Hinchey announces $400K for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater

KINGSTON―More than $400,000 in state funding has been awarded to strengthen Hudson River education, conservation, and youth leadership through investments in Hudson River Sloop Clearwater’s environmental education programming and Riverkeeper’s Water Justice Lab.

State Senator Michelle Hinchey (D-Saugerties) made the announcement Tuesday at the Kingston Waterfront where the sloop is currently undergoing a major hull restoration.

Two hundred thousand dollars was provided by Hinchey through the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to support Clearwater's vessel operations and environmental education programs, including its onboard and shoreline Field Trips, Junior Bosun, and Youth Empowerment Programs. Another $200,000 pledged by the senator to support restoration of Clearwater’s hull, helping ensure the vessel can continue to meet U.S. Coast Guard requirements.

Hinchey also secured $15,000 to strengthen Riverkeeper’s Water Justice Lab summer program delivered in partnership with the Kingston YMCA Farm Project. It will provide stipends for local high school students and STEM programming that engages youth from Kingston’s Environmental Justice communities in field-based environmental science at the Hudson River Maritime Museum and local waterways.

“The Hudson River is one of the most important natural resources in America, and for generations, people of all ages and from every walk of life have stayed vigilant in the fight to restore it,” said Hinchey.

“Protecting the Hudson River for the next hundred years means investing in the people who will carry this responsibility forward and in the organizations building those connections today,” she added.

Listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, the 106-foot sloop Clearwater is a living piece of Hudson Valley history, and the region’s last remaining native historic tall ship still sailing the river. It was the vision of legendary American folk musician and environmental activist Pete Seeger.

Designed after the Dutch cargo-carrying sloops that traveled the Hudson in the 18th and 19th centuries, Clearwater launched in 1969 and now welcomes thousands of guests aboard each year, serving as a unique floating classroom where visitors can learn riverine ecology and history firsthand.

“For more than five decades, Clearwater has connected people to the Hudson River in a way that no classroom ever could,” said David Toman, executive director of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

The 10-month, $1.2 million restoration project, underway at the Hudson River Maritime Museum, will rebuild the transom and topsides―the upper sections of the hull above the waterline and the flat surface at the stern―helping ensure the iconic vessel can continue safely sailing the Hudson River for generations to come. Work will continue through April of 2027 and the public will be invited to visit the shipyard and witness the restoration process firsthand.

“Whether a student is hauling a line aboard the sloop, discovering life along the shoreline, or hearing the stories of the river from our crew, those firsthand experiences build a lasting connection to this remarkable place,” said Toman. “Our historic vessel is more than a ship, it is a living classroom, a cultural landmark, and a gathering place that inspires people of all ages to understand, appreciate, and protect the Hudson River.”