SFA tournament goes hi-tech with Saipan Cell

With the single biggest angling event ever to hit the Northern Mariana Islands just a couple of days away, the Saipan Fishermen’s Association is rising to the occasion for the 20th Annual Saipan International Fishing Tournament by teaming up with Saipan Cell Communications to provide more coverage than the tournament has ever received.

For the first time in its history, the SFA will have up to date tournament information online for viewers to monitor worldwide. According to Pauline A. Johnson of Saipan Cell, the communications company will feature a live remote that will post the results on www.saipancell.com.

“This is going to be terrific. There will be live results that will list who caught what, and how big it was,” Johnson said.

Saipan Cell will also be providing the SFA three Motorola PTT cellular phones to demo during the tournament. The phones are equipped with two-way radio feature Push-To-Talk, that has become popular on the island, and essential to many businesses.

The new communication devices should aid the SFA in communicating through the large crowds that traditionally gather at the marina during the weekend.

In a related story, the president of Guam Cell and Saipan Cell, Mark Chamberlain, is currently navigating the waters between Guam and Saipan, en route to Smiling Cove Marina to enter the two-day fish-a thon. If all goes well, Chamberlain will finish the roughly 10-hour trip around 4:30pm today.

With all of the recent progress being made by the SFA, the association that began with a handful of fishermen meeting under a tree over 20 years ago is moving full speed ahead into the 21st century.

The tournament will get underway this Saturday, Sept. 11, in the deep waters off the coast of Saipan, and continue through Sunday, Sept. 12. Applications for the tournament are available at the Marianas Visitors Authority and the Fishing Tackle Shop. Registration for the event is this Friday, Sept. 10, from 5pm to 7pm at the Smiling Cove Marina in Garapan, followed by a pre-tournament briefing for all of the participants, and a blessing of the boats.

For more information on the 20th Annual Saipan International Fishing Tournament and registration, contact Martin F. Duenas at 664-3200/3201 or Wolf Mojica at 234-6615.