Alexandr first caught the tall ship bug at age 13, when he sailed aboard the Mystic Whaler. Without financially accessible opportunities in Oregon, sailing was out of reach. Years later, he learned about Clearwater from a housemate who worked aboard in 2020, and volunteered for a week in 2023, falling in love with sailing and reconnecting with his grandfather’s legacy of sailing in Southern California.
As the engineer for our 2025 season, Alexandr’s favorite part of life on board is repairing and developing better systems to maintain the sloop’s main engine, the oldest part of the boat. His time aboard even inspired his Master of Divinity thesis on decolonial theologies arising from maritime traditions. Alexandr has also been struck by Clearwater’s unique multi-generational connections, with many people coming to know, sail, and work aboard the sloop because someone they love was connected to it. For him, it’s a powerful reminder of how formative Clearwater has been for so many generations of people on the Hudson River.
If you sail with us this season, you might hear Alexandr break the sloop’s traditional moment of silence with Pete Seeger’s rendition of Healing River. He also hopes more people will come to know the Hudson’s layered history of sustainable fishing and trade, stories of working-class and Indigenous communities that are often overlooked or erased.
Alexandr invites all who care about the river to support the Clearwater Trainee Programs, one of the last remaining paid jobs training opportunities in the maritime industry.
For almost 60 years, Clearwater has trained the next generation of shipwrights, sailors, and environmental educators because of the generosity of donors like you. Help us keep the Clearwater magic alive and the sloop sailing for the next generation.
