What Hudson River Sloop Clearwater does

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater is a member-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1969 by folk singer Pete Seeger and headquartered in Beacon, New York, with operations out of Kingston, NY. The organization owns and operates the historic wooden sailing sloop Clearwater — designated America's Environmental Flagship — and uses it as a floating classroom and advocacy platform for Hudson River protection. Its core service lines include public sailing experiences (Public Sails), K-12 educational field trips (Sailing Classroom), the Youth Empowerment Program (jobs training for young people), the Tideline Discovery and Mudlark Summer programs for families and children, and the annual Great Hudson River Revival music festival. Programming is delivered primarily to schools, families, youth, and community organizations in the Hudson River Valley; private and corporate charters extend reach into team-building and events.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack combining transactional program fees (Public Sails, Education Sails at $15+ per adult-child pair, Mudlark Summer at $475/week, Private/Corporate Charters by quote, the Practical Navigator Captain's Course at $650), recurring membership contributions and donations, grants and corporate sponsorships, benefit concert ticketing and galas, and merchandise sales across Square, Etsy, and Bonfire storefronts. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through clearwater.org, Fare Harbor booking, Dice.fm for concerts, and Constant Contact for email outreach, supported by an unusually broad owned social channel footprint (Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, Tumblr, VK). Customer segments are segmented across four primary groups — schools and educational institutions, youth and young adults, corporate groups, and families/general public — with schools and families as the largest, most recurring demand base.

Clearwater also functions as an environmental advocacy organization, maintaining core campaigns on Hudson River PCB Superfund cleanup, the EPA Endangerment Finding, Indian Point decommissioning, Newburgh PFAS contamination, and invasive species, in coalition with Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, and Bennington College. The organization's principal physical asset — the 57+ year-old sloop — is undergoing a planned 2026-2027 Transom and Topsides Restoration Project starting August 2026, signaling a near-term operating-window constraint that will require expanded fundraising and charter revenue diversification.

Name

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater

Legal name

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater

Website

https://clearwater.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater is a Beacon, NY-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1969 by Pete Seeger that operates the historic wooden sailing sloop Clearwater as a floating classroom, delivering environmental education sails, youth empowerment programs, public sails, and Hudson River advocacy across the Hudson River Valley.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education and Sailing Experiences

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Sailing Experiences (Lessons, Regattas, Day Sails) (THAJAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational Cruises & Shipboard Learning Programs (THAKAGAM), River Cruise Charters (Private/Group) (THAEACAE)

Keywords

• Environmental education programs
• Sailing classroom programs
• Hudson River advocacy
• Youth empowerment training
• Nonprofit sailing experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Beacon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public and Education Sails: Ticket sales for public sailing experiences, education sails for school groups, and community tideline programs
2. Private and Corporate Charters: Revenue from private charter bookings including corporate team-building events
3. Membership and Donations: Member-supported nonprofit model with annual membership contributions and one-time donations
4. Merchandise Sales: Online store, Etsy shop, and bonfire shirt sales
5. Benefit Events and Concerts: Fundraising concerts featuring musicians like Steve Earle, Tommy Sands, and Jenna Nicholls
6. Grants and Sponsorships: Community sail sponsorship opportunities and foundation/government grants

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater operates a historic wooden sloop vessel as a floating classroom and provides environmental education programs, public and educational sailing experiences, youth empowerment training, and community advocacy for Hudson River protection. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit sells tickets for public sails, charters the vessel privately and to corporations, and runs structured educational curricula for schools and youth across the Hudson River Valley.

Product overview

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater operates as a member-supported nonprofit organization that owns and operates the historic Hudson River sloop Clearwater, recognized as America's Environmental Flagship. The organization offers a diverse portfolio of programs centered around the vessel, including public sailing experiences, award-winning educational field trips through the Sailing Classroom program, youth empowerment and jobs training programs, private and corporate charters, and community-based initiatives. The sloop serves as a dynamic platform for environmental education, advocacy, and public engagement with the Hudson River ecosystem. Core programs include Public Sails, Education Sails (Sailing Classroom), the Youth Empowerment Program (YEP), Tideline Discovery, Mudlark Summer Program, and the annual Great Hudson River Revival music festival.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Sails Scenic sailing experiences aboard the historic Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, offering passengers light refreshments and views of the Hudson River; for individuals, families, and the general public.
• Education Sails (Sailing Classroom) Award-winning educational field trips where K-12 students learn about the Hudson River ecosystem, sailing, and environmental stewardship through hands-on experiences aboard the sloop; for school groups and educators.
• Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) Youth jobs training program providing young people with paid experience in sailing, environmental education, and leadership development aboard the Clearwater; serves 90+ participants annually.
• Private Charters Private sailing experiences for individuals or groups looking to charter the sloop for personal events or celebrations; pricing available by quote.
• Corporate Charters and Partnerships Corporate sailing events and partnership opportunities for businesses seeking team building or environmental corporate responsibility activities.
• Community Sail Sponsorship Program allowing individuals or organizations to sponsor community sails, making sailing experiences accessible to underserved populations.
• Tideline Discovery Program (Community Tideline Program) Half-day community education programs for parent-child pairs to explore the Hudson River ecosystem together; priced at $15 per adult-child pair, ideal for children ages 7+.
• Mudlark Summer Drop-Off Program Land-based summer program for children entering grades 4-5 (ages 8-11) held at Long Dock Park, featuring outdoor adventure, river exploration, and environmental education activities.
• Homeschool Programs Educational programming designed specifically for homeschool families and students exploring the Hudson River ecosystem.
• In-School Programs Classroom-based environmental education programs that bring Hudson River education into schools for K-12 students.
• Pint Size Pirates Early childhood program introducing young children to sailing and river exploration concepts through age-appropriate activities.
• Paddle For Our Hudson Paddling event and program that engages participants in Hudson River exploration and advocacy.
• Hike and Learn Program Educational hiking program combining outdoor activity with Hudson River environmental education content.
• Practical Navigator Captain's Course Professional maritime training course held at Clearwater's office in Beacon, NY, teaching advanced navigation and captain skills; $650 for the five-day January 12-16, 2026 session.
• Winter Open Boats Seasonal open house events held at the Hudson River Maritime Museum, allowing public access to learn about the sloop during winter months.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 onboard volunteers engaged annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Freedom 250flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Event partnership for America's 250th anniversary celebrations. Clearwater was invited to participate in the Sail4th 250 parade in New York Harbor with tall ships from around the world. The partnership was notable due to controversy over political banners (Save the Clean Water Act, Indigenous Rights) resulting in the vessel's removal from the parade.
• New Yorkers for Clean Water and Jobs CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partnership for environmental advocacy, specifically supporting the Environmental Protection Fund and clean water initiatives in New York State
• Scenic HudsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing environmental advocacy partner for Hudson River protection, river access initiatives, and collaborative advocacy efforts including Hudson River Advocacy Day
• RiverkeepercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental advocacy partner for Hudson River protection, water quality monitoring, and collaborative advocacy efforts
• Hudson River CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner advocating for EPA action on Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site cleanup
• Hudson River Maritime MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome port partnership in Kingston, NY. Museum serves as location for winter storage, maintenance, Open Boats events, and restoration work
• Bennington CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental Action Fellowship program hosting student fellows to support environmental education and advocacy work

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Operates floating classrooms and education sails on the Chesapeake Bay using historic and replica vessels — the closest large-scale analog to Clearwater's Sailing Classroom model and youth environmental programs.
• South Street Seaport Museum: New York-based maritime heritage nonprofit operating historic vessels with sailing programs and education — comparable on urban waterfront, historic-vessel operations, and school-group programming.
• SoundWaters: Connecticut-based nonprofit delivering hands-on marine science education aboard dedicated vessels — comparable operating model combining a flagship education boat with school programming, public sails, and donor support.
• Mystic Seaport Museum: Operates historic vessels as floating classrooms and museum exhibits with education programming, restoration expertise, and member-supported funding — directly comparable on vessel-based education and wooden-boat restoration.
• Hudson River Maritime Museum: Clearwater's Kingston home-port partner; operates complementary exhibits, restoration work, and education programming in the same Hudson Valley market — overlapping donor and visitor pool.
• Scenic Hudson: Direct coalition partner and Hudson Valley-focused environmental nonprofit; comparable geographic footprint, advocacy focus, and member-supported funding model centered on river protection.
• Riverkeeper: Long-standing Clearwater coalition partner; both organizations focus on Hudson River water quality advocacy, member-supported nonprofit funding, and shared educational programming — directly comparable mission, geography, and donor base.

Broad incumbents

• National Audubon Society: Large, established environmental nonprofit with coastal education centers and advocacy programming; broader portfolio but comparable member-supported funding model and youth education offerings.

Regional players

• Save the Sound: Regional environmental advocacy and education nonprofit focused on Long Island Sound; comparable mission and education programming model but operating in a different Northeast watershed.

Emerging players

• Apprenticeshop: Nonprofit boatbuilding and seamanship school in Maine offering education programs aboard historic-style vessels; comparable education-first mission and wooden-boat expertise, though smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sloopclearwater
• Facebookfacebook.com/sloopclearwater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hudson-river-sloop-clearwater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hudson River Sloop Clearwater