Reel Tight

80-foot Merritt
Our premier edition depicts the utility, fish-ability and sheer luxury of Reel Tight, an 80-foot Merritt owned by Jim Lambert and skippered by Captain Eddie Herbert with crew Joe Fiegile, Eric Leech and Robert Navarra.

Only hours after taking delivery, Captain Eddie Herbert pointed the bow of the Reel Tight directly for the Bahamas on her maiden voyage. A short stint in the islands and a quick trip back to the manufacturer in Pompano Beach, Florida, to tie up some loose ends, and it was straight to St. Thomas. After waiting nearly 18 months for completion, her owner, thrilled with his previous 65-foot Merritt, was anxious to see how his new love would perform where it meant the most: on the battlefield.

Now five years later, Reel Tight has crisscrossed oceans and tacked 10,000 hours in her global search for blue marlin. Strategically designed for the sole purpose of long-range exploration and self-sustainability, her crew of four follows the blues – anywhere, any time. Carrying 3,800 gallons of diesel and 600 gallons of fresh water, Reel Tight’s expeditions often take her on non-stop thousand-mile journeys. Over 50 cubic feet of freezer space provide enough gourmet cuisine for extended six-month voyages. Thus far in her illustrious career, she’s complimented the coastline at billfishing Meccas across Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Bermuda, the entire Caribbean and beyond.

With breakneck speeds, she swiftly flies across uncharted depths while pampering her owner and guests in luxurious accommodations. Five manicured staterooms, three full baths, a state-of-the-art entertainment system with six televisions, and a sub-zero galley – all are just the beginning of a long list of amenities that appoint her exquisite interior.

Her meticulous engine room not only propels her sexy lines at more than 35 knots, it generates up to 4,000 gallons of fresh water and 600 pounds of ice per day. A pair of 40kw gensets produces nearly enough electricity to power a small city.

When it comes to being well equipped, Reel Tight is unrivaled. Her fully air-conditioned bridge keeps the skipper comfortable and alert. The computerized command center features multiple radar systems capable of picking off a single frigate 10 miles away. Onboard weather, MaxSea three-dimensional charting, multiple global positioning systems and three satellite communication networks provide Captain Herbert with the most technologically advanced equipment in existence.

But make no mistake about it. Reel Tight was designed to fish, and she fishes hard. Her air-conditioned cockpit glistens with shimmering teak guarded by a full arsenal of worked 80s. The dedicated crew is comprised of some of the finest billfishermen in the world. Anyone who’s witnessed a busy cockpit can appreciate the magical choreography required to release 11 blues in a single day. In 2006, Reel Tight officially released 126 blue marlin, dozens of incidental whites and literally hundreds of sailfish. Fishing over 250 days a year, she spends most of her time plying the Virgin Islands. While no longer an active tournament competitor, if there is an event in town and Reel Tight enters, you might as well stay home.

From any direction, Reel Tight’s elegant silhouette is the epitome of pure big-game perfection, both feared and desired by all who lay eyes on her.

(Yachts depicted are not gratuities reviews or in any way an exchange for advertising considerations).