01/01/2026
From yesterday's Vineyard The Vineyard Gazette 2025 recap:
"The oldest anniversary celebration went to the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, which turned 80 years old this summer. The name has remained the same, although stripers have been off the derby list for many years due to declining numbers. Proof yet again, that traditions can bend but not break when given the proper love and care.
Sam Bell took the top prize, winning a new boat, but as any fisherman will tell you, the real prize is simply being a part of the derby community, one that relishes a collective fishing fever each fall that doesn’t let up until the final cast.
Maryanne Jerome, one of this year’s inductees into the derby hall of fame, put it best during her acceptance speech in which she referenced her husband Ed Jerome, a longtime derby president who died in 2018.
“[Ed] always stated that this tournament is more than just a fishing tournament and he was so right,” she said. “The journey teaches sportsmanship, a passion for the environment, teamwork, volunteering, giving back to your community, but most of all and most especially, spending cherished time with family and friends."
In summing up the year, Ms. Jerome’s words lifted up how community and goodwill are the heart of the human condition."
The Island was buffeted by winds from the south in 2025, fueled not by high and low pressure airflows matching wits along the jet stream, but launched from Washington by a new President set on making his mark near and far.
