Are you ready to win a boat?

Coral Reef Marine Center general manager Tim Perez, left, and Advance Marine owner Masaaki Kobayashi pose for the Saipan Tribune at the Saipan Fishermen’s Association mixer Friday at the Chambre Bar of the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan in Garapan. Coral Reef donated a 16-foot Morning Star aluminum boat to SFA to be raffled off on July 19, during the 36th Saipan International Fishing Tournament. (IVA MAURIN)

With four big fishing events awaiting the CNMI this year, the Saipan Fishermen’s Association has a 16-foot aluminum boat up as a raffle prize for a lucky member of the community to sail on, for the price of $100 a ticket.

Donated by Mercury Marine, Coral Reef Marine Center Guam, and Morningstar Boats, the boat has a Mercury 60 CT 4-stroke engine with tilt and trim, and comes with handheld VHF radio, anchor and navigation lights, a Bimini Top, and even a trailer.

“We’re trying to give back to the community in a way where everyone enjoys and to help the boating community starting [with the] the youth. …We’re surrounded by water, so we might as well take advantage of it. We have the best water in the world and we gotta (sic) utilize it,” said Coral Reef Marine Center general manager Tim Perez.

The raffle drawing date for the boat will be on July 19, 3pm, at the Smiling Cove Marina, on the second day of the 36th Saipan International Fishing Tournament.

It is hoped that the tournaments will also be a boost to tourism. Last year, 70 boats entered the tournament” 21 from Guam and 49 from Saipan. Based on a survey by the SFA, an estimate on the economic activity just for the two-day international tournament alone amounted to $160,000.

“The fishing tournament brings a different game to the island. We may have people come over, rent the boats, give [business to] the commercial market rental boats to go fish, whatever is needed to enhance the economy…,” Perez said.

Aside from the international fishing tournament, the three other SFA events include the Shoreline Casting Tournament on Jan. 25 at Minatchom Atdao (for SFA students), the 1st Wahoo in the Marianas on Feb 9 at the Smiling Cove Marina, and the 16th Mahi Mahi Fishing Tournament on Mar 28, also at Smiling Cove.

Perez is most intrigued by the “Tasi to Table” Youth Fishing Club, which is SFA’s educational outreach program for the youth. From just 16 Da’ok Academy students, the program now has 44 students, with high schools within the Public School System joining in.

“I’ve never seen this desire for students to want to learn,” he said. “It’s very hard to find young men or women who liked the water all the time, in a sense. Hopefully, this program will…either bring back somebody into the marine industry and get into becoming a mechanic or a licensed captain, or a fisherman.”

“SFA is doing wonderful things to benefit the fishing community, the boating community, but most especially the youth, the new up-and-coming boaters and fishermen, especially with the Department of Education, the Da’ok Program. It’s a great benefit to all, specially to our children,” Perez added.

For more information about SFA, or to purchase a raffle ticket, contact SFA president Gene Weaver at 483-4363.