The Day-1 launch of the Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter Boats at Winyah Bay was short one boat, as Florida redfish guide Krista Miller and Bassmaster Elite Scott Canterbury were sidelined with a mechanical issue.
A pre-launch equipment check found a significant steering failure. The onsite Yamaha service crew was unable to resolve the issue, so Miller and Canterbury departed the East Bay Public Ramp at 7:39 Eastern Time and headed to a local Skeeter Dealer located approximately 3 miles from takeoff.
With the other nine teams taking off at 7:15, Miller and Canterbury will weigh their options at the dealership.
If a timely repair is possible, they will launch Miller’s Skeeter SX240 and fish the remaining competition hours. If not, they will explore the possibility of borrowing a boat from the dealership.
Tournament rules require competitors to fish from a bay boat of at least 20 feet. This ensures the entire field has similar speed and navigational ability.
One final option would be to launch with only trolling motor propulsion and fish near the ramp.
Ever the optimist, Miller joked: “We’re just giving them a head start.”
