Carmelita II wins 2022 TTT Student Mini-Derby

Marianas High School student Alexander Go Yamaguchi Camacho poses with Carmelita II’s winning wahoo during last Saturday’s Tasi to Table Student Mini-Derby. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Carmelita II won the Tasi to Table Student Mini-Derby after catching a 28.4-lb wahoo last Saturday in the waters off Saipan.

A total of 11 boats and 27 Saipan students participated in the derby, with captain Chief Justice Alexandro Castro of the Carmelita II boat leading the pack with the heaviest catch of the derby.

Second place went to the boat Homegrown, captained by Benny Gonzales from Tinian, with a catch of 19.2-lb wahoo. Gonzales was recognized during the awards for making the time to come out from Tinian to support TTT and the youth.

Third place went to the boat Talladega captained by Albert “Bubba” Flores with a 14-lb wahoo and fourth place went to the Lorraine, captained by master navigator Cecilio Raiukiulipiy, with a 9.1-lb wahoo.

The winning boats received gift cards to a variety of businesses and goodies (hats, coolers) from the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. The students were also taught how to filet fish courtesy of their boat captains after the derby.

Alexander Go Yamaguchi Camacho, a senior in Marianas High School who was on the winning boat Carmelita II, was asked about the fishing experience and said that “it was very calm” and that “it was… a very fun experience.” 

He said that “as soon as we put out our reels, we started getting catches. The first two were small, but then the next one was like, a very big fish… And then five minutes after that, there was another one—8 lbs less, but it’s the second best one… We learned how to just reel in the fist and how to… put in less power so you don’t get tired when you’re reeling in the fish.”

The other boats that joined the derby were Bella, captained by Associate Justice Perry Inos; Botin Saba, captained by James Roberto; Mako, captained by Jeffro Elliot; Orion, captained by Fonz; Reel Nasty, captained by Vince Tudell, Salty Bandits, captained by Masaki Kitami, and   Y-Not, captained by Alex Castro Jr. 

The TTT Student Mini-Derby is an event held at the end of every school year for TTT’s second-year students. The students were from the school year 2021-2022 as the original date had to be postponed due to pandemic. They were taken out to the water by volunteer boat captains to experience trolling. In the internet’s definition, trolling means to “fish with a baited line along behind a boat.”

Prior to the derby on Thursday, Sept. 8, TTT officers met with captains to go over rules and distribute gas stipends and on Friday, Sept. 9, captains were paired up with students, teams came together and connected with each other over dinner.

A mini derby for Tinian and Rota students was held on June 11. 

The sponsors for the derby were Fishing Tackle and Sporting Goods, Marianas Pacific Distributors Inc (MarPac), Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, Gold’s Gym, Great Harvest Bread Co., Surf Club, KKMP, Julie’s Catering, UR Rentals, Division of Fish and Wildlife, and the Department of Lands and Natural Resources.