When is Opening Day for the Sharks? And Other 2013 Events on Martha's Vineyard

Here are the dates to mark on your calendar for Martha's Vineyard in 2013 — including the opening of the MV Sharks baseball season, the 4th of July parade and fireworks, Illumination Night and the Agricultural Fair.

What's happening on Martha's Vineyard in 2013? Plenty! Here's a round-up of dates to remember for the months ahead. If you have something we should add, please tell us in the comments: Is there something we missed or got wrong? Do you have an event to add? Leave a comment below, and make sure you've posted your event in our calendar for all to see. It's a free service and Facebook login is available. Stay Patched in all year long! Follow Martha's Vineyard Patch on Twitter | Like Martha's Vineyard Patch on Facebook | Sign up for the daily email with links to the latest news | Got something to say? Start a blog and share your views.

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Louisa Hufstader

11:21 am on Friday, March 15, 2013

Just added several more events to this list. Please don't forget to post your MV events in our free calendar at marthasvineyard.patch.com/events/new. You will be glad you did!   more ›

Storm Damage, Marijuana, Sharks: Oak Bluffs Voters Face 2 Town Meetings

Should the Monster Shark Fishing Tournament be catch and release? Does Oak Bluffs need a year-long moratorium on pot dispensaries? A special town meeting and the annual town meeting take place Tuesday night at 7 at the high school.

In a special town meeting Tuesday evening, the town of Oak Bluffs is asking voters to approve nearly $121,000 for repairs and redesigns following damage by Hurricane Sandy and this year's February blizzard: The third article on the special town meeting warrant requests $426,000 to establish a town-owned fuel facility on the harbor. Immediately after the special town meeting, required because it seeks to spend money in 2013, Oak Bluffs holds its annual town meeting with a 22-article warrant. Both Oak Bluffs town meeting warrants, with appendices, are attached to this post. As in Edgartown, which also holds its annual town meeting Tuesday, Oak Bluffs voters are considering a year-long moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries: It's …

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Shark Tournament's James Meets with Oak Bluffs Board

Monster Shark Fishing Tournament organizer Steve James answered Oak Bluffs' selectmen's questions abut his event in detail and at length during a special public meeting Thursday afternoon.

Why did it take till Thursday for Steve James to meet the Oak Bluffs Board of Selectmen, when he's been holding his Monster Shark Fishing Tournament in the town for years? "It’s the first time I’ve been invited to a selectman’s meeting in seven years," James said at the outset of the special meeting, which drew about two dozen audience members and a handful of Island media. Oak Bluffs resident Sam Low was there and contributed his notes in comments on an earlier article. An augmented version of Low's account follows below; please watch our videos to see and hear Steve James and Oak Bluffs Harbormaster Todd Alexander in their own words.  Selectmen Walter Vail and Gail Barmakian questioned James about the purpose of the event: Is it to …

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"Monster Shark" Tournament Bites, Novelist Says

The Monster Shark Fishing Tournament draws thousands of fans to the Oak Bluffs waterfront. It's also drawn sharp criticism from foes including Martha's Vineyard Patch blogger Michael West, who's publishing a serial murder mystery about the tourney.

It's no secret that Michael West detests the Monster Shark Fishing Tournament. The only reason you don't hear him opposing it at the Oak Bluffs municipal meetings he attends is that he lives in a different Island town. But West is outspoken against the tournament in other forums including his Martha's Vineyard Patch blog and comments on articles like this one. And recently, West has waded into the fray from a literary shore with his serial novel Xoc (Pronounced Shok), Or the White Shark and the Sea Dogs: An Historical Encounter. Published online in semiweekly installments, Xoc (for short) is a briskly-paced murder mystery whose narrator Sam ("Call me Samuel," reads the novel's first line, in a nod to Melville's Moby-Dick) washes ashore in …

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Louisa Hufstader

3:25 pm on Friday, April 5, 2013

Here's a mash-up of Sam's and my notes from the meeting, with a couple of video snippets of Steve James and Todd Alexander, the harbormaster. http://patch.com/A-3zpz   more ›

Oak Bluffs Demands Meeting with "Monster Shark" Chief

If Steven James wants a permit for his Monster Shark Fishing Tournament this year, he’ll have to meet with town officials within the next two weeks, Oak Bluffs selectmen ruled Tuesday.

The man behind the annual Monster Shark Fishing Tournament was not present Tuesday evening when the Oak Bluffs Board of Selectmen was asked to approve his special event permit application for the 2013 tourney, and that didn’t sit well with board chair Kathleen Burton. “I am personally inclined to postpone (approval) until the applicant is here,” Burton said. At Tuesday’s meeting, selectmen said they had a number of questions for Steven James of the Boston Big Game Fishing Club, the event's organizer. Among their concerns were the use of town property for weighing sharks and selling merchandise, and crowd control. "Unchecked abuse" John Breckenridge, who chairs the town’s harbor advisory committee, said that while his group was careful not …

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Louisa Hufstader

11:57 am on Wednesday, April 3, 2013

We have an update on this story: http://marthasvineyard.patch.com/articles/shark-tourney-chief-to-meet-with-oak-bluffs-selectmen I'll be there to report.   more ›

Fishing in the Off-Season

Our expert knows what to catch in the chilly winter months. Do you have fishing photos and/or tips for Island anglers? Share them here.

One of the many things I've discerned in the decade I've been toiling as a professional fishing guide is that folks love to pick the brains of people in my vocation. Maybe it's because of our romantically maverick lifestyles, or our dark suntans and the rugged charm we exude. Maybe people just want to know where the fish are. I'm really not sure. Either way, one of the most common inquiries I field outside of the omnipresent "How deep is it here?" and "Do you ever see sharks?" is "Do you fish for fun?" One look at my haggered pick-up or dumpy apartment should lead to the conclusion that I'm not in this for the money, so, yes, I fish for fun! Like the lion's share of Vineyard businesses, the sport-fishing racket is limited due to the …

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Daily Derby Results: Week Four Weekly Leaders

Look who came in on top in the fourth week of the ongoing Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby

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Daily Derby Results: Week Three Weekly Leaders

Look who came in on top in the third week of the ongoing Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby

Weekly Leaders (9/23/2012 - 9/29/2012) Badge # Name Fish # Date Weight All Tackle Boat Bonito 1102 Patrick T. Jenkinson 11238 9/25/2012 9:07:45 PM   8.65 lbs. All Tackle Shore Bonito 1041 Jared Stobie 11124 9/24/2012 8:08:37 PM   6.94 lbs. All Tackle Boat Bluefish 1122 David C. Kadison 11315 9/27/2012 8:30:43 PM   15.51 lbs. All Tackle Shore Bluefish 1143 Donald R. Sicard 11103 9/24/2012 8:11:23 AM   12.42 lbs. All Tackle Boat Striped Bass 0924 John Ready 11050 9/23/2012 8:12:27 PM   28.40 lbs. All Tackle Shore Striped Bass 0230 Morgan T. Taylor 11022 9/23/2012 8:50:06 AM   31.42 lbs. All Tackle Boat False Albacore 0429 Holly J. Mercier 11196 9/25/2012 8:02:40 PM   12.35 lbs. All Tackle Shore False Albacore 2533 Scott W. Werner 11359 9/28/…

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Daily Derby Results: Week Two Weekly Leaders

Look who came in on top in the second week of the ongoing Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby

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