Suzuki GB’s Pro Fishing team, led by brand ambassador Will Parkinson, has won the inaugural Sea Angling Classic fishing competition that recently took place on the Solent.

 

The event, based in Portsmouth, had a festival feel over a total of five days with the actual angling competition taking place over two days and involving over 60 boats. During the competition over 1,000 fish were caught measuring over 763 metres. The Suzuki Pro Fishing Team, aboard Will’s Suzuki-powered Smartfish 25 boat, won the competition by just 15cm!

 

The team was made up of David Lonnie, Aaron Barrett and Graham Paisley with Will as team Captain and Skipper. Out of their winnings, the team will be donating £2,000 to the Fire Fighters Charity and will be competing as a foursome in future competitions to hopefully raise even more money for the Charity.

 

Will is a serving firefighter and has spent 17 years serving in the UK Fire Service, where he also uses his passion for fishing to raise awareness and funds for The Fire Fighters Charity. 

 

The Charity supports the mental health, physical health and social welfare of all serving and retired fire and rescue personnel in the UK, as well as their families, both in person at three residential centres around the country and remotely through online support. Whether it’s work-related stress, a change in family dynamics or just the long-term wear and tear on their bodies, all members of the UK’s fire family are eligible for support from the Charity.

 

Will himself has benefited from the Charity’s help, having received psychological support when major surgery led him to experiencing tough times with his own mental health. Now he uses his awareness of mental health and passion for the sea to give something back to the Charity that, he says, saved his life.

 

Commenting on the competition win, Will said, “It’s still sinking in, but what an epic few days it has been! Using my passion for fishing and winning a competition cash prize is the perfect scenario for me as it enables me to raise awareness of the Fire Fighters Charity and to give something back by way of a donation. I must say that without the support of my brand partners such as Suzuki, this would not have been possible. They have provided us with the perfect outboard for fishing. The it is incredibly high-performing, which enables us to get to the best fishing grounds quickly. Yet it is incredibly quiet and fuel-efficient.”

 

Will’s Smartfish 25 boat is powered by a single Suzuki DF300B four stroke outboard, which has a maximum output of 300hp and features many of Suzuki’s world-renowned advanced technologies, which include:

 

•  Suzuki’s unique Dual Prop System, which efficiently converts engine output into forward thrust by combining two contra-rotating propellers.
• 2-Stage Gear Reduction, in which the gear ratio is first reduced in between the crankshaft and the driveshaft (1st stage reduction), and then reduced again within the gear case (2nd stage reduction), to deliver powerful propulsion by rotating large diameter propellers that have high thrust efficiency.
• Compact, 4,390cm³ four-stroke V6 engine with Lean Burn Fuel Technology that predicts fuel needs according to operating conditions, then delivers the optimum fuel/air mixture to the engine resulting in greater fuel economy.

 

The main benefit of combining the highly-efficient contra-rotating propellers and a compact 2-Stage Gear Reduction, is that it is able to deliver high propulsion power, meaning the DF300B can be rigged onto heavier boats.

 

Mark Beeley, Suzuki GB’s Head of Marine & ATV, said, “We’re really pleased for Will and the team in getting the win but even more pleased that it has resulted in a considerable donation for the Fire Fighters Charity. This is the first major fishing tournament that Will has competed in whilst representing Suzuki and we hope there will be many more as it is a massively popular sport.”