his team had climbed their way back to the top of the standings. They finished the tournament with a total of three blue marlin, three sailfish, and one white marlin.

Since one boat was still eligible to fish the final day of the tournament, the team aboard Viking 74 couldn’t yet celebrate a win. Between a nice Charleston brunch and time spent working on the boat, Dooley and his crew kept their mind off the leaderboard. Ultimately, they’re lead would go unchallenged and Viking 74 would officially add another win to the ledger. They took home trophies, the tournament’s prized championship belt, and a check for over $64,000. 

Cha Cha took home $42,000 after finishing in second place with three blue marlin and three sailfish, all of which were caught by the tournament’s top lady angler, Ashley Sims. Claytime won third place and $22,000 with three blue marlin releases to their credit.

A total of 16 boats fished Seabreeze Marina’s Charleston Billfish Invitational this year. Although the fleet may have been small, the fishing didn’t disappoint. Participating teams released 48 billfish – 17 blue marlin, 29 sailfish, and two white marlin – in three days of fishing. 

Congrats to Viking 74 for your tournament win and early Series lead! 

We can’t wait to see how things shake out this week during the second leg of the 2025 Series, the 57^th Annual Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament at Georgetown Landing Marina!

See all winners from the Charleston Billfish Invitational

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The Teaser is a series dedicated to showcasing the stories of the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series and its lively community. The Gov Cup was created several decades ago to encourage the conservation of ocean resources through the tagging and release of billfish. Learn more here.