Ahoy There! Unificationists Build New Boat Workshop

A new workshop and boat storage space in Alaska is now complete after weeks of hard work by a small group of volunteers. Kodiak Ocean Tribe, the Unificationist community in Kodiak, Alaska, built a hulking steel structure from the ground up to house its boats and seafaring materials from the National Ocean Challenge Program (NOCP).

“I came up from Seattle and spent the past several weeks working with our crew here,” said project lead Scott Dolfay, who masterminded the build in mid July. “The construction of the 40-by-60-foot prefab steel structure will be both workshop and storage space for the National Ocean Challenge Program’s six boats.”

The National Ocean Challenge Program, which was first initiated in July 1981 by the late Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, and has been held every summer in Kodiak since 2007. The popular program offers participants ages 16 to 30 a unique hands-on fishing experience, guiding them in both theoretical and practical aspects of boating and fishing in the remote region.

The entire program, designed to help participants connect with Father Moon’s heart and love for the ocean and ocean providence, fosters ‘character development and confidence through seamanship; experiencing the heart of stewardship; and cultivation of faith through experiencing God’s love through nature.’

Rev. Moon and his wife Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, affectionately known as True Parents, often spoke of the spiritual nature of the sea and meeting God on the swells of the ocean. 

“The ocean has been such a wonderful teacher for me in my life that I created the Ocean Challenge program to give young people the leadership training the ocean provides,” said Rev. Moon. “Once a person receives intense training to become a fisherman, he can go anywhere in the world and become a leader of people.”

NOCP organizers anticipate better storage and boat-working conditions with the new building, ultimately improving the program’s experience. The construction crew, including NOCP Co-Director Lukas Bercy, Fritz Bercy, Kolya Moyer, and Frank Button of Oregon, bolted together numerous two-feet wide steel arches that can withstand up to 165-mile-per-hour winds, securing it with end walls, doors, and grout.

“I’m super proud and grateful for this team,” said Dolfay. “This project is a testament to the power of working together to achieve something bigger than ourselves. We can honor Father Moon in that way.”

The Seattle-based Ocean Peace Inc. company supports the National Ocean Challenge Program.