Jim Sculley, founder of Sculley Boatbuilders, passed away unexpectedly on June 1, 2009.   His presence will be keenly missed within the sportfishing community-- we lost a good one. Jim is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Ingrid Sculley, son, James G. Sculley, daughter, Ingrid Diane Sculley, and grandson, James Crespo.  Born in Newport Beach, California on May 30, 1941, he was residing in Ft. Myers, Florida but with lasting ties to Virginia Beach and Wanchese on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Native to southern California, he grew up fishing alongside his father on their commercial boat.  It was there he had his first encounters with the “new” sportfish boats and in his words, “as a kid I dreamed that someday, maybe I can have one of those…” After much success in the restaurant business, he was in Hilton Head, SC when he befriended and fished with Virginia Beach native Captain Earl Richardson.  It was this friendship that brought Jim to Virginia Beach to purchase Fisherman’s Wharf Marina and the Riverhouse Restaurant on Rudee Inlet in 1990.  Jim quickly became a fixture in the local offshore fishing community and quietly made a deep and lasting impression on many.    During his years at the marina, he owned and operated a variety of sportfish, garnering a broad knowledge and experience of the best and the worst the industry had to offer.  Taking that a few steps further, he started Sculley Boatbuilders in 1999, integrating his years of offshore experience with a vision of the best attributes of production and custom builds combined.  Thanks to his vision, ten years later Sculley Boatbuilders continues to produce one of the finest sportfishing yachts on the water. Jim’s passion was tournament fishing—and he was at the helm whether it was a low-key home tournament or the ESPN2 Xtreme Release Billfishing Series.  In addition to top honors in the 2004 Xtreme Release Series, Team Sculley won and placed in several other East Coast tournaments over the years.  But a day offshore, fishing with Sculley was a treat regardless, and always memorable.  Likewise, a kind word, a hard time, a poker-faced joke and that mischievous grin—he brought out the best and poked fun at the worst in people.  He will be remembered for it all and missed deeply. A memorial service and celebration of life will be held Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 2:00 pm at Bella Sera Ristorante in Cape Coral, FL. Arrangements are also being made for a memorial service in Virginia Beach, VA.  Please check back here for updates on this service or call Paula Owen at 757-652-8409.  In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made in memory of Jim to the Billfish Foundation via the link below:   http://www.billfish.org/new/billfish.asp?page=Memorial%20Donations
	Please send cards and condolences to: 11620 Court of Palms, Ft Myers, FL 33908