Saturday, October 17, 2015

The Golden Rule Returns to Humboldt Bay

October 15, 2015
The Golden Ruleis coming home to Humboldt Bay! The historic sailing vessel is completing her first voyage since being restored by Veterans For Peace and many friends.  The Golden Ruleis expected to arrive into Humboldt Bay at approximately 11 am Friday, October 16.  She will be docking at the Eureka Public Marina.  Arriving on the Golden Ruleare Captain Ed Fracker of King Salmon and crew members Michael Gonzalez of Trinidad, David San Giovanni of Eureka, and Helen Jaccard of Seattle.
The Golden Rule departed from Eureka on July 23rd and sailed to San Diego in time for the Veterans For Peace national convention. Since leaving San Diego, theGolden Rule has been “port-hopping” up the coast, making stops in Long Beach, Marina del Rey / Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Morro Bay / San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Berkeley, Sausalito and Noyo Bay / Fort Bragg.  At each stop, the crew was interviewed by local media, feted at public events and potluck dinners, and raised funds to continue the mission of the Golden Rule –Sailing for a Nuclear-Free World.
“This was a very successful voyage,” said crew member Helen Jaccard. “Everywhere we went, people were happy and excited to see the Golden Rule.  We made many new friends.”
In 1958, the Golden Ruleand her intrepid crew of Quaker peace activists brought worldwide attention to U.S. nuclear bomb testing in the South Pacific. Their highly publicized attempt to sail into the nuclear test zone in the Marshall Islands was stopped cold by the U.S. Coast Guard in Honolulu, but they spurred a worldwide movement.  In 1959 President Eisenhower stopped the testing and in 1963 President Kennedy signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty with the UK and the USSR.
Five years ago, after the famous 30-foot ketch was pulled from the bottom of Humboldt Bay, members of Veterans For Peace launched a campaign to restore the Golden Rule.  Scores of volunteers and hundreds of donors made it possible.  The Golden Rule is once again sailing for a nuclear free world.

              To find more about the Golden Rule peace boat, go to www.vfpgoldenruleproject.org.

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