A second chance. The arc of the underdog. The proverbial rise from the ashes. Whether in sports, business, or every possible facet of a personal life, comeback stories move us. They give us hope. In the sportfishing industry, we celebrate such moments with oversized checks, trophies, photo ops, standing ovations, and too many pats on the back to count. Earlier this month, we did just that when the team aboard a boat aptly named Redemption clinched their first Governor’s Cup tournament win at the Charleston Billfish Invitational, the first leg of this year’s Series.
The 53-foot Sportsman owned by business partners and friends Lee Ravenel and Wes McAfee, comes by her name quite honestly. The letters stretched across her transom reflect the challenges that her two owners have each faced, battled and overcome. And for McAfee, who is also the boat’s captain, the build is a second chance at a life he had once walked away from entirely.
McAfee grew up in Virginia Beach, a city renowned for its own deeply rooted sportfishing history and culture. It was there that McAfee first got his feet wet on the decks of boats fishing out of Rudee Inlet. He learned from a long list of captains and crews, including Mike Standing aboard Waterman. But in time, he chose to close that chapter, focusing instead on a career away from the water.
McAfee eventually moved to Charleston. He still fished on occasion, but not like he had in his past life in Virginia. “Lee and I started going fishing on this little boat I had at the time. It wasn’t very comfortable,” McAfee says with a recollecting smirk. “It wasn’t what I grew up doing. I remember one day when we were coming home, Lee looked at me and said, ‘We should buy a boat.’ And I remember thinking: that’s a good idea!”
The duo purchased the 53-footer in 2024 and joined South Carolina’s tournament circuit soon after. Since then, McAfee and Ravenel have logged many days of fishing out of Ripley Light Yacht Club. They’ve steadily assembled a dependable team, including full-time mate Riley Overstreet.
Gov Cup staff have watched Overstreet grow up right here on South Carolina’s docks. For years he was one of the Series’ top youth anglers. We still remember the day he caught and released his first blue marlin. Today, he’s a professional mate and, according to his captain, a critical component of the Redemption program.
“I first met Riley about three years ago,” McAfee says. “He rode along with us one day and I could tell he was young, but that he had that personality where he was just ate up with it. He was like a sponge. He wanted to learn everything, and so I started bringing him along a little more. I could tell pretty early on that he was a good fit for us. To see how far he’s come and how he’s progressed as a fisherman and a young man – I couldn’t be prouder of him. I love having him on the boat.”
Over the last two years, McAfee has led Redemption to several close finishes during Gov Cup tournaments, just missing the leaderboard by narrow margins. The team has suffered some heartbreaking moments, including the time they didn’t get the necessary video footage to qualify a fish. And yet they’ve taken those missteps in stride, learning from them and ultimately bettering the program. By the time the 2026 Series kicked off a few weeks ago, McAfee, Ravenel and the rest of the team were hungry for a win. They were ready for their redemption.
The Charleston Billfish Invitational, hosted at Seabreeze Marina in downtown Charleston, kicked off the 2026 Series over Mother’s Day Weekend. Although the event contended with unfavorable offshore weather conditions, nine boats rose to the challenge. McAfee rarely shies away from the opportunity to go on rough days. Perhaps that’s just the MidAtlantic seafarer in him. He asserts that the boat fishes very well in snotty weather, so there’s all the more reason to go.
During the tournament, mates Tye Lalik and Trent Bonifay joined Overstreet in the cockpit. Ravenel, Jack Branch, Matt Maurer and his son, Walt, rounded out the team. All nine boats opted to take their lay day on Thursday. The next two days would be tough fishing, with limited bites for the fleet.
Fortunately for Redemption, Lalik hooked a fired up blue marlin just an hour or so after lines first went into the water on Friday morning. That blue marlin release launched the team to the top of the leaderboard. The crew would close out the day with a sailfish release just thirty minutes before lines out. Although they were thrilled about the standings, McAfee and his crew were anything but comfortable.
McAfee fishes just about the same spread in every tournament. He’s conventional, perhaps even old school. He sticks to the proven formula that worked for him when he first got started in sportfishing some decades ago. But where he mixes things up of course is where to go to find the fish. McAfee had a choice to make for the next day of fishing. Go back to the spot that yielded a blue marlin? Or take a risk and find new water at a different location?
As Redemption turned loose from the marina under inky black skies on the final morning of the tournament, the captain trusted his gut and ran 30 miles away from where they had been the day before. He and his team released a sailfish within the first hour of fishing. A blue marlin followed just minutes later. They closed out the morning with another two sailfish releases, their final fish of the tournament. The hours crept on without a bite, but Redemption’s lead held throughout the day without contest.
When the team returned to the dock at Seabreeze Marina, they were greeted by family members and friends. There were little celebrations at the dock and the weigh station. Toddlers reached for their fathers and clapped their hands with joy. Wives swooped in for an embrace and a kiss. McAfee, Ravenel and their crew had finally done it. They’d found their redemption right there. The practice paid off. The lessons learned mattered. And the close finishes were finally in the past. This time, they’d finished right on top.
The fleet released 16 billfish during the tournament, including two blue marlin and 14 sailfish. Redemption took home close to $64,000 for their two blue marlin and 4 sailfish worth a total of 2,000 points. Capt. Mark Lacovara and Fullabull, a 44-foot Viking, finished in second place with 600 points after releasing three sailfish. Bubba Roof’s Game On, a 68-foot Bayliss, also released three sailfish and took third place based on time.
Congrats to the entire team aboard Redemption 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 2026 Series, the 58th Annual Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament at Georgetown Landing Marina.
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