The smell of barbecue filled the air on Sunday as kids and adults celebrated this year’s Fluke for Luke Fishing Tournament. The two-day event wrapped up with a cookout and award ceremony outside the Portuguese American Club in Oak Bluffs.
The tournament was started in honor of Luke Gurney, a fisherman who died in a boating accident in June of 2016. This year was the 10-year anniversary of Mr. Gurney’s death and the ninth annual Fluke for Luke tournament.
Participants wearing Fluke for Luke merchandise lined up to get their catch weighed in, while fishermen shucked fresh oysters at the raw bar nearby. Other attendees sipped beer out of customized cans from Offshore Ale Company, designed by Mr. Gurney’s oldest son Jacob. The cans were wrapped in bright orange with a portrait of Mr. Gurney’s face and a seagull flying above his boat, named No Regrets, on the front.
Robyn Gurney, Luke’s widow, was full of gratitude as she reflected on the support their family has received over the past 10 years.
“All of our family and friends come together,” she said. “It’s our community and our group of people, our tribe that has wrapped around us for the last 10 years, which is incredible. I could never imagine this would become what it is.”
The money raised from the tournament was originally used to help Mr. Gurney’s two sons, Sam and Jacob, pay for college, but as of last year’s event enough money was raised for both of their tuitions. This year, the family decided to pivot and give back to the community that has supported them.
Ms. Gurney said the Luke Gurney Foundation, a nonprofit focused on helping Islanders, was approved last week. Moving forward, all proceeds from the Fluke for Luke tournament will be put towards the foundation.
“Our goal is to give back to the community and the people who have blessed us 10 times over,” she said.
The tournament included five categories: Adult Fluke, Adult Sea Bass, Adult Teams, Junior Fluke and Junior Sea Bass. Ms. Gurney said the juniors are her favorite part of the event.
“Seeing the little kids come up and just seeing that love of fishing grow, that’s huge,” she said. “I love to see that, because fishing in our family has been something my kids have always done, and it’s been an outlet for them.”
John Custer echoed a similar sentiment.
“Luke loved fishing. He was an incredible fisherman himself, but he loved seeing kids catch fish,” Mr. Custer said. “Whether they were his own sons or others. He loved fishing, and he loved introducing others to fishing, so the fact that there’s so many kids here and families... that’s a piece of what makes it so special because Luke would have loved that.”
Mr. Custer was in charge of weighing in the fish from the 290 registrants this year. He said the number of participants has stayed relatively consistent throughout the years.
“It’s not lost on us that this is the ninth year we’ve done it,” he said. “Some things don’t last nine years, and that’s a testament to how much people loved Luke and love his family. They are still as willing to give their time or money nine years later as they were in year one. We don’t take that for granted.”
Luke Gurney’s parents, Linda and John Gurney, enjoyed the barbecue with their 57-year-old pet parrot Jeremiah. As the parents shared memories of Luke, they reflected on his qualities that continue to live on through the event.
“Over the years, I’ve heard all new stories about my son that I’ve never heard before. And it still happens.... Here this is, 10 years later, and it’s still going strong,” John Gurney said.
Luke’s youngest son Sam traveled from Tennessee to help celebrate his father’s legacy. He said he looks forward all year long to the gathering of family and friends.
“Every single year, every person I’ve talked to who has known my dad has some sort of story about him,” Sam said. “I love hearing that stuff. It’s been a decade, and my dad lived an unbelievable life. He really did, and so many people have so many crazy stories about him that make us laugh and cry, or whatever it may be. It’s fantastic.”
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