Monterey >> As a new crew member of the Golden Rule Peace Boat and its educational crusade against nuclear weapons, Col. Ann Wright spent her first day aboard sailing out of Monterey Bay amidst a bevy of whales and dolphins.

Twenty miles south of Monterey, the retired United States Army Colonel and State Department official spotted a humpback whale 100 yards off the port side that was 60 feet long and breaching.

Wright, 71, joined fellow shipmate Helen Jaccard, who had begun the journey in the Pacific Northwest, and two other crewmates, Bullitt D. Bourbon and Wil Van Natta and spent the last three days in the Monterey Bay reaching out to anyone interested in the historic boat and its mission to preach the dangers of nuclear weapons and war.

The Golden Rule, a 30-foot ketch, was the first environmental action and peace vessel put to sea. In 1958, with a crew of four Quaker activists, it sailed from Los Angeles in an attempt to halt atmospheric nuclear weapon testing in the Western Pacific. While the boat never made it to its destination, with the crew members arrested in Hawaii, the voyage did ignite an international movement to stop the testing because of their determination to sail into a nuclear bomb test zone in the Marshall Islands.

In 2015, the historic boat was restored by the Veterans For Peace for a 10-year peace-making voyage across North America with the mission to promote a nuclear free world.

Im a great supporter of just a heroic effort to preserve a remarkable ship, said Wright.

Besides her outspoken views about the proliferation of nuclear weapons, Wright was one of three State Department officials to publicly resign in direct protest of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Theres the fear by us that some of our governments may use them for the destruction of the world, said Wright, noting the current frenzy surrounding nuclear weapons. So its a very opportune time for this boat to be on this educational voyage to alert people to their horrific danger.

Wright, who spent 29 years in the military and has been to North Korea on her own peace-making mission, noted the 122 countries that less than two months ago voted as part of a global treaty that nuclear weapons should be banned from the face of the earth. Participants did not include any of the worlds nine nuclear powers, including the United States.

For Wright, who also spoke at a gathering Monday night with about 30 people at the Monterey Peace and Justice Center, the sea life sightings on Tuesday were a bonus to what she described as a positive experience in Monterey. She currently lives in Hawaii.

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Monterey was a very generous port where the harbormaster encourages education boats to come in and we had a lot of visitors including international visitors, said Wright, noting the educational tours that were given on the Golden Rule.

We have to be concerned about the future of our world these nuclear weapons in particular still pose such a danger to us, said Wright. When nuclear nations decide theyre going to use them, theyre not just going to use one, but hundreds that will affect agriculture, food production, the atmosphere ...

Now, the boat is headed to Morro Bay and then Santa Barbara, Ventura, Long Beach and San Diego, where it is ending its current trip. The ship will stop at ports along the way.

Following the journey down to Southern California, Wright said the vessels next trip will be next year when it travels through the inland waterway of the Gulf Coast and then up the East Coast. Then the ship will likely travel through the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi.

Eventually, Wright said the crew plans to sail the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii and then up to the Marshall Islands where the United States tested nuclear weapons from 1946 to 1958 and where the Golden Rule attempted to sail in 1958.

Wright said the inhabitants there are still feeling the effects from those tests. She hopes the boats current mission can help prevent any future catastrophe.

It is something we need to acknowledge and face that these things are going to be the end of our earth and we as citizens have a responsibility to really hold our government accountable, said Wright. Theres a wonderful future for the Golden Rule as far as educating people about the danger of nuclear weapons.

Carly Mayberry can be reached at 831-726-4363.

Originally posted here:

Golden Rule Peace Boat moors in Monterey on voyage against nuclear weapons - Monterey County Herald