Restoring the Clearwater

Clearwater is a historic Hudson River Sloop, modeled after the Dutch-inspired vessels that sailed the Hudson River in the 18th and 19th centuries. Hudson River Sloops were a type of sailing vessel unique to the region, once numbering in the hundreds and of great importance to the history and economy of what is now New York State. No longer hauling solid cargo like her ancestors, the sloop Clearwater has, for over five decades, fulfilled her mission as ‘America’s Environmental Flagship.’

Clearwater launched from Harvey Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine on May 17, 1969. Since launching, our dedicated crew, shipwrights, and volunteers have worked tirelessly to keep Clearwater river-ready with maintenance weeks during the sailing season, annual winter restoration, and large-scale projects every few years.

In addition to being a dynamic space for education and advocacy, it is the only remaining full-size example of a Hudson River Sloop. Evolving from Dutch designs over the several centuries since their arrival, in the 19th century, when the materials and skilled labor necessary to construct plank-on-frame wooden sailing vessels were widely available and cheap, deteriorating sloops would frequently be scuttled or converted to other rigs after 5-15 years of service. Unlike her predecessors, the Clearwater has sailed for 55 years, leading education programs and community engagement on the river. 

Each winter, Clearwater undergoes regular annual restoration and stewardship from November – March at our homeport at the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston. Our winter crew works alongside skilled shipwrights to ensure Clearwater is ready for our next sailing season. Every fall the crew “downrigs” the boat, removing all the lines, gear, and deck boxes, and then performs a detailed inventory. Standard winter maintenance involves re-painting and re-varnishing deck boxes and hatches, servicing all our blocks (pulley systems), repairing seams between deck planks, and winterizing the engine. Larger maintenance projects, such as replacing planks, happen on a rotating basis. The complex project management skills and technical know-how needed reflect the years of training our shipwrights, captains, and crew have received. By hiring new winter trainees every year and teaching them carpentry and maintenance skills, Clearwater provides valuable vocational training and ensures that the ancient craft of wooden boatbuilding is passed on to a new generation.

Its continued operation has only been possible thanks to an ongoing, multistage effort to restore the hull, decks, rigging, and other structural elements over the past twenty-five years. The sloop has undergone periods of rebuilding of the various timber components of her hull, the main body of the boat over which the deck and rigging are constructed, by crews of skilled shipwrights and devoted individuals and volunteers. Indeed, the organization has benefitted from not just the vision of its founder, Pete Seeger, and its gifted education teams, but from the dedication of a handful of highly knowledgeable and skilled captains who have maintained stewardship of the vessel herself.

Other ways to help:

Donate what you already have:
Some helpful items you can send to the office:

• Power or Hand Tools (new or gently used)
• Work Gloves (cotton or durable leather in quality condition)
• Hand, Nose, Ear, Eye Protection (N95 Masks, Boxes of Nitrile Gloves and Earplugs, Noise Cancelling Headphones and Goggles/Glasses)

Purchase New  Items
Send us items directly using our Amazon Wishlist or use the list to pick up items from your local hardware/marine supply store and have them shipped to our office at 724 Wolcott Ave.,  Beacon, NY, 12508.

(Please note the exact name and description of each item to make sure the sloop gets what it needs.)

If you’re donating something from your home, please contact the Port Captain at portcapt@clearwater.org first to arrange your donation.