Over 60 Teams Registered for Cabo Offshore Event

By mid-March, over 60 teams from 30 countries on five continents had signed up to compete in the seventh annual Rolex/IGFA Offshore Championship Tournament, May 7-12, off the southern tip of Mexico's Baja peninsula.
Considered by bluewater anglers as the offshore fishing championship of the world, the tournament is believed to host the single largest contingent of international teams ever to compete in a fishing competition. This is the fifth straight year Cabo San Lucas, Mexico will be the location for the four-day catch-and-release event.

Teams for the 2006 championship had previously qualified by winning one of 110 IGFA sanctioned events held in 40 countries worldwide during 2005.

"We again have teams registered from tournaments in more than 30 countries and we expect more," tournament coordinator Lynda Wilson said. "Plus we have even more anglers on teams from additional countries coming."

The teams will represent tournaments in Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Canary Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, England, Galapagos, Grenada, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kingdom of Tonga, Mauritius, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States, Vanuatu and Venezuela. Also preregistered are four past Rolex/IGFA championship teams. There are 22 teams from the United States.

Nearly 70 teams from 30 countries competed last year catching, tagging and releasing a record 517 billfish (503 striped marlin and 14 sailfish).

At this tournament, teams fish for marlin and other billfish on a different boat all guided by local captains each of the four days. The team with the most points at the end of the competition receives engraved Rolex timepieces and trophies. Eighteen other prizes are presented including ones to the three top anglers and captains.

Mexico shuts down budget airline Aerocalifornia over safety

MEXICO CITY — Mexican aviation officials have suspended operations at Aerocalifornia after determining that the low-cost carrier failed to meet safety standards.
The airline offered flights to 22 Mexican cities and Los Angeles. It had been popular for flights to Baja California destinations such as Cabo San Lucas.
The Civil Aviation Department announced the closure in a news release late Sunday, saying the agency "has determined that this airline no longer guarantees that operations meet safety standards."
Department and airline spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.
A woman answering the telephone at an Aerocalifornia office in La Paz, where the airline is based, referred a caller to a different office, where no one answered the telephone.
At a sales office in Mexico City, several frustrated customers were lining up to look for ways to get to their destinations after their flights were canceled.
The suspension follows several inspections by federal authorities beginning more than a year ago, when the airline was instructed to make a series of changes to improve operations.
One of the inspections showed that the airline had a third of its fleet grounded and was taking parts from decommissioned airplanes to keep others operating, the department said.
The federal agency reportedly has given the airline an unspecified amount of time to correct problems in order to restart operations.
Aerocalifornia was one of several low-cost airlines to emerge in recent years, offering passengers cheaper alternatives to the country's dominant Aeromexico and Mexicana carriers.

Hunting Fishing Report

Cabo San Lucas: Boats getting a shot at billfish every day, but only about 60 percent landing any. The Gaviota Fleet reported 31 fishing days produced 19 striped marlin (12 releases) and 2 dorado.

Hunting Fishing Report

Cabo San Lucas: Boats getting a shot at billfish every day, but only about 60 percent landing any. The Gaviota Fleet reported 31 fishing days produced 19 striped marlin (12 releases) and 2 dorado.