Paul Janensch (2012-01-02)
STUART (wqcs) - Intro: Stuart really is the "Sailfish Capital of the World" in December and January, as Paul Janensch tells us in this Treasure Coast Essay.
Many places claim to be the "Sailfish Capital of the World." Islamorada in the Florida Keys, Mazatlan in Mexico, Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala and Quepos in Costa Rica. But this time of year the undisputed "Sailfish Capital of the World" is right here in Stuart. It's not because there is an 18-foot bronze statue of a sailfish in the downtown. It's because a lot of sailfish are caught and released in five tournaments off shore from Stuart. They are the Finest Kind Quickie, the Pirates Cove Classic, the Stuart Sailfish Club Light Tackle, the Pelican Yacht Club Invitational and the Sailfish Point Yacht Club Invitational. In the first three tournaments this season, a total of 642 sailfish were caught and released. The winning teams were aboard yachts named "Chasin Tail," "Krazy Salts" and "Big Oh." The fourth tournament is scheduled for this Tuesday through Saturday from the Pelican Yacht Club in the Fort Pierce Inlet. You can watch the yachts go out and come back at the city park on the south side of the inlet or the state park on the north side. A mature sailfish - so named because of its sail-shaped dorsal fin - is big and fast and can jump incredibly high. But they are NOT good to eat. Which is why they are released to swim and jump some more. For 88.9 FM, this is Paul Janensch.
Outro: Treasure Coast essayist Paul Janensch was a newspaper editor and taught journalism at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.
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