Sloop Clearwater
Sloop Clearwater sailing up the Hudson River
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| History | |
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 United States
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| Name: | Clearwater |
| Builder: | Harvey Gamage Shipyard, South Bristol, Maine |
| Laid down: | October, 1968 |
| Launched: | May 17, 1969 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | gaff sloop |
| Length: | 106 ft (32 m) overall |
| Beam: | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Draft: | 8 ft (2.4 m) |
| Propulsion: | sails; auxiliary engine |
| Sail plan: | mainsail, main topsail, jib |
| Notes: | 4305 sq ft. (387.5 m²) total sail area |
| Location | Beacon, New York |
| Built | 1968 |
| Architect | Hamlin, Cyrus; Gamage, Harvey Shipyard |
| NRHP Reference # | 04000376 |
| Added to NRHP | May 4, 2004 |
The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Beacon, New York that seeks to protect the Hudson River and surrounding wetlands and waterways through advocacy and public education. Founded by folk singer Pete Seeger with his wife Toshi Seeger in 1966, the organization is known for its sailing vessel, the sloop Clearwater, and for its annual music and environmental festival, the Great Hudson River Revival.
In 1969, the Clearwater made her maiden voyage down the Atlantic Coast from the Harvey Gamage Shipyard in Maine to the South Street Seaport in New York City. Folk musician Tom Winslow wrote a folk music song, "Hey Looka Yonder (It's the Clearwater)", in which the lyrics specifically mention the fundraising efforts for the sloop, and how "black and white" people got together for this program.
Based for many years in Poughkeepsie, New York, the Clearwater moved its office to Beacon, New York in 2009.
The Clearwater and the Clearwater Festival have worked to draw attention to the problem of pollution of the Hudson River. Pollution in the river has included mercury contamination and sewage dumping, but the most discussed issue has been General Electric's contamination of the river with Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) between 1947 and 1977. This pollution caused a range of harmful effects to wildlife and people who eat fish from the river or drink the water. The activism of folk singer Pete Seeger and the Clearwater led to the area being designated as one of the superfund sites.
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