The Golden Rule, a 34-foot wooden ketch, pulled into the Rockwell Park dock a few minutes ahead of schedule on Tuesday morning to a warm welcome from local peace activists, town officials, and members of the Pokanoket community.

The first boat to engage in environmental direct action in the world, in 1958, the Golden Rule embarked for the Marshall Islands with a crew of Quaker anti-nuclear weapons activists. Their mission was to attempt to interrupt U.S. atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. They never made it — the crew was arrested and jailed in Honolulu — but according to the Veterans for Peace, “their example helped to ignite a storm of world-wide public outrage against nuclear weapons that resulted in the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963, and which has continued down to the present in the many organizations still working to abolish weapons of mass destruction.”

Eventually, the Golden Rule sunk off the coast of California; it was raised and restored by Veterans for Peace, and relaunched in 2015.

A national project of Veterans for Peace, the Golden Rule is currently sailing the Great Loop voyage. They began in New Orleans in 2022 and sailed around Florida and up the Eastern seaboard. In July they will sail northwest to the Erie Canal and Great lakes, ending in Chicago in September. All the way, they are spreading its message of hope for a world free of nuclear weapons and a peaceful, sustainable future for all.

Brought to Bristol by the East Bay Citizens for Peace (EBCP), the welcoming ceremony began at 11 a.m. and included remarks, music, and a proclamation of welcome from the Town, as well as an opportunity to meet the crew and board the boat. Pokanoket Sachem Tracy “Dancing Star” Brown sent the crew on their way with a blessing.

“We thank you that you have brought these people to our shores for their mission of peace,” she said. “Guide them on their journey, Creator.”
For information or to contribute to the Golden Rule Project, visit vfpgoldenrule.org.