About our Sailing Classroom Program

Clearwater is recognized for its unparalleled environmental education programs, through which hundreds of thousands of students have investigated the ecology, history, and environmental challenges of the Hudson River. Our award-winning Sailing Classroom program is a once-in-a-lifetime Hudson River field trip aligned with NYS standards, complements classroom learning, and aims to create the next generation of environmental leaders.

The centerpiece of Clearwater’s educational offerings is the Sailing Classroom program. The deck of a traditional sailing ship is a uniquely powerful platform for students to learn about the river’s natural wonders and cultural significance. For many, this unique perspective of the Hudson River and environmental education forges a lifetime connection with nature. Onboard the Sloop Clearwater, students learn by doing. Students become:

  • Scientists – by performing water quality tests and examining live creatures
  • Captains – by steering the ship with a quick lesson from our captains
  • Sailors – by working together to use their bodies and brains to hoist the mains’l
  • Observers – by participating in a moment of silence to take in the experience

To book a Sailing Classroom Field Trip, email Sales and Booking Coordinator, Ella Agoos at ella@clearwater.org.

Learn more about our inquiry-based Learning Stations!

Booking a Sail

Booking a sail is first come, first served.

  1. Click Here to go to our FareHarbor calendar, where you will be able to see what location we’ll be sailing out of for each date. If you have any questions, skip to step 2.
  2. Reach out to Ella Agoos, Sales and Bookings Coordinator, at sched@clearwater.org or 845-265-8080 ext. 7107 to discuss your group’s needs and book a slot.
  3. We will follow up with your reservation request via email with a digital form to fill out and sign. This email will provide you with all of the information for your sail, as well as information about cost, payment, and cancellation policy.
  4. Complete payment is due 6 weeks (30 business days) before your program date or you will forfeit your reservation. This does not apply to schools paying through BOCES.

Program Cost

Cost
Programs will now be offered on a sliding scale. The Sailing Classroom costs $4,500 to facilitate, but we offer the program at a reduced price for the following:

  • Title I Schools: $1,100
  • Public/Private Schools/Camps/Nonprofit: $1,600
  • Post-Secondary Schools: $2,500

*Transportation costs and arrangements are the responsibility of the group. If transportation costs are a barrier, please let us know. *

The total cost is offset by the generosity of our supporters!

Payment
Complete payment is due 6 weeks (30 business days) before your sail or you will forfeit your reservation. This does not apply to schools paying through BOCES.

Contact Us

If you have additional questions about sailing, please review our Frequently Asked Questions below. You can also contact our Sales and Booking Coordinator, Ella Agoos at ella@clearwater.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

Payment
Complete payment is due 6 weeks (30 business days) before your sail or you will forfeit your reservation. This does not apply to schools paying through BOCES.

Cancellation

  • If you have fully paid for your sail and cancel it more than 8 weeks prior to the date of your sail, you will receive a full refund.
  • Cancellations made between 8 and 4 weeks before the scheduled sail date will be refunded 50%. For cancellations made by the group within 4 weeks of the date of the sail(s), there are no refunds.
  • For bookings made WITHIN 4 weeks, all fees are non-refundable.
  • If at the time of cancellation, the Group has not submitted payment for the Onboard Program(s), the Group shall be responsible for remuneration of Clearwater the above penalty as applicable.
  • This does not apply to schools paying through BOCES.

Thank you for helping us maximize the number of students who sail the mighty Hudson River!

  • BOCES provides field trip funding for public schools throughout New York State. Check with your local office for more information.
  • Community Foundation Grants for Ulster and Dutchess Counties
  • Connect Kids: New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) administers grants to support “education and outreach” including funding for field trips “to facilitating access for title 1 school districts, municipalities, and not-for-profit organizations to outdoor recreational activities, public lands and parks providing environmental education opportunities in environmental justice, inner city and underserved communities.”

  • Primary, Secondary, Undergraduate, and Graduate Students, as well as continuing education groups.
  • The Sailing Classroom does not accommodate groups younger than fourth (4th) grade. Consider a land based, Tideline Discovery Program for a younger group featuring Clearwater’s award-winning curriculum.

Groups in grades 4 through 12 must be accompanied by at least one chaperone 18 years of age or older.

Passenger safety is Hudson River Sloop Clearwater’s highest priority. Relying on the determination of the vessel’s Captain, Clearwater may cancel any Onboard Program if: in the judgment of the Captain, weather conditions or forecasts or any other circumstances pose safety risks relating to the Onboard Program or the vessel, or any other circumstances beyond the reasonable control of Clearwater make the Onboard Program impossible, inadvisable or impractical.

Clearwater reserves the right to end any program or sail before the listed end time for any reason, including failure of any passenger to cooperate with any reasonable requests of the Captain or crew or to maintain a reasonable standard of behavior.

Passengers will also respect the personal boundaries and space of all crew members and fellow passengers to ensure a sail that is safe and enjoyable for everyone.  The crew is on hand to offer any assistance, their main role is the safe operation of the sloop, if you need any help do not hesitate to ask.  We ask that teachers and chaperones assist in encouraging safe behavior and ensuring attention is paid to the educators. Students can get over-excited and sometimes forget to be their cooperative, eager, happy selves. Chaperones and teachers need to be alert to the children’s behavior and help minimize diverted attention.

Harassment or hate speech toward Clearwater Crew, Staff, volunteers, or passengers will not be tolerated and may result in a permanent ban from future sails and Clearwater events.

Each individual or group (including, but not limited to individual ticket holders, charterers, members, student participants, chaperones, and teachers) acknowledges that the vessel’s Captain has full authority to determine rules of behavior aboard the vessel and other matters relating to activities and conditions aboard the vessel. Each passenger assumes full responsibility for ensuring that they and their group cooperate with the requests of the Captain and Crew. Passengers must acknowledge that the vessel’s Captain reserves the right to terminate an Onboard Program at any point in the event that the group is unable to comply with the rules of behavior aboard the vessel.

Participating in a Clearwater program involves inherent risks and other risks that can cause or lead to death, injury, illness, or property damage. Passengers agree to assume all of the risks of the activities of the Clearwater program, whether inherent or not, and even if not described by the Captain and crew onboard.

We sail under most weather conditions except for those that are deemed unsafe, such as thunder/lightning, sheeting rain, and/or extremely high winds, so please check the forecast the day of your sail and be sure to dress for the weather.  We do not cancel sails based on weather forecasts, so cancellations usually occur the day of the scheduled sail, although we make every effort to provide as much notice as possible of a cancellation.

For public sail passengers: Should the weather be questionable, you may call 845-265-8080 x7142 to check on the status of your sail. In case of a weather-related cancellation, you will be contacted by a crew member at the cell phone number or email address you provided. Should we cancel a sail due to weather, your sail fee will either be refunded or your reservation transferred to another sail of your choosing, and as availability allows.

For group sails: Should the captain cancel your sail, you will be contacted at the number or email address you provided on your sail program information sheet. You will then have the option of participating in a dockside education program (at a 40% discount of your sail rate, and weather dependent); having your sail rescheduled (as availability allows during the same season or the following season); or of receiving a full refund. Unfortunately, we cannot schedule rain dates in advance. Should you choose to cancel your sail due to concerns about the weather and our captain deems the weather safe to sail, you will not receive a refund or be eligible for a rescheduled sail.

We can accomodate up to 45 passengers per sail.

Clearwater‘s passenger capacity is determined by the United States Coast Guard. Carrying more passengers than permitted by the certificate of inspection is a federal crime. Passenger count includes all passengers regardless of age.

It is generally a few degrees cooler out on the water than it is on land, but there is very little shade on the decks of Clearwater, we recommend dressing in layers and wearing plenty of sun protection- Hats, sunblock, and sunglasses are all useful. In case of rain, rain jackets are preferable to ponchos, as they are less problematic in the wind. Flat, comfortable footwear is recommended.

Hydration is extremely important while sailing: We strongly suggest that all passengers bring reusable water bottles when they come onboard. For Sailing Classroom programs, please plan for students to eat lunch on land before or after the sail and leaving lunches on the bus.

All of our sails, unless otherwise noted, each Hudson River field trip will depart from and return to the same dock. Which direction we sail in and how far we travel is dependent on the tide, current, and wind. Sailing onboard Clearwater centers the experience of being on the water and experiencing the Hudson River from that perspective.

It is very rare for passengers to become seasick while onboard. Clearwater was designed to navigate the kinds of inland waters we sail in. Broad of beam and very low to the water, the sloop is extremely stable.

In the event of motion sickness, the medical officer on duty is available to assist.

For educational group sails, the youngest children we sail with are fourth-graders. We do provide educational group sails to mixed-age groups, but children younger than the fourth-grade level must not make up more than one-quarter of the total number of passengers, and extra chaperones may be required.

For public sails, children of all ages are welcome onboard with proper adult supervision. Clearwater has a limited number of infant/toddler life jackets onboard: Please verify their availability with the Onboard Program Coordinator before sailing, or feel free to bring your child’s own P.F.D.

You 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 captains, crewmembers, and educators. The ratio of crewmembers to passengers on any sail is approximately 1:4, which means that you and/or your child will be very closely supervised at every point during your 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 for safety annually: the 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. Clearwater is also inspected by the US Coast Guard bi-annually to gauge the integrity of the vessel itself by examining the hull and other physical features of the vessel.

The Coast Guard does not require Clearwater’s passengers to wear flotation devices during their trip, but Clearwater always carries enough P.F.Ds for our maximum number of passengers.

All passengers boarding Clearwater are given a thorough safety talk by the captain before departure. This talk includes the setting of boundaries on the deck, the proper method for climbing the ladders leading below decks, and the location of and method for putting on life jackets.

Many of our docks have public facilities on site, and we encourage our guests to avail themselves of them prior to boarding.

Clearwater’s head, or boat toilet, is more like an outhouse than a bathroom, with a barrel of wash water for hand washing on deck. Please note that the heads are only accessible by climbing down a ladder, which may not be accessible for all passengers.

People with disabilities sail with us often. Some areas of the boat are not accessible to people with limited mobility or those in wheelchairs, as they are accessed via ladders or steps. These areas are: Below decks (including the heads/bathroom), and the quarterdeck. Please note that, although Clearwater’s crew is comfortable assisting people with disabilities as they board and disembark, not all of our docks are fully accessible to wheelchairs or people with limited mobility. Please check with the Sales and Booking Coordinator via email at sail@clearwater.org to find out which docks would be most appropriate and to find out how we can accommodate people with disabilities aboard all of our sails.