The deck of a traditional sailing ship is a uniquely powerful platform for students in grade four through college to learn about the river’s natural wonders and cultural significance. Students enjoy a refreshing educational experience aboard the Clearwater, a 106-foot wooden sailing sloop designed after 18th and 19th century Dutch sailing sloops. For many this is the introduction to the Hudson River and environmental education which can forge a connection with nature to last a lifetime.
The Legendary Floating Classroom
The centerpiece of Clearwater’s education program is Classroom of the Waves. On a three or five hour sail, students help raise the sails, navigate the boat, and set and haul in a fishing net. Split into small groups, they visit learning stations to examine and touch the day’s catch, perform water quality tests, and study plankton and other invertebrate life under field magnification. Our inquiry-based learning activities are hands-on, relevant, and fun.
Typical boat programs last 3 hours, but 5-hour trips and multi-day trips are also available. Classroom of the Wave Programs are targeted toward school groups, camps, scout troops or community organizations and are appropriate for grades 4-college. Boat trips can accommodate a strict maximum of 50 passengers. This includes students, teachers and chaperones.
Scheduling a Shipboard Program
Clearwater offers sails from April to November, docking at numerous sites along the Hudson River, New York Harbor and western Long Island. A basic sail program is three hours, with 5-hour sails and extended programs available. A sail accommodates up to fifty participants, including teachers and chaperones. The program fee doesn not vary with the number of participants.
We normally schedule programs several months in advance. Application deadlines are December 1st for spring sails; March 1st for summer and fall dates. All Clearwater programs take place as scheduled “rain or shine.” In the event that weather forces the captain to cancel a sail (at his or her discretion), a full refund is provided.
For details on how to bring a group sailing please read our Application Guidelines.
Please check our Sailing Schedule for available sail dates and docks.
If you would like to bring a group sailing, please submit our Sail Program Application.
For more information, contact Catherine Stankowksi, Clearwater’s sail Coordinator at (845) 265-8080 x7107 or by email sailcoord@clearwater.org.
Prices and Funding Options:
The cost of 3-hour educational group sails in 2010 is $1,250. This fee includes all costs associated with our boat-based educational programs. Transportation costs are the responsibility of the applicant.
Clearwater is able to offer a limited number of partial scholarships to schools and groups serving youth in underserved and environmental justice communities. Contact the Sail Coordinator for further information and for application guidelines.
Your educational trip aboard sloop Clearwater may be eligible for assistance through BOCES. Check with your local BOCES office for more information.
Teaching the Hudson Valley is offering Explore Awards for which Clearwater trips are eligible. Find the application guidelines here.
The cost of private charters for 2010 is $2000 for adult non-profit groups; $2500 for individuals; and $3000 for businesses. These prices are not inclusive of the cost of catering or of musicians. All charters help Clearwater underwrite our environmental education and advocacy program.
Curriculum Options
Once a boat trip is scheduled, a Clearwater educator will contact the teacher or group leader and discuss options for themes for the trip and pre-trip classroom activities. An optional classroom visit by a Clearwater Educator can also be scheduled to prepare the students for their Hudson River experience. Clearwater’s core curriculum has been developed to meet New York State Learning Standards on in a wide variety of topics.
Please choose from one of our Program Themes to help direct the sail program towards what you have been studying, a topic you would like to explore or to fullfill a grant requirement. Every educational sail includes fishing, raising sail, music and hands on learning stations. We offer five learning stations with each theme, to see which stations will be taught during your chosen theme take a look at our Overview.
Associated with each theme are a series of suggested pre-trip and post-trip Classroom Materials to help your students get the most out of their Clearwater experience. Your class can follow the boat’s progress along the river and participate in collecting scientific data before and after their sailing excursion.
The Boat Experience
When you arrive at the dock, the educator will be there to meet you. If your students have book bags which could be left at school or on the bus, please leave them behind. There are facilities aboard but try to arrive with enough time for everyone to use the restrooms before boarding the boat. Kids can bring snacks. We will not take time to eat lunch on the boat, except during 5-hour sails. No food is sold on the boat, but water is always available onboard and it is best if the kids bring their own water bottles. Name tags are a huge help, especially with younger students if you are able to provide them.
Your group will be divided into smaller groups, each of which will have a Clearwater crewmember to serve as their guide while onboard. After introductions, you will board the boat and be introduced to the captain, who will give a talk on safety rules for all passengers.
After the safety talk, a typical sail involves using the Clearwater fishing net to sample Hudson River life. The kids help set and haul in the net, and sing traditional sea chanteys to help pull the net back on the boat. Most of the fish are immediately released back into the river, but some are kept onboard in an aquarium for later study before being released at the end of the day.
After fishing, the students are taught to raise the sail. Clearwater’s mainsail is very large and heavy (over 3,000 lbs.) Working as a team, the kids heave and haul away and the Clearwater transforms into a sailing vessel before their eyes. Once the sail is raised, the kids break into their smaller groups and begin the formal education program onboard, working their way through our learning stations. A period of silent contemplation is part of each sail, as is music and singing.
Safety and Life Jacket Policy
Your children are in good hands when onboard! Clearwater’s professional crew has been selected to combine the talents of a competent sailing team with those of a trained education staff. Volunteers and interns augment the work of Clearwater’s licensed captain, crewmembers, and educators. The ratio of adults to children on any sail is approximately 1:4, which means that your child will be very closely supervised at every point during their time onboard.
Clearwater is a sub-chapter T United States Coast Guard inspected vessel. Clearwater is subject to and complies with all USCG and Federal Communications Commission regulations, and is inspected twice annually: One inspection gauges the integrity of the vessel itself by examining the hull and other physical features of the vessel; and one inspection examines the ability of the crew to respond properly to an emergency and assesses the appropriateness of the vessel’s safety equipment, including fire extinguishers and personal flotation devices. Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. mantains full liability coverage for all programs.
Life Jacket Policy
The Coast Guard does not require students to wear life jackets on board a boat the size of Clearwater , but they are available if a school insists on them being worn, and Clearwater carries double the number of P.F.Ds than our maximum number of passengers. Students are better able to move about the boat, focus on learning stations and particiapte in physical activities without life jackets. However, we understand that many parents and schools require them and will provide them to students and adults alike if they are requested.
Weather
On the days before the trip, check the weather. Clearwater sails rain or shine so prepare the students. Remember that it can be much cooler on the water. During sunny, warm days, kids should have sunscreen, hats, and a water bottle. On cooler days, kids should dress in layers and if there is a threat of rain, have them bring raincoats (ponchos are not recommended). Even if it is lightly raining, the kids can have a great time.
Clearwater will not sail during severe or dangerous weather. We try to give schools as much advance notice as possible if we do need to cancel because of weather. If Clearwater cancels a sail because of weather or other unforeseen circumstances, schools are given the option of being rescheduled (if possible), receiving a full refund, or given credit for a sail in the future.
Continue Learning
For more information on how to prepare yourself and your students for a Classroom of the Waves sail check our Teacher Resources Page.
Classroom of the Waves is just the begining! See how to climb the ladder of leadership and join our Education Pipeline.
