For the uninitiated, the appeal of an angling and boating lifestyle is certainly understandable. Battling spirited gamefish or dropping anchor in a remote location is both exciting and magical. And when those pursuits take place in a beautiful tropical setting, the fun factor rises even more. Which is why a growing number of Grady-White owners convene every summer in a quiet anchorage off Puerto Rico’s Vieques Island. The 2024 edition set a new record of 77 Gradys rafted together for a weekend of camaraderie, charitable fundraising and community spirit. La Familia Grady-White Puerto Rico is a local collaboration of the brand’s owners. Bill Burleson and David Soler coordinated the raft-ups the first two years.
“It all started with a chat on our boating forum,” Burleson explains. “We came up with the idea of a get-together to raise money for charity, and it has definitely grown. We raised just over $25,000 the first year to support cancer patients and just under $48,000 the second year, which helped secure a mammogram machine for the island’s residents. The events also have a huge local economic impact: an estimated $250,000 the past three years. But most of all, it’s become a real family affair. We respect the environment and stay away from the sea turtle nesting areas. On Sunday before we depart, the group collects trash along the beach so that we leave it better than we found it. We want to have a positive impact on the island community.”
Soler is also motivated by the purpose-driven aspect of the annual rendezvous. “These serve to strengthen the ties of family and community,” he adds. “We are teaching the younger generations the values of preserving our natural resources and protecting our little pieces of heaven. For 2025, I hope we can do something different to make a statement, like having some Grady owners from Miami run across to Puerto Rico on their own bottoms to join us.”
The charitable focus shifted this past year to support two local food banks that provide meals for families with food insecurities says this year’s coordinator Victor Camilo. With a few more donations coming in at year end, approximately $25,000 was given to these charities. Puerto Rico’s longtime Grady-White dealer, Boat Management Corp. in Fajardo, also provides logistical support for the group and promotional items for fundraising. Jose Rodriquez is the dealership vice president, while Aurora Montes is the administrative assistant who works closely with the club planners.
“I took Bill and David’s lead and tried to take it to the next level,” Camilo says. He owns a Sailfish 282 with twin Yamaha F250 outboards that he uses to visit different beaches in Puerto Rico and the nearby British and US Virgin Islands.
“The club isn’t just friends; it’s like a family,” he adds. “We coordinate with each other to do different things with our boats and have fun. We also share boating tips and ideas specific to our Grady-White boats. Through raffles at the raft-up and donations to two different foundations, we were able to help provide 1,000 people with meals each day.”
Benevolence and beach cleanups aside, fishing is a primary focus for several La Familia club members, as you’d expect in such a target-rich location. Burleson will tangle with billfish when they’re around, but his real passion is wahoo. From his Fajardo base, he often runs to the seamounts off the southeast end of the island aboard his Express 370. Mid-September through the end of February is the prime season for that 35-mile jaunt. The mounts rise to 220 feet, with the surrounding drops plummeting to nearly 4,000 feet. Shallower banks just 17 miles out are another prime wahoo spot. The deep drop off the island’s northern side also produces big wahoo—up to 100-plus pounds—in February. Sailfish and marlin are common as well. Burleson typically pulls four lines—two flat and two weighted or on planers—at 7 to 8 knots, dragging purple and black Islander-skirted ballyhoo. Yellowfin tuna are a frequent bycatch. “When wahoo want to feed, they’ll eat anything,” he says.
Jose An Diaz, another key committee member, is also a dedicated angler, fishing from his Canyon 376 center-console. He trolls four light-tackle outfits for mahi and wahoo (“something we can eat”) and competes in a couple of club billfish tournaments every season.
“I mostly use rigged ballyhoo, but live bait is best if it’s available,” he says. “It’s like offering steak versus chicken.”
So whatever the boating pleasure—relaxing with friends on the hook or playing tug-of-war with speed demons—La Familia Grady-White does it all while helping others.
