Penlac among sponsors of SSFC tournament |20 November 2017

● Overall winners ‘Team 8’

In one of the largest fishing tournaments of the year, the La Digue Offshore Fishing Tournament was a special one held on November 3-5 with La Digue’s own well-known Fishtrap Restaurant & Group of Companies being the main sponsor for the event. The other prime sponsors were Penlac, Six Senses Zil Pasyon, La Digue Island Lodge, Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, Cable & Wireless, Jouel, Lafarge and Today newspaper.

Penlac chief executive Gafoor Yakub, told Seychelles NATION that “this is the first time Penlac has sponsored the SSFC via its cooperate social responsibility (CSR) proceeds and it will not be the last”.

He said the beauty of this special event was that it brought together our established, traditional and sporty Seychellois fishing families and other close friends together in a true spirit of sportsmanship.

The colourful individuals and the sports fishing teams that got together at the lunch buffet and the prize-giving event at the La Digue Island Lodge had a good banter; they joked, teased and poked fun at each other. The menu prepared by the Island Lodge was spectacular. Well-known local artist Joe Samy entertained the guests with a number of his new songs and guitar performance on Sunday with DJ Aubrey & Basil in the background.

This SSFC La Digue Offshore Fishing Tournament marked the first time that fish caught in the tournament were sold to local restaurants/hotel resorts. Revenue gained from the sale of the fish went to a charitable cause on La Digue and also supported the SSFC's conservation programmes throughout the year.

The tournament was an all billfish release tournament. The Most Billfish Released Prize was sponsored by a resort which has a ‘No Billfish on the Menu’ policy worldwide and also restricts grouper as a part of its worldwide conservation programme in its hotels and resorts.

Fishing started on Friday November 3 at 10am and ended on Saturday November 4 at 3pm with the usual weigh-in party on La Passe jetty at La Digue with DJ Aubrey and Basil livening up the event with their assortment of music.

The prize-giving was held at the home of SSFC for the past few years, the La Digue Island Lodge on Sunday November 5 over a magnificent lunch buffet.

What was interesting this year was that the smallest team of two who took part in this fishing tournament managed to bring in one of the highest catches and win quite a few prizes in different categories by out-doing some of the larger fishing fleets. It just goes to show how the notion of “small is beautiful” can work wonders sometimes.

From a few photographs received by Seychelles NATION after the event, it seems that Penlac was one of the main sponsors that was called upon to award the overall winning ‘Team 8’ with one of the prestigious cups at the prize-giving ceremony,

Seychelles NATION wishes to extend its congratulations to ‘Team 8’ and to all those who took part and we bring you a few photos taken during the event.