03 Aug Press Release – Golden Rule Arrives in San Diego

For Immediate Release – August 3, 2015

Contact:
Gerry Condon, 206-499-1220
Skip Oliver, 419-357-9136

The Golden Rule Peace Boat Arrives in San Diego
Much Credit Goes to Eureka Supporters

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Golden Rule peace boat, restored by Veterans For Peace and many friends, arrived in San Diego on Saturday evening, 9-1/2 days after leaving Eureka on its maiden voyage.

The historic boat and its crew spent a total of four nights in the ports of Half Moon Bay and Santa Barbara, waiting out bad weather and refueling. Because they had very little wind, they motored most of the way at about 5 nautical miles an hour.

The Golden Rule arrived into San Diego around 7:30 pm on Saturday evening, and sailed back into San Diego Bay on Sunday afternoon for its official arrival, which was covered by four San Diego TV stations.

The 30-foot ketch and its crew ignited an international movement to stop the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons in 1958, when they attempted to sail into a nuclear bomb test zone in the Marshall Islands. The Golden Rule is now sailing again to promote a nuclear free world.

“In 1958, the Golden Rule and her crew brought the perils of nuclear radiation to the world’s attention, and now we are going to do it again.,” said the Golden Rule’s captain David Robson, a Veterans For Peace member from Baltimore, Maryland.

First Mate, Dr. Arnold J. “Skip” Oliver, a member of Veterans For Peace from Ohio, thanked all the supporters who came out to greet the Golden Rule on Sunday. “We really appreciate all the support for this amazing effort,” said Skip Oliver. “This beautiful boat would not be here without the incredible dedication and hard work of our friends back in Eureka, especially Leroy Zerlang and Chuck DeWitt.”

Rounding out the four person crew are Michael Gonzales of Trinidad, California and Helen Jaccard of Seattle, Washington.

“It was really exciting being part of the crew” said Helen Jaccard. “We saw whales and lots of dolphins, but we also went right through an oil spill near Santa Barbara. Part of the Golden Rule’s job is also to monitor the health of our ocean,” said Jaccard.

The Golden Rule arrives in time for the national convention of Veterans For Peace, August 5-9. This week is also the 70^th anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed more than 200,000 people. The convention theme is “Peace and Reconciliation in the Pacific.”

The Golden Rule will return to Eureka in October, after visiting ports along the California coast as it works its way north from San Diego. Over the next ten years, the Golden Rule will carry its message of peace around the United States and possibly around the world.

For more information, call Gerry Condon at 206-499-1220 or Skip Oliver, 419-357-9136