Roger Simmons said he and his son, Shelden, had to scrape money together for the third annual Boothbay Harbor Tuna Tournament, but that wasn't their only challenge. The crew of the Josie B competed alongside the 90 boats Sept. 2-5, facing boat troubles which twice forced a return to the harbor. However, with the help of friends, the pair won first place and the $40,000 purse that came with it. 

"It gets me emotional. The support, the fishermen and the tournament, how great it was and how professional it was and how great the people were. It was the best tournament I've ever entered by far,” said Roger Simmons, who goes by “Punk.” 

"I was treated with such respect. I was so nervous about going there thinking everybody was rich, and I wasn't going to fit in, and they just made me feel so good. And it was one of the best times of my life.” 

In the final standings, Roger and Shelden Simmons won with their 786-pound tuna; Jared Stackpole took second place on his boat, Plan B, with a 736-pound fish, winning $19,500; Derek Little won third, and $10,500, on Tempah Tantrum with a 722-pound fish; Chris Hutchinson won fourth, and $3,000, on Anvil with a 692-pound tuna, and Marcus Raiano won fifth, and $2,000, on Kimberly Ann with a 678-pound tuna. Little also won the overall weight category after catching 1,756-pounds of tuna, netting him an extra $25,000.  

“Everybody in this community, our fishermen themselves, the 90 boats, they all have come together. I think it's helped each of them have a mutual respect for one another, and this has given them something in common,” said Jax van der Veen, chair of the tuna challenge committee. “And everybody who heard that Roger was in first, and when he'd won it, everybody said that it couldn't happen to a more deserving fisherman.” 

The path to victory was rough for the father-son duo out of Rockland. Roger Simmons said the tournament started well when they caught a 514-pound fish Sept. 2. However, after dropping off the fish and heading back out, a rope got caught in their propeller. A friend with another boat helped cut it loose and they were back out, together. Then another calamity struck: Josie B’s emergency light came on.  

“Last year, I caught one fish in the tournament and blew my engine. So, this year, we're steaming back out after he cuts me out and, and all of a sudden, my alarm and my boat went off, and we were overheating. I said, “Oh, no.’ I thought I blew the boat up again.” 

After returning to the harbor again, the team found a hole as big as a cigarette in the engine. With advice from a mechanic friend and some crafty repairs with silicone, they were back out Sept. 4. Then, fishing in around 115-foot deep water with giant squid as bait, Roger Simmons said he “hooked a monster.” After a two-hour fight, including getting the tuna unstuck from under the boat, the two got a look. 

“And I knew when I brought the tail out – it stuck (out from) the boat two feet –  I knew we probably had the winner. We did,” said Roger Simmons. He later added, “The funny thing is, I think God wanted me to fish somewhere else than where I was going. He just had a hard way of showing it. He moved me to the right spot, I guess." 

Even for the fishermen who didn't win, business was bustling. This year, the 90 boats caught 90 fish overall, totaling 42,848 pounds. Seth Richards worked at the Atlantic Edge Lobster wharf processing, inspecting and assessing almost all of them before market. He said they usually sell for around $8 a pound domestically but he has heard of the rare high-end fish going for as much as $30 a pound in Japan. However, he said tournaments like this can be a double-edged sword because they bring business into town but the high volume of fish can drive the price down, and it's up to federal management agencies to keep balance. 

Van der Veen said there is some debate around the tournaments, but the fishermen would be fishing regardless; If the quota is met, the fishery would be shut down as normal.  

She said she feels supporting the fishermen and the community is the real focus of the tournament. She said she is grateful to the sponsors for their support which, alongside the $850 entrance fee, allowed the substantial payouts “that the fishermen deserve.” In addition, she said the Boothbay Harbor Tuna Challenge will again donate a portion of the proceeds to the Fishermen's Memorial Fund, and they hope to add more recipients this year. 

“It's not exactly about making back that revenue that you're putting out in a sponsored check. It's about bettering the community that we live in,” she said. “By supporting an event like this and by supporting our working waterfront, we're in turn supporting our own businesses because we're helping the people that make this town so amazing."