Fishing has always been a favorite pastime of Americans. In fact, nearly twice as many people fish than play golf. According to the U.S. Wildlife Service Report, 44 million people over the age of six go fishing. That’s one out of every five Americans.
Like many people living near the water, Kenneth Kirkeby grew up fishing and working on boats. His father was a fanatical fisherman who took him on one adventure after another. “I remember my father telling me a story about hooking a blue marlin that charged the boat and stuck a few inches of his bill in the transom. It broke off and stayed in! Crazy things always happened on the water,” said Kirkeby who authored his own tale about fishing, The Tournament.
Whether you’re an Old Salt with a room full of mounted catches or if you relish the tales of ‘the big one that got away,’ The Tournament puts you right in the thick of the action of a deep sea fishing tournament. But there’s more drama to this story than reeling in the biggest marlin.
Kirkeby’s storytelling captures the lure of the ocean, the privileged world of yachtsmen and the thrill of falling in love for the first time. Any man who has ever questioned if he’s really become the man he wants to be, or who still clings to the fantasy of his first love will see pieces of himself in The Tournament main character, Jim Nielsen.
The backdrop is the late 1970’s. Jim is a Vietnam Veteran with a haunting past. He grew up in a world where men made their livings and lost their lives at the helm of a boat. After serving in Vietnam, he makes a name for himself on Wall Street. But financial success isn’t enough to fill the voids of his empty life. Disenchanted, he heads to the Bahamas for a fishing tournament at a client’s request. Much to his surprise, his love of fishing isn’t the only thing that resurfaces—so does his first true love; with her husband in tow.
In a quest to win the tournament, Jim also faces a much more daunting challenge—can he win back the love of his life? Out on the open water, Jim realizes this deep sea tourney is about more than catching the biggest fish. Will he walk away a winner on all fronts?
With descriptions so vivid that you can practically taste the salt air, The Tournament weaves a compelling story that highlights the struggles of the human soul. Whether you’re an Old Salt whose arms, hands and shoulders have been brutalized by the strength and power of a Blue Marlin as it thrashes, bucks and fights on the line; or if you’re a land-hugger who’s never even set foot on a boat, you’ll find yourself caught up in the storyline.
