Clearwater was founded in 1969 by music legend and environmental activist Pete Seeger. The organization began with the launch of the Hudson River 
Sloop Clearwater—a majestic replica of the sloops that sailed the Hudson in the 18th and 19th centuries. The 106-foot-long tall ship was among the first vessels in the U.S. to conduct science-based environmental education aboard a sailing ship, virtually creating the template by which such programs are conducted around the world today.
Since the launch of the Clearwater, more than half a million young people and hundreds of thousands of adults have experienced their first real look at an estuary’s ecosystem aboard the sloop. The Clearwater has become America’s Environmental Flagship, and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 for its role in the environmental movement. Today, Clearwater is partnering with schools and community leaders to raise the bar of environmental education again. This time the health of the Hudson River must go hand and hand with a sustainable world of green jobs in a green economy.
Clearwater’s Sailing Classroom
Sail aboard the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater for a three or five hour educational excursion.
Three days of sailing, camping and leadership training on Clearwater can change the ways participants see themselves and the world surrounding them.
Challenge yourself to a two-week-long, live aboard internship. Learn how to help sail Clearwater, teach our prestigious education curriculum and explore opportunities for your future.
Live-aboard the ship for a month and work alongside the professional crew! Apprentices are trained to operate and care for a traditional sailing vessel and participate fully in the education program.
Teach hundreds of kids about the Hudson River! Interns spend two to three months living aboard Clearwater to assist in delivering Clearwater’s prestigious education programs, while fulfilling shipboard duties from sailing and chores to maintenance.
Sailing Classrooms
Clearwater has grown to operate two sailboats for education programs: the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and our sister ship, the schooner Mystic Whaler. We are able to serve communities upriver and near the city during spring months with Clearwater education specialists on both boats and virutally identical programs presented.
We offer a variety of experiences onboard Clearwater and the Mystic Whaler. The centerpiece of our educational program is a three hour Sailing Classroom program. For many this is their introduction to our boat, the Hudson River and a point of entry to our Education Pipeline.
Community Celebration
We also invite the general population to come aboard for Public Sails or book the ship for Private Charters. Music, food, refreshments and enjoying the beautiful Hudson River Valley from the decks of a traditional wooden sloop draws people from all over the world. In 2009, we celebrated the Quadracentennial year with guests from the Netherlands and did a cultural exchange aboard with students from Greenland. Clearwater has become a recognized symbol of grassroots action, bringing communities together through hands-on learning, music and celebration.
