FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 6, 2026
Protecting Clean Water Is Not Political: Clearwater Statement on Removal from Sail4th 250 Parade of Sail
On Saturday, July 4, the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater was directed to leave the Sail4th 250 Parade of Sail while serving as the designated escort vessel for the Portuguese tall ship NRP Sagres after being invited to participate by Sail4th 250 organizers.
Over an hour after the parade began, two U.S. Coast Guard vessels came alongside Clearwater and instructed the sloop to leave the parade route and exit the security zone. At first, we believed there had been a misunderstanding. As our captain and Coast Guard personnel spoke directly from vessel to vessel, we were informed that Clearwater was being removed because of banners displayed aboard the vessel reading “Save the Clean Water Act” and “Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions.”
While we disagree with our removal, the safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority. Clearwater complied with the directions of the U.S. Coast Guard and was escorted south of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge by the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, and NYPD. Neither the participation agreement nor the Captain’s Handbook explicitly prohibited the display of these banners, and Clearwater was never offered the opportunity to remove the banners and continue in the parade. We have not received that explanation directly from event organizers.
Clearwater remained south of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in Gravesend Bay, well outside the Security Zone, until after 3 PM as ordered, with the crew, volunteers, and passengers spending the intermediate time singing songs, discussing threats to the Hudson River, and fishing with the seine net to teach our passengers about the fish of NYNJ Harbor.
For more than 55 years, Clearwater has used its sails to carry messages of environmental stewardship, peace, and hope. The sloop participated in Operation Sail 1976 during the nation’s Bicentennial celebration and Operation Sail 1986 during the rededication of the Statue of Liberty. During the 1986 parade, Clearwater displayed banners reading “Peace on Earth, And Sea, and Sky” and another expressing solidarity with the Rainbow Warrior after it was bombed and sunk in Auckland Harbor. Raising awareness has been as much a part of Clearwater’s history as raising the sails.
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater does not view clean water, climate solutions, or human rights as political, but as fundamental values that have guided this organization since its founding, and underlie the organization’s efforts to protect the Hudson River and steward an intergenerational Hudson River community through education, advocacy, sailing, and music.
We are grateful for the overwhelming support we have received from our members, partners, fellow mariners, and people across the country. We remain committed to protecting the Hudson River, caring for our communities, and ensuring that future generations inherit a healthy and accessible river.
About Hudson River Sloop Clearwater
In 1966, folk singer Pete Seeger and a group of activists decided to “build a boat to save the river,” envisioning that a sloop would bring people to the shoreline and inspire a movement to protect the Hudson River. Three years later, Clearwater set sail with a mission to save the Hudson through education, advocacy, and sailing. Today, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater remains resolute in this mission, and to date, more than half a million people have had the life-changing experience of sailing aboard the Clearwater. Learn more: https://www.clearwater.org/
Contact:
Jen Benson, Director of Communications
jen@clearwater.org, 585-943-7454
Photos available on request.
