For Immediate Release
Contact: Gerry Condon: 206.499.1220
Sandy Jones: 805.965.3443
Golden Rule Peace Boat Arrives in Santa Barbara
Sailing for a Nuclear-Free World
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The historic Golden Rule peace boat, restored by Veterans For Peace, will dock in Santa Barbara late Wednesday afternoon on September 2, during her voyage from San Diego en route to her homeport, Eureka, on California’s northern coast. There will be a press conference covering the arrival on Thursday, September 3 at 2:00 p.m. on the steps of the Maritime Museum at the boat harbor (113 Harbor Way).
In 1958, the 30-foot ketch and its Quaker crew helped to ignite an international movement to stop atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons when they attempted to sail into a nuclear test zone in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The Golden Rule is now sailing again to promote a nuclear-free world. Over the next ten years, she will carry her message of peace around the United States and possibly throughout the world.
The Marshall Islands suffered catastrophic and irreparable damages when the U.S. conducted 67 nuclear tests on their territory between 1946 and 1958. These tests had the equivalent power of exploding 1.6 Hiroshima bombs daily for 12 years. The devastating impact of these nuclear detonations to the health and well-being of the Marshall Islanders and their land continues to this day. Last year, the RMI initiated the Nuclear Zero Lawsuits, seeking to hold the nuclear-armed nations to their obligations under international law to negotiate in good faith for nuclear disarmament.
“Nuclear weapons are still with us and the threat of nuclear war is very real,” said the Golden Rule’s Captain Ron Kohl of San Diego. “We are dismayed that the U.S. government plans to invest $1 trillion over the next 30 years upgrading its nuclear arsenal, instead of reducing and eliminating nuclear weapons, as called for in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and consultant to the Marshall Islands in their lawsuits, said, “The Golden Rule and her first crews have historical significance in courageously sailing into nuclear test sites in the Pacific. Today, the Golden Rule sails for a nuclear-free world under the leadership of Veterans for Peace and deserves the support of people everywhere.”
The Golden Rule will be welcomed by the Santa Barbara Chapter of Veterans For Peace and members of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. The ship will arrive in Santa Barbara in the late afternoon on Wednesday, September 2 and stay several days. She will be available for public viewing and possible sails, as well. There will be a press conference covering the arrival on Thursday, September 3 at 2:00 p.m. on the steps of the Maritime Museum at the boat harbor (113 Harbor Way).
“We appreciate that many Santa Barbara friends and supporters are offering assistance,” said Captain Ron Kohl. “There is a real magic to this boat that brings all kinds of people together.
# # #
For more information, or to interview the crew, please contact Gerry Conlon at 206.499.1220.
You can follow the progress of the Golden Rule and make donations at www.vfpgoldenruleproject.org
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation was founded in 1982. Its mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders. The Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations and is comprised of individuals and groups worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age.