Gil Keech Heavy-Tackle Award – Pat Healey

Pat Healey is a distinguished angler and industry leader whose contributions to heavy-tackle sport fishing have shaped the modern offshore experience. As President and CEO of Viking Yacht Company, Healey has played a pivotal role in advancing the performance, innovation and success of sportfishing vessels worldwide. Under his leadership, Viking remains at the forefront of the industry, producing world-class sportfishing yachts designed for tournament competition. An accomplished angler, Healey has competed at the highest levels of offshore fishing.

He is a three-time winner of The International Masters Angling Tournament’s Master Angler John Rybovich Award, securing consecutive victories in 2011 and 2012, and again in 2023. Through Viking’s Demo Program, which he launched in 1984, Healey and his team have refined vessel design through firsthand tournament experience, earning victories at premier events such as the White Marlin Open, The MidAtlantic500, Bermuda Triple Crown, Buccaneer Cup, and tournaments in the Bahamas. He is also a member of Team Galati, whose Vikings have won the Los Sueños Triple Crown three times. His expertise on the water and dedication to the sport continue to influence offshore angling and the vessels that define it.