The Winners of the Peace King Cup Tournament
Friday, May 17 dawned gray and gloomy, and weather conditions never much improved. However, in a last ditch effort to pull in the biggest fish and win the 2014 Peace King Cup Tournament, four Good Go boats laden with anglers set out from Elco Marina in Bayonne, NJ.
Friday’s fishermen braved high winds, rain and 4-foot waves and ended up catching several fish, but none to best the large fish caught just days earlier. Overall statistics of the 2014 tournament:
14 days of fishing
126 participants
60 keeper-sized striped bass caught
The number of participants this year was an increase of 50% from the previous two years, even though the tournament itself was shortened from 3 weeks down to 2. This was a result of encouragement to tournament organizers to promote the tournament as a wonderful opportunity for friends and family to spend time together. No matter how new or how challenging the relationship, spending time together fishing in the beautiful setting of creation has a way of bringing the hearts of those you love closer.
On Saturday, May 17 the Clifton Family Church in New Jersey hosted a luncheon to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Ocean Providence and Peace King Tournament Awards. Tournament participants and winners were feted with a celebratory lunch of sushi and sashimi, lovingly put together by 20+ volunteers of the Clifton Family Church led by Mrs. Toshiko Sato. Sushi chefs Ken Sato and Mr. Takebata spent hours filleting and carefully slicing the fresh tuna, salmon and more donated by Ocean Providence, Inc.
Among the presentations attendees listened to was an explanation of the Ocean Providence by Dr. Keisuke Noda, professor of Philosophy at the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS), who has passionately studied True Father’s vision and philosophy of the ocean. Clint Woods, Director of the National Ocean Challenge Program, gave an overview of the program which takes place in Kodiak, AK each summer, and Mr. Takeshi Yashiro, president of Ocean Providence Holdings Co., LLC, shared exciting developments in the business-related aspects of True Parents’ salt water vision. One special highlight was a testimony of the Kodiak Ocean Challenge experience, given by two-time participant and captain-in-training, Naria McGee.
Finally the time came to learn the identity of the 2014 Peace King Cup winners. Awards included enormous trophies for the top 6 place finishers plus top-of-the-line rod and reels and cash prizes for the top three. Presenting the awards were Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, Continental Director of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) USA, and Captain Kensaku Takahashi, Director of Ocean Church and the Peace King Cup Tournament. The winners were:
1st place, Grand prize winner of $3,000: Luis Araujo with a 38.5” striper weighing 23 lbs.
2nd place, winner of $1,200: Niina Jewell, 37”, 17 lbs.
3rd place, winner of $800: Megumi Watanabe, 36.75”, 16.6 lbs.
4th place: Jaga Gavin, 36.5”, 19.5 lbs.
5th place: Kwang Soo Lee, 36.25”, 18 lbs.
6th place: Younhwan Yoon 36.25”, 17 lbs.
In his congratulatory remarks Dr. Michael Balcomb, President of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) USA, shared a deep and moving testimony of his experience fishing together with Dr. Kim on that final dreary and rainy day of the tournament. After some time on the boat, with no fish biting, Dr. Balcomb decided to leave his usual spot on the bow to join Dr. Kim who was seated on the engine cover at the stern of the boat. As those who’ve gone fishing with True Father know, this was his favorite vantage point for minding his lines and bait. After acknowledging a comment made by Dr. Kim that fishing without True Father was just not the same, Dr. Balcomb hooked up a fish, followed a split second later by Dr. Kim hooking up. Fighting their fish together and landing them at nearly the same moment, all aboard were amazed to discover that both Dr. Kim and Dr. Balcomb had landed identical 33-inch stripers.
Thank you to Pastor and Mrs. Manoj Jacobs of the Clifton Family Church for their incredible welcome as hosts to the luncheon. To Mr. Takahashi who worked incredibly hard to accommodate all our fishermen and women as well as to rally a cast of other captains to support the busy days, Thank You! And finally big thanks to those captains who served when called upon: Ken Borneman, Steve Kearney, Akira Hayashi, Minoru Kageyama, Benny Axelsson and, captain of his own vessel, Terry McMahon. This year we managed to get word of the tournament published in three local New Jersey papers.
In an effort to get even more people out enjoying True Father’s tradition of the spring striper catch, we invite any and all of you interested in helping to organize next year’s tournament to contact us now. If you are interested, please contact Capt. Takahashi at ktaka10951@gmail.com.