Historic peace boat Golden Rule to stop in Sheboygan on Great Loop journey
SHEBOYGAN – A historic peace boat will stop in Sheboygan on its trip around America's Great Loop.
Veterans for Peace Sheboygan and Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization that advocates against threats to human health, is set to host the Golden Rule Peace Boat Aug. 25-29. The groups will also hold a community event this weekend.
Quaker pacifists sailed the 34-foot wooden ketch boat in the late 1950s to protest nuclear weapon testing in the Marshall Islands. The peace boat inspired later environmental activism, like the establishment of environmental organization Greenpeace, with activists sailing to Alaska to protest nuclear testing on Alaska's Amchitka Island in 1971.
VFP restored the Golden Rule around 2015 after it sank several times. After the restoration, it sailed along California's coast to advocate for peace and an end to nuclear power.
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Golden Rule sailing Great Loop to call for nuclear disarmament
The Golden Rule started the Great Loop — a roughly 6,000-mile loop of waterways and water bodies on the country's east side — in Minnesota last fall. The boat crew has traveled along the Mississippi River, Gulf Coast, East Coast and through New York to the Great Lakes.
Throughout the journey, the crew spreads awareness about potential dangers of nuclear power, like air, water and soil contamination. Exposure to high levels of radioactive waste can lead to increased risks of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
The Golden Rule stopped in Ohio and Michigan cities, like Cleveland and Detroit, earlier this month.
Next stops are scheduled in Milwaukee Aug. 30-Sept. 5, Racine Sept. 5-7 and Chicago Sept. 13-18.
The Golden Rule was going to travel down the Mississippi River again, but it wasn't worthwhile and there is about a 300-boat back-up, Helen Jaccard, Golden Rule project manager, said. Several locks on the Illinois Waterway are closed for maintenance through the end of September.
Great Lakes spots are near nuclear ‘hotspots’
Many destinations on the Great Lakes leg are near nuclear “hotspots,” having refineries, reactors or waste facilities.
Wisconsin has two operating nuclear reactors, fewer than neighboring states Minnesota and Illinois. Both reactors are on Point Beach in Two Rivers.
They contribute to powering more than 1 million Wisconsin homes, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, a nuclear policy organization.
The site permits are set to expire within the next 10 years and will be up for renewal by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
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Event at Rotary Riverview Park will feature brat fry, live music
The boat is scheduled to be docked at the southwest side of Rotary Riverview Park, 401 Pennsylvania Ave., by Aug. 25, though that may change depending on traveling conditions.
An event will also be at the park, hosted from 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 26. There will be a brat fry, peace concert, boat tours and education around nuclear disarmament.
Find where the Golden Rule is in real time
Track the Golden Rule’s real-time location at https://share.garmin.com/goldenrule The page is updated every 10 minutes.
Connect with event organizers
Contact Veterans for Peace Sheboygan at vfpgroup@vetsforpeacesheboygan.org The group can be found at http://vetsforpeacesheboygan.org/ or on Facebook.
For Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin, email info@psrwisconsin.org or go to https://psr-wisconsin.org/
Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com Follow her on Twitter at @alexx_garner.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Golden Rule Peace Boat to stop in Sheboygan on Great Loop journey
