Rules are Subject to Change. Changes to the rules and final instructions will be announced at the mandatory Captain’s Meeting at 6pm Thursday, July 11th, 2012

1. Entry fee: $5,500 per boat (plus FL state sales tax) with early pre-paid registration discounts.

2. Entry fees must be paid in full to receive early registration discounts.

3. Refunds/Withdrawals prior to July 1st, 2012. Entry fees are refundable (less 20% for tournament expenses) prior to July 1. Notify Steve Arndt and allow two weeks for processing.

4. Entry fee includes six positions in the tournament which may be a combination of captain, crew and anglers, or all anglers. No fee for additional anglers.

5. All anglers and crew members must be registered prior to departure.

6. There is no limit to the number of participating boats in the 2012 Bay Point Invitational.

7. Tournament Committee reserves the right to reschedule the event in case of unfavorable weather.

8. Tournament Registration and Optional Entries will be at Bay Point Marina from 10am - 10pm Wednesday, July 11th.

9. Captains Meeting will be held at Bay Point Marina on Wednesday, July 11th at 6pm. Mandatory attendance by a team representative is required. Team representative must be either an Owner, Captain or registered angler who will be participating in the tournament onboard the boat. If team representative does not attend, boat will be disqualified.

10. Boats may leave on Thursday, July 12th from the following locations at the following times: Panama City Pass at 12 Noon CDT; Destin Pass, Perdido Pass and Biloxi at 5pm CDT.

11. Check out procedure from other designated departure ports:

    1. Bay Point – Boats will depart from Bay Point Marina at 11:30am for a flare start at the Panama City Jetties at 12 Noon CDT.

    2. Destin – Boats may depart from the Destin Pass no earlier than 5pm CDT. Boats must check out with Bay Point Departure on VHF channel 72 as they exit the pass. Bay Point Departure will confirm your departure on VHF channel 72, take a digital photograph of your boat, and log your departure time. If you must delay your departure time past 6pm, please contact Bay Point Departure at (850) 259-7317 to arrange a later departure time.

    3. Orange Beach – Boats may depart from Perdido Pass no earlier than 5pm CDT. Boats must check out with Bay Point Departure on VHF channel 72 as they exit the pass. Bay Point Departure will confirm your departure on VHF channel 72, take a digital photograph of your boat, and log your departure time. If you must delay your departure time past 6pm, please contact Bay Point Departure at (251) 550-5671 to arrange a later departure time.

    4. Biloxi – Boats may depart from Biloxi no earlier than 5pm CDT. Boats must check out with Bay Point Departure on VHF channel 72 as they exit. Bay Point Departure will confirm your departure on VHF channel 72, take a digital photograph of your boat, and log your departure time. If you must delay your departure time past 6pm, please contact Bay Point Departure at (850) 628-1740 to arrange a later departure time.

12. The tournament is a “can to can’t” format fishing up until weigh scales close on Saturday, July 14th.

13. Report boated Blue Marlin and exceptional catches of any eligible species to Steve Arndt at (850) 628-1740.

14. Weigh in at Bay Point Marina on Friday, July 13th from 6pm until 10pm and Saturday, July 14th from 6pm until 10pm. Boats having fish to weigh must be inside Daymarker 1 of the Bay Point Channel by 10pm Saturday, July 14th. Captains must check in with Bay Point Marina one hour from the Panama City Pass with a weigh in report and ETA.

15. Fish to be weighed must be brought to the dock on board the boat on which they were caught. Boats will be time stamped by tournament scorekeepers upon arrival at weigh in slip. Weigh in dock time stamp will be used in Tie Breaker.

16. The Tournament reserves the right to reject any fish due to poor condition or mutilation.

17. Fish weighed become property of the Tournament.

18. Fish are measured in pounds and recorded to two-tenths of a pound. In the event of a tie in weight, the first boat checked in by an official tournament scorekeeper at the weigh in slip wins.

19. The Weighmaster’s decision is final.

20. Eligible species:

    1. Blue Marlin, 101” minimum length as measured from tip of lower jaw to fork of tail (tape placed over body method).

    2. Swordfish. 50” minimum length as measured from tip of lower jaw to fork of tail (tape placed over body method).

    3. Tuna, 20 lb minimum weight

    4. Wahoo, 20 lb minimum weight.

    5. Dolphin, 20 lb minimum weight.

21. Optional Catch and Release Rules

    1. Only billfish caught and released according to these Rules are eligible for Optional Cash Awards. Eligible species are Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Sailfish and Spearfish. Swordfish are not eligible for Catch and Release Points.

    2. A billfish is considered officially caught and released when either the swivel hits the tip of the rod or the mate grabs the leader.

    3. Video verification is required for billfish to be eligible for competition. The video must show the billfish next to the boat, include the tournament designator, clearly identify the species as billfish, and record the official time of release by video verification of GPS. Video must be continuous from time of release to verification of GPS time.

    4. GPS time must be set to Central time and must be verifiable by judges on the video.

    5. Verification Videos must be turned in at the weigh-in dock on Saturday, July 14th between the hours of 6pm and closing of the scales.

    6. Anglers must submit video in DVD or digital format, or bring video camera and all necessary connection cables to allow display on a regular TV. Due to the speed with which digital videos may be viewed, digital media is strongly preferred.

    7. Catch and Release Points are awarded as follows:

       • 149 Points for confirmed released Blue Marlin

       • 99 Points for all other Billfish

    8. Billfish may not be removed from the water.

    9. No line class bonus points.

    10. Verification images become the property of the Tournament and may be used in future marketing campaigns.

    11. Catch and Release winners are determined by total points. In the event of a tie in points, the following shall apply:

        • The tie will be broken by the team which reached the total tied points level first, as verified by GPS time recorded on video at the time of tied release. In the event the same two teams tied previously on the same day, only the last tie will be considered to determine the winner.

        • In the event unforeseen circumstances result in a tie situation which cannot be broken, the Tournament optional cash awards will be divided equally between tied teams and all tied teams will be recognized as co-winners.

22. Tournament Cash Awards:

• Blue Marlin: 1st place. (101” minimum length), 40% of Tournament cash payout.

• Tuna: 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. (20 lb min), 15% of Tournament cash payout – Split 50/30/20.

• Wahoo: 1st, 2nd and 3rd place (20lb min), 15% of Tournament cash payout – Split 50/30/20.

• Dolphin: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place (20lb min), 15% of Tournament cash payout – Split 50/30/20.

• Swordfish: (50” minimum length), 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, 15% of Tournament cash payout – Split 50/30/20.

24. In the event no eligible fish are weighed in a specific category, the tournament cash awards assigned to that category will be added to the tournament cash awards of fish caught in all other categories in a proportional manner as determined by tournament committee.

25. Payment of tournament cash awards is by check. Checks will be mailed to recipients within ten days of completion of tournament. The tournament accepts no responsibility for the division of any cash awards, whether tournament awards or optional awards, between team members.

26. Optional Awards for Blue Marlin, Swordfish, Tuna, Wahoo and Dolphin are available:

1. Blue Marlin: $10,000, $5,000, $2,000, $1,000, $750, and $500 Categories

2. Tuna: $5,000, $2,000, $1,000, $750, $500, and $250 Categories

3. Wahoo: $5,000, $2,000, $1,000, $750, $500, and $250 Categories

4. Dolphin: $5,000, $2,000, $1,000, $750, $500, and $250 Categories

5. Swordfish: $5,000, $2,000, $1,000, $750, $500, and $250 Categories

6. Catch and Release: $5,000, $2,000, $1,000, $750, $500, and $250 Categories

7. Captain and Mate (Crew): $500 and $250 Categories

27. If there are only two qualifiers in any Optional Category, 60% of third place money will be added to first place and 40% to second place.

28. 10% of Optional Entry Fees collected are used to underwrite the cost of tournament activities. (90% payback).

29. Optional Cash Awards are paid according to tournament rules.

30. If no fish are weighed in an Optional Awards category 90% of funds collected will be returned by form of a check within two weeks.

31. Payment for Optional Entries must be in cash or single check (multiple checks not accepted).

32. Rulings made by the tournament committee are final in all disputes including (but not limited to) optional entries and tie-breaking decisions.

33. Anglers and crews must comply with all applicable State and Federal laws regarding fishing licenses, permits, size limits, bag limits or any other regulations which may apply.

34. Participants agree to compete in the spirit of IGFA Rules. Poor sportsmanship as determined by the Tournament Committee may be grounds for disqualification from this and all future tournaments hosted, by Bay Point Marina.

35. Protests must be presented in writing accompanied by $500 (non-refundable, cash or check) no later than 1 hour after the official closing of the tournament scales on Saturday, July 9th. In the event the Tournament Committee cannot render or refuses to render a final and binding decision with respect to any dispute under review, the matter shall be resolved by binding arbitration as decided by an arbitrator designated by the Tournament Committee. Such decision shall be final and will take place in Bay County Florida within 14 days of the conclusion of the tournament.

36. Participants agree to submit to polygraph examination. Failure to comply will result in disqualification from tournament and forfeiture of entry fees.

37. In consideration for being accepted by the Tournament Committee for participation in The Bay Point Invitational Billfish Tournament (“the Tournament”), Participants hereby release, forever discharge, and agree to hold harmless the Tournament, Tournament Committee, The St JOE Company, and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, volunteers, partners, members, and/or attorneys for any and all losses, claims, or demands of any kind whatsoever arising from the negligence or gross negligence of the Organizers or from any other cause connected with or occurring during the Tournament. The Participants expressly acknowledge that he/she has received, reviewed, and agrees to abide by the Tournament Rules and this Release. Furthermore, the Participants expressly acknowledge that activities relating to deep sea fishing are extremely dangerous and involve the risk of serious injury or death. Having so acknowledged, the Participants hereby assume full responsibility for the risk of bodily injury or death due to the negligence or gross negligence of the Organizers or any other cause connected with or occurring during the Tournament.