Golden Rule sails to support the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty

The Golden Rule on August 6, 2016, with 14 people aboard, 14 kayaktivists, and another sailboat at the Bangor Trident Nuclear submarine base, home of the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the United States. Credit: Leonard Eiger of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action.

By Helen Jaccard, Disarm/End Wars Issues Committee

The Golden Rule sails the coast of California this year with a theme of “BAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS! No New Nukes! No First Strike!” Events are already planned in Fort Bragg, Bodega Bay, Santa Rosa, and San Francisco. Guest speakers, such as nationally known author, speaker, and activist Norman Solomon, are signing on to speak at the events. There will be opportunities to go sailing on the Golden Rule, weather permitting, at most of our stops!

The Golden Rule says goodbye to her home port of Humboldt Bay Saturday, June 10, with the historic ferry Madaket escorting her toward the sea. She should arrive in San Diego Bay on August 25. This is the first leg of the around-the-country voyage, and the Golden Rule will not likely see her home port again for several years. After San Diego, she goes by truck to Texas to begin a Grand Loop past the Gulf States, up the Eastern Seaboard, through the St. Lawrence waterway, all around the Great Lakes, and down the Mississippi River. If all goes well, the Golden Rule and her sister peace boat, Phoenix of Hiroshima, will travel together to Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Japan, and Korea before returning to California via Alaska.

Plans are well underway for the first part of the 2017 voyage. In Fort Bragg and Santa Rosa, Veterans For Peace and other peace groups have arranged for public presentations and potlucks. Kayaktivists will welcome the Golden Rule with an escort into Bodega Bay. WILPF chapters and Quakers are offering to help, too!

Peace Action Camps

A new program, “Peace Action Camps,” offers a chance for veterans, youth, women, and others to join together to learn to sail, learn the principles of nonviolent direct action, participate in an action planned during the camp, and learn about nuclear issues today. It will be a lot of fun!

The first camp is June 21–28 in San Francisco Bay. Contact Jim Summers, poozles@hotmail.com, for more information or fill out an application and return it to vfpgoldenruleproject@gmail.com.

The Golden Rule to Visit the Phoenix of Hiroshima!

The reunion will be the first we know of since 1958, when the Golden Rule crew handed the baton to the Phoenix crew in Honolulu to complete the historic attempt to stop atmospheric nuclear bomb testing. The Phoenix DID sail into the Marshall Islands testing zone while the crew of the Golden Rule was on trial in Honolulu.

In a strange coincidence, the same year (2010) that the Golden Rule sank and was brought up from the bottom of Humboldt Bay, the Phoenix of Hiroshima sank only a short distance away! The Phoenix has been located and efforts to raise and restore her are underway. If the Phoenix is still in the area of the Sacramento River in early July, we will have a wonderful reunion celebration.

If all goes well this spring, the Phoenix will be on the water instead of under it!

Event Volunteers Needed

With many educational stops, we need a lot of help, all hands on deck, and there are many roles to play! Organizers, authors, public speakers, a web master, photographers, and videographers will all be needed and appreciated.

For more information, visit the Golden Rule Project website.

If you live on the coast of California, we also need help to organize events and seed money for each stop. To volunteer, please contact Helen Jaccard at 206-992-6364 or send an email to vfpgoldenruleproject@gmail.com or make a donation.

Thanks so much to WILPF for their new campaign to “End the Whole Nuclear Era.” The Golden Rule Project is with you ALL THE WAY!