Clearwater Project Provides Students A Day Of Learning And Fun On Hudson River
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Some students got a different kind of lesson on the water Wednesday.
CBS2's Meg Baker joined the young sailors on the historical Sloop Cleawater for a day of learning and fun on the Hudson River.
"So these are both really large, heavy sails, and like any task that is difficult, it works so much better if we work together to get it done," said Rosie.
Rosie, a volunteer from Queens, led the New York City public school students in raising the 3,000 pound sail and taught respect for the water.
"I really enjoy passing that message on to the kids of all ages," she said.
The 46-year-old sloop is a replica of a dutch cargo ship designed specifically for the Hudson River to carry lumber, furs and other goods between New York City and Albany more than three centuries ago, Baker reported.
"The cargo that we carry is students," said Capt. Annika Savio. "I love that we bring so many people out on the boat who live really close to the Hudson but never really get to experience it."
The crew teaches more than 10,000 students a year, trading in their traditional classrooms for one that's more than 300 miles long and a mile wide: the Husdson River.
Anastasia Sielski, 19, is learning alongside an even younger generation.
"I came here with my high school when I was younger and I fell in love with it," she said.
During the hands-on trip toward the George Washington Bridge and back, students went fishing, even catching a hogchoker.
Volunteers say this is a unique New York experience were you get just as much as you give.
The Clearwater project was started by musician and activist Pete Seeger in 1966 when the Hudson River was filled with sewage, toxic chemicals and oil pollution.