By Maija Niemisto, Director of Shipboard Education

Last fall the fifth graders from Main Street School came out to the banks of the Hudson River for an educational program with  Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. They arrived at the dock in Yonkers on a blustery October day with winds speeds too high to allow for a safe sailing program. Instead of sailing on the sloop, the fifth graders spent three exciting hours with the boat at the dock learning about the Hudson River fish, simple mechanics of a traditional sailing ship, the history of the environmental movement and the current conditions of our waters.

Being along side the dock allows the students to access many part of the ship that are not normally open to passengers. The fifth graders left the ship excited and informed but still yearning to sail.

Teaching the Hudson Valley provides grants, curriculum and educational experiences through Clearwater and other organizations in the Hudson Valley. Through an “Explore Award” contest, the fifth graders at Main Street School submited essays about Clearwater to Teaching the Hudson Valley and expressed their desire to be considered for a grant to cover a return to the vessel for a fieldtrip.

Mrs. Susan Wallace’s class generated amazing accounts of their experience on the ship and eloquently articulated their excitement to return to the Hudson River the following spring.

In January, we received the news that Aayushi Jha had won the award and her entire class would be funded to sail again aboard Clearwater! On May 30th, Mrs. Wallace, Aayushi and the rest of the class returned to the dock in Yonkers for one of the best sails our crew has seen on the sloop Clearwater.

Students were able to reach a higher level of understanding about environmental issues and the state of the Hudson River. They enthusiastically deployed the trawl net and caught an amazing diversity of fish that surprised even the veteran sailing crew. They hauled up the three-thousand pound sail with such gusto that we thought there were twice the number of students aboard. Students identified the fish, steered the ship, and sang every Pete Seeger song the crew presented.

Aayushi Jha was the hero of the day. Thanks to her wonderful essay, the efforts of Mrs. Wallace, and the support of Teaching the Hudson Valley, Clearwater was able to provide a wonderful hands-on experience for these students. Read Aayushi Jha’s essay below!

 

Tug Of War
Mrs. Wallace’s and Mrs.Slafani’s class were at Yonkers Pier. We were supposed to sail the Clearwater, but we couldn’t because the wind was striking as fast as lightning.

“Switch!” yelled Jocelyn.  My group, King of the Seas, was at the geology station. It was just about time to switch stations. Our next station was Tug of War, and our leader at the station was Chelsea. The station was based on pulleys. “Alright everybody, who is feeling strong today?” she asked. Max and I raised our hands. “You two get on this side of the rope. Now you four get on the other side of the rope,” said Chelsea. “Four verses two, they are surely to win,” I thought. “When I count to three and say pull, you tug on the rope. Ready 1……2…….3……….pull!!” We pulled as hard as our hands can pull. The rope was scratching against my hands, but I kept on pulling. We were pulling really hard. And…………….WE WON!!!

I was surprised to know that we won. “Guys good job!” yelled our leader. So you want to know why this team beat the other team?” asked Chelsea.  “YES!” we all screamed loudly. “So does anybody know why they won?” We all began to the think at once. Then I got it. “I think we won because we had a help of a simple machine, the pulley,and they didn’t.” She said, “Yes you are right since there are five ropes coming out, you two had the strength of ten people because 2.5=10.” “Ooo…” we all cooed. “Alright everybody time to switch,” said Jocelyn. “Just in time to finish,” said Chelsea.

From the Clearwater Sloop field trip, I learned:

  • They scrub the decks with salt water
  • Just because the water looks dirty doesn’t mean it is dirty
  • Pulling the line to raise the sails is not easy
  • Pulleys are a great help to raise the sails
  • One small creature called the zebra mussels can ruin the whole river.

I would really like if we would be able to go back on the Clearwater, because we could catch fish, steer the sloop, haul up the sails, and MOSTLY………..sail the Clearwater!