The morning of June 3, fishing boats began pulling into the Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, readying for the day ahead. As the sun rose behind the massive buildings along the New York City skyline, a layer of fog shrouded most of the view. However, one building standing tall above the rest was clearly visible: the Freedom Tower, formerly the site of the World Trade Center and now serving as a constant reminder and memorial of the lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Beach Haven resident Capt. Frank Crescitelli has a longstanding connection with NYC and Staten Island as well as the surrounding waters. He was fishing in New York Harbor that fateful morning. Watching as the devastating events unfolded, he radioed the U.S. Coast Guard and informed them of what he was witnessing and was met by a New Jersey State Police vessel. Crescitelli was ordered to stand guard at the entrance to Liberty Landing Marina at the landmark Colgate Clock. As people gathered on the piers across the harbor, ferries began shuttling those people to safety on Liberty Island.
Twenty-one years later, Crescitelli took the same route under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, past Lady Liberty and Ellis Island, on his way to the marina for the 21st annual Manhattan Cup Fishing Tournament.
Photo by Jack Reynolds. The NJ/NYC skyline.
Crescitelli started the Manhattan Cup in 1998, first as a way to help promote fishing conservation and pollution awareness for the waters surrounding NYC. After the 9/11 attacks, the tournament took on a new cause: He offered firefighters, first responders and police who had been involved a way to get out on the water and fish and help in a cleansing rehabilitation. The tri-state area’s longest-running inshore catch and release striped bass fishing tournament had a new purpose: helping those who helped others. In the years to follow as military veterans began returning home from war in the Middle East, its purpose shifted again.
“It was a ‘Catch 22,’” Crescitelli said. “We wanted to provide assistance and awareness to those veterans coming back from war, by getting them out fishing.”
The “22” served as a reminder of the number of veterans who commit suicide every day in the U.S. The transitional time for veterans returning from sustained combat, combat-related injuries and experiencing PTSD is an extremely delicate one. Finding purpose and duty in a new life beyond service can be difficult.
Sgt. Robert Gil, a former 19 Delta Calvary scout in the U.S. Army, is one such veteran who has seen the horror of war first hand. Gil grew up in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn and enlisted in the Army following 9/11. After completing high school in 2002, he began his training. Gil recalled, “Williamsburg was bad. People didn’t do outdoor stuff. I didn’t even know we had parks back then.”
Gil served for years, including two 15-month tours in Iraq. He was involved in long-range reconnaissance, targeting and capturing high-value targets, and the training of Iraqi police. While in Iraq on patrol, Gil encountered a suicide bomber driving a vehicle directly at his convoy. Stationed as a gunner on a Humvee, he was able to neutralize the threat approximately 25 yards from his vehicle, though the ensuing explosion caused a traumatic brain injury.
After returning to the States, Gil began treatment for his injuries. One therapy used for helping his cognitive and motor skills rehabilitation was learning to tie fishing flies. He was hooked immediately. Gil’s appreciation of this new hobby gave him renewed purpose.
Living in Newark, Gil was still struggling to figure out the next steps of his life when he met Crescitelli in 2011 at the Manhattan Cup after being invited by a friend who knew he could use a pick-me-up. Gil emotionally recalled one of his first encounters with Crescitelli. “He was the first guy to tell me it was going to be all right.” He continued, “Fishing and the Manhattan Cup literally saved my life.”
Road to Recovery
Takes to the Water
Gil discovered he could focus on something new and build a community and friendships among people with the same passion for fishing. This passion allowed Gil in 2019 to establish and become program lead for the Port Jervis, N.Y., chapter of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. The national program is “dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel through fly fishing and associated activities including education and outings.”
As program lead for the chapter, Gil presents monthly fly-tying and rod-building classes as well as fishing outings, helping countless veterans who were traveling his same path as a result of injuries and PTSD, encouraging those who cannot find the necessary socialization and aren’t able turn down the “background noise in their heads.”
He explained, “It’s there all the time, and there’s no way to get away from it. Finding a hobby and lifestyle helps calm it down,” reminding oneself “that’s who I am, but not who I have to be.”
Gil believes “fishing heals as a lifestyle; it’s not just a one-day event.”
Photo by Jack Reynolds. The veterans who participated in the Manhattan Cup.
This year the cup hosted 30 war veterans, its largest number to date. The boat captains who volunteer their boats and time are paired up with groups of veterans and lead them throughout the day in the quest of catching the biggest striped bass, fishing in three different categories: live bait, artificial and on a fly. Since it’s a catch and release tournament, the anglers measure the length and girth of their fish. The winners are determined for each category at the end of the day while the anglers and captains enjoy a dinner at the Liberty House, host location for the event.
Every participant in the event received a dry bag including gear and a shirt, as well as a box lunch sponsored by Blue Wave Boats and prepared at celebrity chef Tom Colicchio’s Wichcraft restaurant.
The Manhattan Cup was presented by Raymarine, with supporting sponsors Yamaha and the Recreational Fishing Alliance donating money and prizes for the auction held at the awards dinner. Also partnering were The Fisherman Magazine, editor Jim Hutchinson Jr. (originally from Barnegat) and Gray Fish Tag, which provided tags for the fish to allow tracking of locations and patterns of the migratory species.
Recently the Manhattan Cup was able to acquire two satellite tags that have provided research data for striped bass.
Crescitelli had the honor of pairing with some influential people in this year’s cup, three expert fly fishermen who also have a shared passion of food and literature. Colicchio is owner and chef of Crafted Hospitality in New York City, judge on the TV show “Top Chef” and author. Sam Sifton, with 20 years at The New York Times, is an author and restaurant critic for New York Times Magazine. Previously he served as a teacher in the New York City public schools and as a mate on the schooner Pioneer. Monte Burke, who has worked as a staff writer for Forbes for 15 years, is a New York Times bestselling author and dedicated fly fisherman. His Lords of the Fly is about the quest to hook the world-record tarpon on fly.
Also in attendance this year was Jim “Crash” Jensen, who played 12 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Previous participants in the Manhattan cup have been baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, NASA Astronaut and USCG Cmdr. Bruce Melnick as well as local NFL standout Clark Harris.
Crescitelli remarked, “These guys are hardcore fishermen, and their passion for their respective crafts parallels their passion for fishing.”
Sifton observed, “The kind of fishing we do is as analytical as any kind of writing, as precise as any kind of cooking, with an element of art thrown into the mix. Fishing is a kind of journalism.”
‘Irrepressible Force
For Good’
The tournament began in a running start near the base of the Statue of Liberty as the NYPD marine police escorted the boats to the Verrazano Bridge. Running his Blue Wave boat, Crescitelli skipped through the familiar waters of the harbor and bay on his way to his fishing spots, getting Colicchio, Burke and Sifton in place to start casting flies and landing some respectable fish.
Photo by Jack Reynolds. From Right: Tom Colicchio, Frank Crescitelli, Sam Sifton and Monte Burke.
Sifton called Crescitelli “an irrepressible force for good. His desire to help this fishery while helping others, while having the time of his life on the water, while making it possibly for others to have the time of their lives on the water – it’s something to admire and emulate.”
Fishing in the Manhattan Cup since 2009, Sifton has seen the ups and down when it comes to finding the right fish on the right day. A few years back the fish just weren’t cooperating on the day of the event. However, while cruising around they spotted a large school of black drum schooling on the surface. Black drum were not included in the tournament but fishing is fishing so they decided to try and hook one.
“We got in tight and I stabbed a 40-pounder on a Clouser fly on an 8- weight rod. We got it to the boat and Frank was as excited as if it had been a bass for the tournament win. It was one of my best days on the water ever,” Sifton recalled.
Burke began his fly-fishing career in Alabama at the age of 8, first for largemouth bass and trout. When he arrived in New York to pursue his writing career, he thought his fishing would have to come to an end until one day when working for Sports Afield he took a call. The voice on the other end of the line was Crescitelli, who asked, “Would anyone there like to fish the waters of NYC?” Burke’s eyes were opened to the amount of fish in the waters around the city.
Burke took that call and never looked back; his love for fishing didn’t have to end as he became friends with Crescitelli. “Frank was the first friend I made in NYC.” He now fishes for all species on the fly.
Early in his youth, Crescitelli heard stories of monster fish being caught off the beaches of Staten Island. He slowly acquired lures and gear, now having a garage full of rods and tackle and even his own branded fishing lures by Guide Secret. He recalls the opinions of people echoing around: no good fishing in NYC. Proving them wrong has led to his mission of running the Manhattan Cup, devoted to clean water, sustainable fisheries and helping veterans. Crescitelli said, “It’s a great awareness event. Veterans feel better for it, and people donating time feel better for it. It’s a win-win.”
The tournament holds a special place for Capt. John Raguso, a veteran charter captain and writer for The Fisherman Magazine among other publications. His son, Master Sgt. Christopher Raguso, served in the U.S. Air Force, a captain in the Fire Department of New York and was a hero and inspiration to everyone who crossed his path. Raguso and five other servicemen were lost when their helicopter crashed in Iraq in 2018. His father regularly attends the cup and donates his time for the cause in memory of his son.
“People like me who were privileged enough to avoid military service were, of course, afforded that privilege by the people whom the Manhattan Cup benefits,” Burke noted. “I am so grateful for the sacrifices they have made, and I intend to get more involved in things like the Manhattan Cup and Project Healing Waters in the future.”
In this year’s Cup highlights, angler John Gambardella grabbed the largest striped bass at 54.39 pounds with Capt. Guy Buono on the boat Krunch. His catch so happened to be the biggest bass on record for the Manhattan Cup. On top of the Warrior leaderboard was Richard Torres, snagging a 44.28-pound bass with Capt. Brian Rice aboard the Jersey Devil. Torres took the first-place honors and trophy in the veteran group for the second year in a row.
– Jack Reynolds
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