Golden Rule sailboat visits Connecticut to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

Connecticut cities along the shoreline are preparing to welcome the Golden Rule sailboat as it travels up the East Coast with a message to abolish nuclear weapons.

Inspired by rising threats of nuclear war and climate change, the Golden Rule is a project of Veterans for Peace with a host of other groups organizing support for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Starting at 10 am on Memorial Day, May 29, a peace contingent will march in the Norwalk Memorial Day parade and then greet the Golden Rule sailboat at noon at Veterans Memorial Park.

The ship sails to New Haven next. On Saturday June 3 the crew will be welcomed with a proclamation from the Mayor at the Peace Garden (Ella Grasso Blvd and Legion Ave), which designates New Haven as a United Nations Peace Messenger City. A tour of peace trees planted annually in different neighborhoods by the City of New Haven Peace Commission will follow.

The ship will be docked at Long Wharf pier and will be open for visits. A special concert with speeches and music performances on Sunday June 5 at 2 pm will celebrate the Golden Rule's peace and environmental justice mission.

Next stop is Hartford where a City Council resolution will be presented at a press conference at City Hall on Monday June 6 at 3 pm. A potluck dinner at the Unitarian Society at 6 pm will feature the film “Making Waves.”

On Wednesday at 11:30 a silent vigil for a nuclear weapons free world, peace and non-violence will be held at the Old State House. That afternoon the ship sails from Charter Oak Landing to Middletown's Harbor Park for a breakfast on Thursday at 9 am.

Arriving at New London City Pier, daytime sails will be offered from 10 am to 4 pm on Friday June 9. An evening concert with folk musician Charlie King will be held at St James Episcopal Church Hall at 7 pm.

On Saturday June 10 a 2 pm rally at New London City Pier to Stand with the Golden Rule against Nuclear Weapons will cap off the ship's visit to Connecticut. Peace symbol tile painting, a Peace Regatta and live music will be followed by a potluck dinner with song, speakers and a short film at St. James Episcopal Church Hall at 7 pm.