" Peace in the Pacific " Voyage The Golden Rule is "Sailing for a Nuclear-Free World and a Peaceful, Sustainable Future"

Golden Rule to sail to Hawaii in May! Veterans For Peace Golden Rule Project is pleased to announce that the Golden Rule  is scheduled to begin an epic voyage for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament on about May 1. During a planned 2 ½  years around the Pacific, the Golden Rule will make a circuit around the Pacific, visiting Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Guam, Korea and Japan, with other destinations to be announced. The purpose of the Peace in the Pacific Voyage is : * To support the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, * To raise awareness about environmental and human costs of military and nuclear activities, and * To support efforts to stop the possibility of nuclear war by encouraging policies that make a nuclear exchange less likely, including: remove weapons from hair trigger alert declare a no-first-use policy end the sole, unchecked authority of any President to launch a nuclear attack stop the development of new nuclear weapons and delivery systems (“modernization”) and pursue negotiations to reduce and ultimately eliminate nuclear weapons worldwide. The VFP Golden Rule Project is a member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and promotes the “ICAN Cities Campaign” that encourages cities and states to adopt resolutions encouraging their federal governments to adopt the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Please Donate to Keep the Wind in the Sails of the Veterans For Peace Golden Rule Project

Upcoming Events

Join us for a very special "Invitation to visit Hawaii" Puna Kalama Dawson is a Hawaiian elder, keeper of knowledge and hula instructor. She comes from Kauai bringing a message of Welcome and Aloha to the Golden Rule and Project! Ceremony Tuesday April 16 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Yokohama Friendship Bell on Shelter Island 1401 Shelter Island Drive San Diego, CA 92106

Sailing with Deported US Veterans The Golden Rule will sail to Ensenada for a visit with Deported US Veterans and to take them sailing on April 21 and 22. The Unified U.S. Deported Veterans/Veterans For Peace, Hector Barrios Chapter 182 is for U.S. military that have been deported or are in deportation proceedings, assisting them to integrate into the community as productive residents while searching for legal avenues to return home to the U.S.

Please join us to send off the Golden Rule and her crew! We've been busy preparing the boat for a cross-ocean voyage. The crew will all be in San Diego by April 15 for two weeks of training and final preparations. The Bon Voyage picnic / potluck is Saturday April 27 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm near the Yokohama Friendship Bell, 1500 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego, CA 92106

Hawaii Sailing and Visit Schedule (Approximate)

The planned departure date from San Diego is approximately May 1 with three to four weeks of sailing to arrive in Hilo, Hawaii. Here’s an approximate Hawaiian Island visiting schedule: Hilo area (Big Island)  June 1 - 13 Kona area (Big Island) June 16 - 30 Maui July 3 - August 7 Lanai August 9 - 25 Molokai August 27 - Sept 3 Oahu Sept 6 - Nov 28 Kauai December 1 - 12

Fill our Hawaii schedule! Are you a member of a Hawaiian peace, environmental or faith-based group, yacht club, political party or club, women’s group, labor union, indigenous / native organization, service club, or other group? Would you like to schedule a screening of the award winning documentary “Making Waves: Rebirth of the Golden Rule”, a presentation by the Golden Rule crew, or a chance to go sailing on the Golden Rule? Please email vfpgoldenruleproject@gmail.com  to schedule events for your organization.

Captain and Crew

Captain Dan Lappala  will lead the crew across the Pacific, from San Diego to his home in Hilo, Hawaii. Dan has sailed across the Pacific four other times and owns Hawaii Sailing Tours. He also teaches people to sail. Jamie Skinner  is a retired airline pilot who has skippered Golden Rule size sloops around Washington and Oregon since 1997. Jamie is a veteran of the Navy and a member of Veterans For Peace. “As an anti-war peace activist , I now believe it to be my sacred duty to counter the pro war rhetoric which seeks to justify United States intrusive wars on other nations.”

Tom Rogers is a retired Navy Commander. Having commanded nuclear-armed submarines, he now works for nuclear disarmament and participates in nonviolent direct actions to protest against the nuclear weapons and submarines at the Bangor Trident Nuclear Submarine Base near Seattle. Tom crewed on the Golden Rule in 2016 and assisted with the first water-based protest against the Bangor Base since 1982, when the first nuclear-armed submarines arrived there. Connie “ C Be ” Burton was taught to sail by Captain Dan in 2002 and has been sailing in Hawaii and Mexico ever since, including the Baha Ha Ha race from San Diego to Cabo. She has been involved with the Hokulea of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and has crewed on the Hawaiian Chieftain historic sail boat.

Follow the Golden Rule As the Golden Rule sails across the Pacific, a new dot goes on the map very ten minutes. This is a satellite-based system, so will work all the way across the ocean. Go to share.garmin.com/goldenrule to follow the voyage. You might be able to find the boat on marinetraffic.com and search for "Golden Rue" (note the mis-spelling). There will be daily updates while the Golden Rule is en route. You can receive them by going joining the Google Group at https://groups.google.com/forum/?nomobile=true#!forum/grdaily/join .

Scientific Measurements The Golden Rule is participating in a research effort by Apryl Boyle DeLancy, a biomedical scientist who is studying ocean acidification and the role of sharks in climate change. The crew will measure acidity, temperature and turbidity as well as keep a log of sea life. We look forward to reporting on the results of this study and can write our own analysis based on our data as well!

Celebrate this Historic Voyage with a Timely Donation Expenses will be greater this year because 2019 - 21 will be a continuous voyage instead of a three to four month sailing season like we have done on the West coast. We've purchased new sails, a gimbaled propane cooktop, and a lot of communication and safety equipment including personal AIS units for each life jacket in case the boat needs to find a crew overboard. In addition, we now have a paid captain. We have a goal to raise $20,000 during the three to four week voyage to Hawaii - we'll need to get food and diesel before we leave and need to pay for docks, captain, food, diesel and crew flights when we get to Hawaii. Communication systems will run about $650 / month for two satellite phones and the Garmin tracking system while we're en route. Please donate generously to keep the wind in our sails at vfpgoldenrule.org Be part of the voyage! You can send notes of encouragement to the crew during the voyage: In addition to financial support, the crew would like to hear from you! Emails sent to goldenrulecrew@gmail.com will be forwarded it to the boat's satellite email account each day.