After two dominant days of competition off the South Carolina coast, the New Jersey Sea Birds were declared champions when deteriorating weather conditions forced the cancellation of Championship Sunday, bringing the Atlantic Division's midway-point event to an early end.
SFC officials announced Saturday evening that offshore conditions had become unsafe for competition following a National Weather Service Small Craft Advisory that goes into effect at 2:00 AM local time Sunday morning through the evening.
The decision to cancel the final day was made out of concern for the safety of teams, crews and tournament staff.
“Safety is always our top priority, and based on the forecast and expected conditions, canceling Championship Sunday was the right decision for our teams, crews, and staff,” said Mark Neifeld, Commissioner and CEO of the Sport Fishing Championship. “While we would have loved to see the Carrier Cup decided on the water Sunday, the New Jersey Sea Birds earned this win with an incredible two-day performance. We are grateful to all of the incredible stakeholders in Charleston’s fishing and military communities for helping make the inaugural SFC Carrier Cup aboard the USS Yorktown a tremendous success. Charleston once again proved why it is one of the most exciting markets in professional fishing.”
With competition halted, the standings at the conclusion of Day 2 became official, securing the Sea Birds' first victory of the 2026 Atlantic Division season.
After entering Day 2 with a 900-point lead, The Flock added two more blue marlin releases and a sailfish on Saturday to finish with an overwhelming 1,875 points.
Their performance showcased exactly why blue marlin remain the most valuable species in SFC competition. Three blue marlin releases accounted for the vast majority of their scoring and helped create one of the largest winning margins seen in Atlantic Division competition this season.
The Sea Birds even overcame gyro stabilizer issues on their run offshore Saturday morning but never allowed the setback to affect their fishing performance.
South Florida Sails delivered one of the tournament's biggest moments on Saturday morning when Brantley Gwin released a blue marlin shortly after lines-in.
Combined with a pair of sailfish releases from Day 1 and another sailfish release from Paul Spencer on Saturday afternoon, the Sails finished the tournament in second place with 675 points.
East Coast Remix set the tone early in Charleston by becoming the first club to score during the tournament and remained near the top of the leaderboard throughout the weekend.
A Day 1 blue marlin release from Brent Feder helped propel Remix into contention, and the squad ultimately secured a third-place finish with 525 points.
One of the closest races in the field developed between Lights Out Boston and Rhode Island Breakers.
Lights Out produced one of the strongest sailfish performances of the event, recording six sailfish releases over two days to finish with 450 points.
Rhode Island Breakers, meanwhile, endured a difficult opening day before breaking through with their first blue marlin release of the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon. That blue brought the Breakers even on points with Lights Out, but the defending Atlantic Champions had Rhode Island on time.
New Jersey Sea Birds – 1,875 Points
South Florida Sails – 675 Points
East Coast Remix – 525 Points
Lights Out Boston – 450 Points
Rhode Island Breakers – 450 Points
South Carolina Outcast – 225 Points
North Carolina Flare – 150 Points
The Flock cap off a historic weekend by avenging their second place Atlantic Division finish in 2025.
The Sea Birds mount a furious rally to be within striking distance of their old rivals from 2025
The Flock cap off a historic weekend by avenging their second place Atlantic Division finish in 2025.
Lights Out Boston start hot in defense of their tournament win last year.
The Atlantic Division caps off its regular season in Ocean City
The Atlantic Division comes down to this final stop in Ocean City
