RLA to be featured at Bisbee’s Black and Blue -  Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Reel Life Adventures will be a featured charity at the 31st Annual Bisbee's Black & Blue Marlin Tournament from October 18-22. The Black & Blue is the richest event in sport fishing, with more than $51 million awarded in prize money in its three-decade history.  In fact, the largest individual payout in sport fishing history of $3,902,997.50  was awarded to the captain and crew of Bad Company 55 in 2006.

Tournament director, Wayne Bisbee, has been volunteering on RLA’s Advisory Board for the past 2 years and has graciously planned to host a silent auction to benefit our efforts.  Individuals and companies, including many of our wonderful sponsors, have joined together in support of this opportunity and have donated some fantastic items to be auctioned.

Immediately following the tournament, 15 RLA volunteers will arrive in Cabo with loads of supplies to spend a week working alongside Mexican Medical.  The team will spend several days working on light construction projects and assisting with medical clinics for impoverished families around the Southern Baja.  As the week draws to a close, the team will enjoy a day of some of the finest blue water fishing the world has to offer!  Stay tuned for pics and a full report on the trip in our next newsletter…

The summer months brought an array of tournament action, and the Reel Life Adventures team of volunteers enjoyed being with friends and getting involved in the excitement at a variety of venues.  Our sincere thanks goes out to the tournament directors and hosts for allowing us to be involved!

White Hot Bite at the Int’l Billfish Shootout -  Cap Cana, Dominican Republic

In addition to the incredible bite, the Shootout is also generous in giving back to the local community.  We greatly appreciate tournament director Rick Alvarez and Cap Cana Marina host Andy New for their continued support of Reel Life Adventures.  A portion of  tournament proceeds are donated to RLA allowing us to assist Dominican orphans, as RLA uses 100% of these funds to support the work of our local partner, “(un)adopted.”  Providing desperately needed skills and education to children raised in orphanages, (un)adopted focuses on preparing older orphans to successfully transition out of the orphanage.  All too often, orphanages struggle just to provide basic education, supervision, food and medical care for their children.  Due to overcrowding, children “age out” while lacking the necessary knowledge and skills to provide for themselves.  Currently in the Dominican, orphans “age out” at 14, and these young teens are frequently unprepared.  Sadly, statistics tell us that around 90% of these children end up in the sex trade or prison due to their inability to make this transition at such a young age.  From family planning to apprenticeships with local businesses, these children are given a much better chance in life because of the wonderful work of (un)adopted.  For more info, visit www.(un)adopted.org.  

Special thanks also goes out to our good friends at the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club based out of Orange Beach, AL and Shawna Meisner, tournament director of the Emerald Coast Classic of Destin, FL for allowing us to set up our event booth at their outstanding tournaments.  Both of these events are extremely well run, and it is an honor for us to play a part in the festivities. 

Trip Leaders, Allison and Hunt Treadwell

Our initial Adventure Trip to Peru was an incredible, eye-opening experience!  As we arrived in Iquitos, Peru, we were greeted by an abandoned jumbo jet decaying on the side of the runway where we deplaned. This was the first of many firsts that we would experience on this life-changing adventure.  Our destination was Puerto Alegria, a sanctuary for street boys, located deep in the Amazon rainforest about an hour boat ride up the Itaya River from Iquitos, Peru.  The Puerto Alegria orphanage houses around 40 boys between the ages of 5 and 16 years old. 

Most were either abandoned by their parents or taken from their homes due to an abusive environment.  Puerto Alegria strives to meet the basic physical and spiritual needs of the boys by providing housing, food, and clothing as well as teaching them the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a safe and loving environment.                 

From the moment we stepped off the humble panga used to transport our team to the orphanage, it was amazing to see smiles on all of the boys’ faces.  Amidst all the challenges and heartache life has dealt them, they still seemed happy and full of joy.  What an honor it was to be part of a team called to serve these precious children of God!  We were able to assist them by finishing out several thatched roof huts to house future short-term teams similar to ours.  On a typical day, we would spend 2/3 of the day working on the huts and the rest having meals with the boys or playing games with them.  Our afternoons were filled with laughter, as we catapulted the boys off the dock into the river, played soccer, and followed the boys on incredible jungle hikes.  Each day ended with a dip in the river to cool down and clean up. 

In addition, professional fisherman Steve Wisdom of Birmingham, AL, arranged for his sponsors, Zebco and Vicious Fishing, to donate 10 rod and reel combos for us to take to the orphanage.  It was certainly a pleasure to introduce many of the boys to fishing with a rod and reel for the first time!   We are very appreciative to have the involvement of fine companies like Zebco and Vicious Fishing supporting our efforts to provide assistance to these precious children!

Our trip was capped off in typical fashion by a two day Amazon River fishing excursion at Otorongo Jungle Lodge, a first class eco-tourist destination located about 2 1/2 hours by boat down the Amazon River from Iquitos.  We were accompanied by three of the older boys from Puerto Alegria, who had recently moved into the city of Iquitos to work and study.  Taking the young men fishing with us was a great opportunity to see the fruit that Puerto Alegria was helping cultivate in their lives.  The fishing grounds were Oxbow Lakes off the main channel of the Amazon River and our target species were Peacock Bass, Arowana, Pacu and Piranha.  The local guides literally lived in thatch huts on the shores of the lake, and they took us out in handmade canoes to some of the most pristine waters I have ever seen.  As we fished down the bank, monkeys would sing and dance from tree to tree.  We caught all the Piranha we wanted with several trophy Arowana and a few Peacock Bass mixed in.   The time we spent on the lake with the boys was monumental, as it was likely the first time many of them fished recreationally and not out of necessity.    

Looking back on the trip, we received far more than we gave and were blessed with an experience that we will never forget.  It was truly amazing to feel the Lord soften our hearts and fill us with so much love for these kids in short a short period of time.  It was also an incredible opportunity to unite two passions of our heart, providing love and assistance to orphans and adventure sport fishing.  Now we are left counting down the days until we can return to see all of our newfound friends at the Puerto Alegria orphanage!

Marlin U Guatemala-  Reporting The Results 

Earlier this year, the good folks at Marlin University donated an incredible trip to Marlin U Guatemala to help raise support for our efforts.  We left off where Tony Krembs of Naples, FL was announced the lucky winner, and RLA was able to generate $6,000 to assist impoverished Guatemalan children and families.  Now let’s take a look and see what happened to Tony as well as that $6,000…

Meeting the Extreme Need

Volunteers at Reel Life Adventures put a great deal of time and effort into carefully planning how these funds could be used to bring about the most good.  In our first project, we aligned with Sharron Schaffer and “Threads of Redemption” by investing $2,000 for the purchase of sewing machines and equipment to be used in teaching young Guatemalan women to sew.  Sharron recently partnered with an orphanage called Casa Para Ninos Aleluya and is providing them with several new machines.  In learning this new skill, these women are given an opportunity to transition into society and make a life for themselves by making clothes and working as seamstresses.  Sharron is committed to using her sewing skills to help lift families out of poverty and difficult circumstances by giving them a chance to make a living and provide for themselves.  Seeing the success of her work encourages Sharron and her team to continue the fight to provide the women of Guatemala not only an opportunity, but a true hope and a future!   

In our second project, we partnered with Impacto to deliver $3,000 of supplies to the impoverished village of El Morro.  This area suffered from an extensive drought during the late fall, winter and spring months, and children are dying from starvation and lack of clean water.  At the time we learned about them, the area had begun to experience a crisis from the opposite end of the spectrum.  The rain that was so badly needed now came in droves, and seasonal flooding began to occur.  The funding we were able to provide enabled them to take two large truck loads of food into the devastated village and disperse supplies directly to those who needed it the most.   

          In our third project, we provided Impacto with $1,000 to pay for the majority of materials needed for American volunteer teams to work alongside locals to build a single mother living in the Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala adequate shelter for a home.

Reel Life Adventures will continue to monitor and follow up on all three projects, and look forward to keeping everyone updated with stories of success and accomplishment.  Our next trip to Guatemala is planned for the spring, and everyone is invited to come and see first-hand exactly how Marlin University has helped make a lasting difference in the lives of many people! 

Thanks again to Dave Farrell and Barbara Lehner of Marlin U for making this possible, as well as everyone who participated in the drawing.  Together, we are fighting fish for a cause! 

Marlin U Guatemala-  Reporting The Results 

Earlier this year, the good folks at Marlin University donated an incredible trip to Marlin U Guatemala to help raise support for our efforts.  We left off where Tony Krembs of Naples, FL was announced the lucky winner, and RLA was able to generate $6,000 to assist impoverished Guatemalan children and families.  Now let’s take a look and see what happened to Tony as well as that $6,000…

The Extreme Fishing

Winning the trip of a lifetime turned out to be just that for Naples, FL resident Tony Krembs.  Having never fished for billfish before, Tony entered our drawing early this year for a free trip to Marlin University Guatemala.  

When asked about the trip, “It was truly amazing,” Tony replied.  “It was extremely well organized with top-notch service from the time we stepped off the plane.  Definitely an incredible experience!”

The 12 students enjoyed a week of fishing with legends such as Dave Ferrell, Peter Wright, Ron Hamlin and others.  Not only did Tony and the other participants catch multiple sailfish, but a mixed bag of powerful blue marlin, large tuna and dolphin were landed as well.   

“The instructors were fantastic- very dedicated to each of us,” Krembs recounts.  “They got just as excited as we did when we’d hook up with a fish.”

Accommodations were provided by Casa Vieja Lodge, and Krembs was a big fan.  “The food was excellent and our surroundings were amazing.  The natural environment with the volcanoes and mountains in the distance were gorgeous.  I would definitely recommend this trip and Marlin University to others and hope to someday do it again.”

Click here to see a video from Marlin University Guatemala.