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Although five teams caught nine sailfish each by the end of the tournament, only one crew would win the top prize. The Grander sport-fishing team engineered a surprise win to overtake a Lower Keys captain, as well as the Miami team that recently won the Miami Billfish Tournament.

" It was a heck of a come-from-behind victory," said Christopher King, tournament chairman, of the Grander's dramatic success. They weren't even in the running till last day."

Grander was composed of Capt. Scott Walker of Marathon; Capt. Cale Layton of Lewes, Del.; Delaware anglers Paul and Darlene Townsend and Jim Hukill; and Connan Lehmkuhl of Key West. The team caught nine sailfish over three days of fishing, six of them the last day.

Grander, one of five teams to release nine sailfish, caught its last fish first, just after 1 p.m. Saturday, which put them in first place on time.

The hybrid Delaware-Marathon-Key West team passed the Lower Keys-based Main Attraction sport fisher, which won second place when it caught its ninth fish about an hour after the Grander caught its ninth. But they could not find a 10th release to put them back on top.

Capt. Marty Lewis was at the helm with three Iowa anglers and local angler and mate Jamie Platt on board.

The Miami-based team of Down and Durty, which won the recent Miami Billfish Tournament, got third after it released its ninth after the Main Attraction did.

The tournament was characterized by big-name celebrities, like retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, Wade Boggs and country music stars. It also will be remembered for big weather, big sharks and, in the end, big success, said King, a sporting-event promoter and magazine publisher from Fort Myers.

King said the event raised more than $100,00 for Camp Boggy Creek, a Central Florida home for terminally ill boys. He also noted that the tournament grew from about 90 boat entries to 107.

The sailfish showed up for the events, as well.

Despite questions about the late-season start to the tournament, 265 releases were recorded. That's about two to three releases per boat, compared to the one or two releases per boat in the Miami Billfish Tournament at the beginning of the month.

Winds started out of the northwest for the first day of the tournament, but then swung around to the east-northeast by Saturday, the last day (Friday was a lay day). With a current coming from the west, and the wind pushing the waves in the opposite direction, Keys skippers knew they could find the sailfish at the top of the waves rather than down deep where the game fish usually are.

" It turned red hot," said King, tournament chairman. "The easterly wind pushed bait off reef Saturday and stacked them up. Phenomenal fishing, especially to the east off Looe Key."

" We saw good tailing conditions," said Morris Lewis, who fished on the Main Attraction II. Morris is Marty's father. "But it was very rough. Big boats had a big advantage on that last day."

Morris suggested to tournament organizers that there be a separate small-boat and large-boat division. Weather conditions are such that the calm days, like Wednesday and Thursday, favor small boats that can get around fast and are quieter in quiet seas, he said. But the rough days give the bigger vessels, with tall tuna towers, a tremendous advantage.

" They'd get more boats fishing it, and better competition," said the elder Lewis.

There was no word yet from the tournament committee on the suggestion. The committee is meeting this week with Key West city officials to plan next year's tournament, said King.