Summer Ocean Church in the UK

In August, the 20ft GOOD GO fishing boat was launched and kept in Gillingham Marina for 3 months, about 40 minutes from London. In 1994, True Parents donated 4 different-sized Good Go sports fishing boats to the British Church. This particular boat has not been used much in the 27 years it has been in the UK, the last time was 7 years ago when it was used for an STF Ocean Challenge project for 2 weeks. The boat and its trailer required a lot of work to make it seaworthy as it had been standing for so long, but eventually all the issues were resolved.

It was suggested by the National Leader to put this boat on the water this year as a trial. We wanted to establish what the actual expenses and obstacles to running this boat were. We also wanted to find out the level of interest from members, as well as get feedback from those who were able to go out. From this, we would be able to see if it would be worth doing more ocean activity in the future. There is plenty of opportunity to expand into ocean education, fishing and conservation projects should there be sufficient interest, commitment and finance as there are 3 other boats in the country too. After the initial couple of weeks of sea-trials, we started taking members and guests out fishing in the Medway estuary.

All in all, we were able to go out on 12 trips with a total of 30 people, apart from myself as captain. Some trips, usually when the high tide was later in the day, produced many fish whilst other trips produced very little, if any. The main fish we caught were bass, but none were big enough to legally keep (42cm long). We also caught Dog fish (small shark) which we were able to take home. We were often able to see seals around the boat as well as, on one occasion, a dolphin.

On two trips, we took out witnessing guests, which was enjoyable for everyone as it was a good opportunity to bond. Most of the people who went out were very happy with the experience and would like to go again. The biggest problem was fitting all those who wanted to go out into the time available. The Medway is a shallow tidal estuary so there are times when it isn’t possible to go out, which combined with bad weather proved to be a challenge. Members using the boat were asked to pay for the fuel

and the bait, as the rest of the boat-running expenses were subsidised. The boat is 20ft, so it was only possible to take out 5 people, including the captain.

If you are interested in helping to develop ocean activities and education, please email me as I will be able to keep you informed of any developments at: clivepollitt@ aol,com