Silver Sailfish DerbyMarine Weather — Palm Beach, Florida
The Silver Sailfish Derby 2027 runs Jan 6–9, 2027 out of Palm Beach, Florida. Here is the conditions outlook on the grounds in the lead-up to tournament week.
Tournament Location
Off Palm Beach the Gulf Stream runs about two miles from the beach, so the inlet, the reef and the Stream are one forecast, not three. The live day-by-day GO / CAUTION / NO-GO cards are up top; here is the map, the tide, and the latest outlook.
Palm Beach Inlet
The water off Palm Beach, from the inlet out across the reef to the edge of the Gulf Stream. Pan and zoom the chart, and switch layers to read the water temperature and where the Stream sits.
Palm Beach Inlet
26.772, -80.037
The Palm Beach (Lake Worth) Inlet, the one every derby boat must visually check out through each morning. With the Gulf Stream about two miles offshore, the water here and the water the fleet fishes come under the same forecast, so this card is the read for the whole run.
Sun and Mon are the days to go; Sat is iffy
Sunday 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM is the pick for the 12-hour trip, with 3-8 knots ESE winds and 1.7-2.5 feet seas at 5-second periods from the east, ahead of the afternoon rain chance.
Palm Beach Inlet — Saturday, Oct 3 · CAUTION
Saturday is a CAUTION day, so timing matters. Winds are light at 0-7 knots from the east with gusts to 15 knots, and seas run 2.0-3.1 feet at 5-second periods from the east. Forecast confidence is only 51%, and there is a 93% chance of rain around 12:00 PM, so bring rain gear and keep a flexible plan.
Palm Beach Inlet — Sunday, Oct 4 · GO
Sunday is a GO day, and any time works for the 12-hour trip. Winds are 3-8 knots from the east-southeast with gusts to 17 knots, and seas are 1.7-2.5 feet at 5-second periods from the east. Rain chance is 60% around 4:00 PM, so bring rain gear for the afternoon.
Palm Beach Inlet — Monday, Oct 5 · GO
Monday is a GO day, with the calmest conditions of the three. Winds are 1-5 knots from the east-southeast with gusts to 12 knots, and seas are 1.1-1.7 feet at 5-second periods from the east-northeast. There is an 83% chance of rain around 6:00 PM, so plan to be in earlier or carry rain gear.
Palm Beach Inlet tides
Every derby boat has to check out through the Palm Beach Inlet between 6:30 and 8:00am. Read the tide alongside the wind and swell before you time the run out.
The AI fishing report for the Palm Beach grounds
Weather tells you whether you can go. DeepCast reads the SST breaks, chlorophyll edges, and bottom structure for the exact water the fleet fishes — and turns them into a plain-English fishing report, the same AI reports built into the SeaLegs AI app.
Get the AI-powered fishing reportAbout the Silver Sailfish Derby
- DatesJan 6–9, 2027
- Host portPalm Beach, Florida — Sailfish Marina, Palm Beach Shores (the only official weighing and recording station); captain's meeting at the West Palm Beach Fishing Club
- The runOut through the Palm Beach (Lake Worth) Inlet, with the Gulf Stream about two miles offshore
- Target speciesAtlantic sailfish, release-only on circle hooks
The Silver Sailfish Derby is the West Palm Beach Fishing Club's release-only sailfish tournament, run since January 1935 and billed by the club as the oldest running sailfish tournament in the world. The 2027 Derby is fished on Thursday January 7 and Friday January 8, after the captain's meeting on January 6, and is limited to 50 boats. Every boat checks out through the Palm Beach Inlet each morning, and score sheets and video go to Sailfish Marina, the official recording station.
Palm Beach is about as close to the Gulf Stream as the Florida coast gets: the Stream runs about two miles offshore. That makes the run short, but it also means the inlet, the reef and the Stream are one piece of water for forecasting. This page reads it at the Palm Beach Inlet, with a plain GO, CAUTION or NO-GO call for each day, updated every morning from the latest marine model data. It is the same AI rating used in the SeaLegs AI app.
Reading conditions for the Silver Sailfish Derby
Read the wind direction first. The Gulf Stream runs north along this coast, close in, so a north or northeast wind blows straight against it. Behind a winter cold front that is exactly the wind Palm Beach gets, and against the current it stacks up a short, steep sea that is worse than the wave height alone suggests. A wind from the south or southeast runs with the Stream and lies down much more easily.
Then read the inlet. The Derby rules require every boat to check out through the Palm Beach Inlet between 6:30 and 8:00am, so the inlet is part of every morning's decision, not just the fishing. The tide chart for the Port of Palm Beach is on this page for that reason.
Then read the days together. With two fishing days a day apart, the useful question is often which of the two will be fishable and which will be rough, and the three-day cards above are built to answer it. This page is a planning aid, not a substitute for the official NWS coastal waters forecast and marine warnings.
Silver Sailfish Derby forecast FAQ
What are the marine conditions at Southeast Florida today?
As of Oct 3, 2026: Palm Beach Inlet — CAUTION. Every rating is rebuilt each morning from the latest marine model data.
When is the 2027 Silver Sailfish Derby?
The captain's meeting is Wednesday January 6, 2027, and the fishing days are Thursday January 7 and Friday January 8, with lines in at 8:00am and lines out at 4:00pm. The awards dinner is Saturday January 9. Check the West Palm Beach Fishing Club's site for any changes.
Who runs the Silver Sailfish Derby?
The West Palm Beach Fishing Club, which established it in January 1935. The club bills it as the oldest running sailfish tournament in the world. It was not held from 1943 to 1945, during the Second World War.
What are the rules?
It is release-only, on billfish-approved non-offset circle hooks with live or dead bait, 20-pound line or lighter and no more than four lines per boat. Releases are verified on continuous video. The field is limited to 50 boats. The club's current rules are the authority.
Where is the Silver Sailfish Derby fished?
Off Palm Beach County, within boundaries from the St. Lucie power plant in the north to the Boca Raton Inlet in the south. Every boat must check out through the Palm Beach (Lake Worth) Inlet each morning between 6:30 and 8:00am, and Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach Shores is the only official recording station.
How far offshore is the Gulf Stream at Palm Beach?
About two miles. That is why the run to the sailfish grounds here is short, and why a north wind against the Stream can build a rough sea very close to the beach.
Why does this page read one zone?
Because off Palm Beach the inlet, the reef and the Gulf Stream all fall within the same few miles of water, and the marine forecast models treat them as one. Three zones would show the same forecast three times.
How often is this forecast updated?
The board is rebuilt every morning from the latest marine model data, and the card refreshes live in your browser. The date stamp above the outlook shows exactly when it was last generated.
What do GO, CAUTION, and NO-GO mean?
GO means conditions are favorable for most recreational boats. CAUTION means marginal — manageable for experienced crews in capable vessels, but check the wind direction against the Gulf Stream closely. NO-GO means conditions are hazardous for small craft and the trip is best postponed. They are a planning aid, not a substitute for the official marine forecast and warnings.
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