Captain Gene Becker has a long history to live up to…..his grandfather, Rocky Becker started the Tampa Fishing Cruises back in the late 1940's, with the TAMPA, a single-screw, converted sub chaser from World War II. In the early 1950's, the Tampa II was a single-screw Gilligan-type 56' boat. In 1960 Capt. Gene's father Victor, and grandfather Rocky built the Tampa III, a triple-screw wood 75 ft. party fishing boat.
In 1969 the Tampa III sank when it was hit on a foggy day by a ship near Ambrose Tower. Unfortunately there was one fatality, the rest were rescued by the crew and the U.S. Coast Guard.
In 1970, the Tampa IV was built. It was a 120' steel, triple-screw, equipped with side sonar and the best electronics for that time, enabling the captains to find wrecks that are well-known today. They specialized in offshore tile fishing at the Hudson canyon. The Tampa IV was sold, and is now a dinner boat in the Boston area.
The Tampa V was built
in 1973. A super fast, aluminum 90' monster, it now sails out of Texas to
fish the offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
As of 1999 the Tampa V is
now the party boat Miss Belmar Princess which sails out of Belmar,
NJ.
In 1976, Rocky Becker built the Tampa VI, which was the "Queen of New York". The Tampa VI was a 125', state-of-the-art, aluminum monster that could cruise to the fishing grounds at 25 knots. It is still regarded as one of the finest party boats ever built and run on the East Coast.
Captain Rocky passed away in 1979. Victor Becker ran the Tampa VI as a fishing vessel until 1986, when he decided to start a new business venture, VIP Yacht Cruises, based out of Manhattan. He now currently owns and operates three dinner cruise vessels, the Royal Princess, Excalibur, and Rendezvous.
In 1989 the Tampa VI was sold and is now used in the Galapagos Islands as a dive boat. With a lineage like that, it's easy to see why Captain Gene has taken the helm of the Tampa VII.
The 60' Tampa VII,
formerly the Windy VI, is the ideal charter boat. It's, size and speed,
make it an exceptional platform to fish from. In order to appreciate the hard
work that Gene and his crew put into maintaining the tip-top condition of the
Tampa VII, please feel free to stop down Belmar Marina in Belmar NJ to
meet Gene, and to tour the boat. A great time to do this, is any
weekend afternoon during the spring and summer seasons. It will also give
you an opportunity to possibly talk to a returning charter; to learn first-hand
just how good the equipment, bait, and service are on the Tampa VII.
During the winter of 1999 the Tampa VII was updated with new fiberglass, an Al' grip paint job and a complete rebuilding of the engines to make her even faster.SUPER FAST = MORE FISHING LESS RIDING
50yrs of Historic photos of Tampa I to Tampa VI
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