Lights Out Boston secured a significant lead in the Atlantic Division Championship on Saturday, August 23, 2026, by completing a billfish grand slam. This achievement pushed them to 1,025 points, establishing a 275-point advantage heading into Championship Sunday.
The second day of the Atlantic Division Championship weekend in Ocean City saw intense competition. North Carolina Flare AC made a strong push for the top spot, while the New Jersey Sea Birds climbed from the bottom of the leaderboard into contention. The Sea Birds mounted a rally, closing the gap on Lights Out Boston, their 2025 rivals.
New Jersey Sea Birds Captain Blaine Birch noted his team’s preference for being underdogs. On Thursday, the Sea Birds had already secured $1.47 million for Dave McKendrick’s blue marlin. If they had caught a white marlin weighing over 80 pounds, an additional $1.35 million would have been added.
The Sea Birds began Saturday determined to make up ground, being the first club to head through the inlet. South Florida Sails struck first at 8:20 AM with Alex Stanley releasing a white marlin. North Carolina Flare AC followed at 8:53 AM with David Dressler releasing a white marlin, moving them into second place with 300 points.
At 9:05 AM, Jay Brower of the Sea Birds released a white marlin, putting all seven Atlantic Division clubs on the scoreboard and bringing New Jersey even with South Florida in points. North Carolina Flare continued its strong performance, with Trey Baranyai releasing another white marlin at 9:17 AM, reaching 400 points. East Coast Remix joined the scoring at 9:40 AM with Brent Feder releasing a white marlin.
Griffin Moxley delivered a white marlin for South Carolina Outcast at 11:03 AM. Two minutes later, Brower secured his second white marlin release, moving the Sea Birds ahead of both the Rhode Island Breakers and South Florida Sails. Mark Dressler of Flare answered at 11:07 AM with a white marlin, bringing North Carolina within 250 points of Lights Out Boston. Dressler added another white marlin at 11:48 AM, cutting the lead to 150 points.
Shortly after noon, Brower released his third white marlin of the day for the Sea Birds, reaching 300 points. Baranyai released another white marlin for North Carolina at 12:41 PM, bringing them to 700 points, just 50 behind Lights Out. The New Jersey Sea Birds then made a significant move at 1:09 PM when Dave McKendrick hooked a blue marlin, a 450-point fish. This release propelled the Sea Birds to 750 points, tying them with Lights Out at the top of the leaderboard, with Flare at 700 points.
The deadlock at the top was broken at 2:49 PM when Rob West released a sailfish for Lights Out Boston. This completed their Grand Slam, triggering a 200-point multiplier and pushing their total to 1,025 points. Captain Rob Carmichael of Lights Out Boston Angling Club noted the rarity of sailfish in the region. South Florida Sails also added to their score with Mark McDevitt releasing a white marlin at 2:56 PM, followed by Lee Albarty adding another white at 3:12 PM.
The New Jersey Sea Birds will enter Championship Sunday with an advantage in the race for the Atlantic Division crown, despite South Florida’s late rally. The Atlantic Division regular season concludes on Sunday, with the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs remaining for South Florida Sails, the New Jersey Sea Birds, and two yet-to-be-determined clubs from the Gulf Division.
Day 2 Leaderboard:
- Lights Out Boston – 1,025 points
- New Jersey Sea Birds – 750 points
- North Carolina Flare – 700 points
- South Carolina Outcast – 300 points
- South Florida Sails – 300 points
- East Coast Remix – 200 points
- Rhode Island Breakers – 100 points
