In 1958, Quaker anti-nuclear weapons activists were arrested to stop the Golden Rule from sailing to obstruct atmospheric U.S. nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Resulting protests lead to the passage of the 1963 Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, halting atmospheric testing. The Golden Rule and her crew inspired the later actions by the ships of Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherds. A short film about the boat’s history entitled Making Waves was shown at this year’s annual meeting along with a visit and discussion with Skip Oliver from Veterans for Peace.

The 34-foot wooden ketch is sailing on a 15-month voyage around the “Great Loop” of the central, southern and eastern United States, making 100 ports-of-call to raise awareness about the growing danger of nuclear war and to build support for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The Golden Rule is a national project of Veterans For Peace, which owns the boat.

Schedule of Events in Our Region

On August 4, the sailboat is visiting Erie PA (Wolverine Park Marina) and then it departs for Cleveland OH (Aug 5-8) where numerous public opportunities have been arranged (contact Don Bryant/Francis Chiappa, clevelandpeaceaction@gmail.com, 440-703-0215). The sailboat will be in Toledo (Aug 10-13, Promenade Park Portside Dock 5 or 6, bottom of Jefferson Ave), again with many events planned. After that, beginning on August 13th, the Peace Boat enters Michigan, visiting Detroit, docking at Milliken State Park & Harbor, 1900 Atwater Street, next to Aretha Franklin Amphitheater. In addition to Detroit, public events have been arranged for Ann Arbor and Lansing (at Red Cedar Meeting House!). See image below for additional details.

To see the full schedule of planned events and to track the Golden Rule in real time, visit the Veterans for Peace Golden Rule Project website. To find out how you can help the project or make a donation, visit the Donate and Help page.