Clearwater is excited to announce a re-envisioned return of Pumpkin Sail to the Hudson Valley with dockside events through the month of October. 
Join Sloop Clearwater as we partner with long time friends and collaborators, Schooner Apollonia, at riverfront parks for a celebration of the harvest time and a tribute to river communities that will be fun for the whole family.
Clearwater and Apollonia will be docked at each Pumpkin Sail venue offering deck tours and dockside programs for the community that will include pumpkin-themed activities, music, and refreshments available free of charge, but with a suggested donation. The launch event will take place on October 14th, 2022 in the City of Hudson, NY at 3:00pm for an autumn celebration and Fish Fry hosted by the Hudson Sloop Club in Henry Hudson Riverfront Park.
At the Pumpkin Sail event in Brooklyn, NY, Schooner Apollonia will be making deliveries for their BoatBox program, that contain products from Hudson Valley shipping partners like Poor Devil Pepper Company, Viking Maple, Atina Foods, Hudson Valley Bee Supply, and other sustainability-focused small companies.
Folk singer and Beacon, NY resident Pete Seeger spearheaded the effort to build the sloop, which first sailed into the Hudson River in 1969 as a platform of grassroots advocacy. Voyages transporting pumpkins from Albany to New York City, coupled with riverfront autumnal c
elebrations became known as “Pumpkin Sail,” in 1971.
These days, we’re leaving the sail freight to Sam Merrett and Schooner Apollonia. Hudson River Sloop Clearwater remains focused on advocacy in Hudson Valley communities through direct connections that inspire lifelong stewardship of the living river.
We hope to see you down at the river!
Pumpkin Sail crafting, c. 1980’s, from the Clearwater archives