Riverkeeper Sweep at the Nack Center site

Come down to the future site of the Nack Center to learn more about the project and help clean up the site. Bring your work gloves, boots and long sleeves to the Hudson Waterfront between noon and 3pm. We will be landscaping and cleaning up garbage and debris but also taking time to show people around the site, talking about Nack Center and the next steps in its development. All participants(of age) get a ticket for a free beer at Crossroads Brewery in Athens. Park in the gravel parking lot at the Hudson Waterfront park and follow signs to the Nack Center.

Closing out another amazing sailing season

As the mercury drops we are pulling the boats in for the winter and looking back on another great season. We took out over 180 members of our community on free sails this year many of which had never been out on the Hudson before. Our community sailing program is done for the year but we want to thank all of our great volunteers for making it happen. Margot Becker, Jason Marlow, Roman Horst, Brett Miller, Emma McCann, Ed Csukas and Christin Ripley all put in many hours to make the program happen. A big thanks to Sam Merrett our "On the Water" coordinator for keeping the program running year after year.

See you next spring Hudson

Sunday Sail Postponed to 9/10/1

Sailors take note that our September community sailing day will be moved from Sunday 9/3/17 to the following Sunday 9/10/17. It will still be at our regular time from 2pm to 6pm at our usual meeting spot at Ricks Point at the Hudson Waterfront Park, and will be FREE as always open to the public.

So come on down and get out on the River with the Sloop Club NEXT Sunday.

WE GOT SHAD!

They were almost too small to see but luckily we had microscopes.

We would like to thank Chris Nack and Family for giving us an amazing workshop at the Hudson Waterfront.  We caught larval shad from right off the docks in Hudson and put them under microscopes to see what they looked like up close and personal. There was a great turn-out, and everyone learned a huge amount about shad in the Hudson River.

The event was sponsored by New York Sea Grant, Virginia Sea Grant, the Hudson River Foundation and SUNY ESF. Thanks so much to everyone who helped put this great event together and to everyone who came out.

Chris Nack workshop on June 3rd

The loss of the Riverloft

On the morning of Wednesday, January 18th, we learned that The Riverloft building at 59 N. Front St. was burning. The building, which was recently donated to our community partners and friends at Kite's Nest, also housed all of the Sloop Club's materials and supplies. The fire destroyed the entire building and everything in it. The building was completely demolished by the end of the day. Kite's Nest and The Hudson Sloop Club suffered deep, material losses, but we are so grateful that no one was harmed, and no lives were lost in the fire.

We are so saddened for Kite's Nest, whose dreams for the future were deeply invested in their plans for the building and the site at 59 N. Front St. We will do all we can to support them as they begin to imagine new ideas and make plans for the future. Our organizations will continue to work together to rebuild, and grow stronger.

In the midst of this disaster, we are so grateful to the firefighters, police, and the first responders who fought the fire throughout the night, morning and into the evening, keeping our community safe. We want to thank the more than one hundred firefighters from Hudson, Greenport, Stottville, Claverack and Catskill who worked so hard to contain and fight this fire, as well as the Mayor, the DPW, the Hudson City Police Department and the State Fire Investigators that spent hours and hours at the building.

We also want to thank the many, many community members that reached out to The Hudson Sloop Club throughout the day on Wednesday, and in the past few days to offer their support, we are so grateful to live and work in this amazing community.

We are processing and evaluating this loss, connecting with our partners at Kite’s Nest, and throughout this community and we will be in touch with future plans for rebuilding. Thank you for your ongoing generosity and support.

Community meeting Sept. 19th

The Hudson Sloop club will be hosting the first in a continuing series of community meetings to discuss the development and construction of the Everett Nack Estuary Education Center on Monday September 19th at 5:30pm.

The center will be a community resource, open to the public and as such we are excited to offer a public forum where we will update the community on the current status and progress of the Center, answer questions and take input and feedback. The meeting will be hosted by our partners at Kites Nest and will begin with a quick walking tour at 5:30 pm and will continue with a slideshow and discussion at 6pm with snacks and refreshments.

Check out the ENEEC page on our website for more info on the project and feel free to contact NIck Zachos at hudsonsloopclub@gmail.com with any questions

Sloop Club Summer Camp 2016

Twenty campers (ages 9 - 15) came together to discover the active community of fish and wildlife in the Hudson River Estuary, while getting a taste for steering a sailboat. During this one-week workshop hosted by our partners at Kites Nest, campers participated in a combination of land and water-based activities: understanding how sailboats work, learning maneuvers and vocabulary, going fishing, testing water quality, and building simple tools to read wind, current, and speed. Each day, (weather-permitting), campers spent time on the water, sailing: trying their hand at steering and trimming sail, learning sailing fundamentals, and going places only accessible by river. 

2016 MIDDLE SCHOOL BOAT FLOATS!!!!

With only a few days left in the school year an all star crew of 4th, 5th and 6th graders from Montgomery C. Smith intermediate school finished the boat we have been building after school for the past 10 weeks. The small row boat which was aptly named "Boat Line Bling" passed all flotation and hydrodynamic testing with flying colors at its launching at Oakdale this Tuesday. Mathew Gonzalez, Jennifer Winfield, Elyza Medina, Chanelle Perkins and Ashanti Armstrong spent the entire spring working to craft the boat start to finish, learning the crafts of woodworking and boat building. A big thanks to Joanne Allie, Kathy Clark, Mark Brenneman and everyone at the Hudson Blue Hawk Nation After-school Program for all their support and hard work.

Sloop Club launches our long awaited fishing program

Spring of 2016 has marked the arrival of our exciting new fishing program. With the influx of Striped Bass, Herring, Shad and other migratory fish into Hudson River on their annual spawning run, the Sloop club followed in chase with rod, reel and net to give our community a chance to experience the world class fishing we have available at our doorstep. Through generous donations from Colin Stair, Paul Cassidy and Vernon Evenson we were able to launch our new fully rigged fishing boat just in time for the spring migration.  We were outfitted with the best of gear though the generous support of Riverview Marine and River Basin Sports. Working with our partners from the Hudson Youth Department and Greater Hudson Promised Neighborhoods we focused our efforts for this year on kids in our community who have not had access to the river or fishing opportunities, and we are happy to say that everyone who came out with us caught a fish! We received a huge response to this program and will be working hard to expand quickly to offer more fishing trips year round for kids and adults alike who are looking to get out and get after some fish. 

Thanks to everyone for another amazing fish fry

It was a beautiful Friday afternoon and we would love to thank everyone who helped make our 2016 annual Friday Fish Fry a huge success. Thanks to the Mayor, the Common Council, the Arts and Entertainment Committee, the DPW all of the volunteers and everyone who came down and brought a potluck dish. Our aspiring fisherman caught catfish, perch, bluegill, bass and even an american eel to stalk our display tank for the afternoon before releasing the fish. The wind was perfect for sailing and the sunset capped off the evening. As the Sloop Club continues to develop and our community continues to come down to the river we hope to make our annual "Friday Fish Fry" every Friday at the waterfront...

Friday May 27th HSC Annual Fish Fry! 3-7pm!

FRIDAY FISH FRY! Come join us at the waterfront on Friday May 27th from 3-7pm for a celebratory potluck to mark the end of the Hudson River's spring fish migration. Bring a dish! We will be serving fish, hamburgers, and hot dogs. There will also be fishing and boat rides from the dock!

The EVERETT NACK ESTUARY EDUCATION CENTER

The City of Hudson, in partnership with The Hudson Sloop Club has been awarded $91,780 from the Hudson River Estuary Program to develop a community education center at the Hudson Riverfront. This grant will fund the development of the Everett Nack Estuary Education Center in Hudson, named in memory of Everett Nack, a local fisherman, naturalist, and advocate for the river. The site for the ENEEC is an acre of Hudson River frontage with the remnants of an historic pier and slips, directly south of Rick’s Point and the Hudson Waterfront Park. The Hudson Sloop Club will be administering the project for the City of Hudson and running the facility with partner organizations once the project is complete.  

The site will need to be cleared of brush and overgrowth before light landscaping can occur. Next, the ENEEC building will be constructed using a recycled shipping container, customized with windows, doors, and a solar system to enable it to operate “off the grid.”        

The ENEEC will be designed to offer hands on and experiential displays and activities, and will host visiting environmental educators and scientists. The ENEEC will also serve as a riverfront information center for community members and visitors to Hudson. An aquarium, regularly stocked with local marine life will be a visual centerpiece, alongside wildlife and habitat displays. River data about tides, temperature, turbidity, and other factors will be displayed on real time screens. The center will have a learning library of books and resources about the Hudson River’s ecology, and history, and information about local boat rentals, tours, and other recreational opportunities. The facility will be equipped with technology for water quality monitoring and recording, for seine netting, and with shared fishing gear and tackle. A full cycle estuary viewing station will include a digital microscope connected to a computer and projector for large scale viewing, and educational purposes.

When complete, ENEEC will become a resource for local scientists, students and researchers enabling access to valuable ecological data and flexible space for interpretive learning. The Center will be an educational resource accessible not only to the community within the city of Hudson, but for the larger communities of Columbia and Greene counties and the Hudson valley at large. Schools, environmental groups, summer camps, individuals and families will have access to this new facility for classes, workshops, talks and on-the-water programming. The Center's mission and programming will be developed by a collaborative team of local educational, environmental and river based organizations working together with the community.

The Hudson Sloop Club is so excited to partner with City on this project, and is grateful to the Hudson River Estuaries Program for making this dream possible.

Stay tuned for more info to come soon, and upcoming community meetings to discuss this amazing development......

 

HUDSON SLOOP CLUB SAILING CAMP

Sailing and Stewardship: Expeditions on the Hudson River.

Monday, August 22 - Friday, August 26
9am - 3:30pm. Ages 9 - 15.
$425. Sliding-scale program fees available for families who qualify.
 

Join the Hudson Sloop Club Sailing Camp! Discover the active community of fish and wildlife in the Hudson River Estuary while getting a taste for steering a sailboat!

During this one-week workshop with the Hudson Sloop Club, campers will participate in a combination of land and water-based activities. Our time on land will be spent understanding how sailboats work, learning maneuvers and vocabulary, going fishing, testing water quality, and building simple tools to read wind, current, and speed. Each day, (weather-permitting), campers will spend some time on the water, sailing: trying their hand at steering and trimming sail. We'll start the week learning sailing fundamentals, and then we'll test our newfound skills, going places we can only access by river.

We hope that together we'll develop a sense of connection to and stewardship for the Hudson River by experiencing, firsthand, the traditions, ideas, tools, and skills of mariners. We’ll get to know our local environment and river, exploring new territories, and learning how to set sail. And of course, we'll have fun: enjoying each other, the summer, the river and the place we live!

A camp in partnership with the HUDSON SLOOP CLUB: Sam Merrett, Christin Ripley, and friends

Big News! The HSC has official NON-PROFIT Status!

Hey Hudson Sloop Club supporters!

We are so excited to announce that we have finally received our official non-profit status (501c3). We now qualify for local, state and government grants, and we can take tax deductible donations from individuals and foundations! This is a huge moment for the Sloop Club, our non profit status will enable us to grow as an organization in many ways.  We are so grateful to Kristal Heinz for all her legal help! If you are interested in making a year-end, tax deductible donation, contact us at hudsonsloopclub@gmail.com or donate through our donate page!

In addition to our 501c3 application, we have had a busy year! We launched a community sailing program, continued our free after-school boat building program at the Hudson Intermediary School and hosted our third summer of Hudson Sloop Club Summer Camp.

Summer Sailing:

This summer the HSC launched a series of community sailing programs at Hudson’s waterfront! We offered a variety of classes from “Free Community Sails on Sunday” to “Intro to the Navigating the Hudson River” and “2 and 4 Hour Sailing Classes.” All classes were either free or offered for a sliding scale fee. Through our sailing program we reached over 150 new and experienced sailors, young and old! We are excited to expand our sailing program in 2016! Stay tuned!

Summer Camp:

This year at HSC Summer Camp, Hudson children aged 8 to 15 built wonderful experimental watercraft: a bicycle powered catamaran, a fishing and trash collecting river barge, and a coro-plast, battery powered origami skiff all took to the river at our EXPO! We went to Oakdale to swim and fish, went aboard the Clearwater to learn from the crew and try our luck at casting off the deck, and collected trash 55 gallon barrels to reuse on Middle Ground Flats. We hope to continue to partner with local community organizations like Kite’s Nest, Perfect Ten, Oakdale, the Boys and Girls Club and others in future HSC summer camps!

Boat Building After-School Program at MCS Intermediary School:

Through an ongoing partnership with the Hudson Bluehawk Nation After School Program the HSC has taught woodworking, boat-building and design skills to over sixty 6th graders at Montgomery C. Smith Intermediary. We value this partnership so much and can’t wait to continue again in the Spring!

HSC SAILING WRAPPING UP! LAST PROGRAMMING OCT 3TH AND 4TH!

We have had an incredible first season and are going to wrap it up the first weekend in October. Come Sailing with the Hudson Sloop Club! 

The Sloop Club's sailing program comes to a close for the season with community sailing classes on Saturday the 3rd and FREE Community Sailing on Sunday the 4th! 

Classes are open to anyone aged 14 and up, and sliding scale pricing is available! Sunday's one hour sails are FREE, first sail leaves the docks promptly at 2pm and last sail is at 5pm at the public docks at the Hudson Waterfront, open to all ages you just have to be over 50lbs fit our PFDs!

Class descriptions:

Saturday, October 3th:

Saturday Sails, 

2:00-4:00, $40.00: Cruise by the Hudson Lighthouse, Middle Ground Flats and Athens, get a feel for sailing on the Hudson River in this 2-hour sail.

4:30-6:30, $40.00: Cruise by the Hudson Lighthouse, Middle Ground Flats and Athens, get a feel for sailing on the Hudson River in this 2-hour sail.

Sunday, October 4th:

Community Sails 2pm - 6pm, Free!! Want access to the Hudson! Join the Hudson Sloop Club for a Free sail at the Hudson waterfront this Sunday. Sails leave the dock at 2:00, 3:30 and 5:00. Donations not mandatory, but accepted.

Email: sloopclubsailing@gmail.com to sign up, or find out more!

www.hudsonsloopclub.org

HSC SAILING CONTINUES! THIS WEEK, TUESDAY SEP 1ST AND FRI SEP 4TH-SUN SEP 6TH!

Looking for something fun to do this week? Come Sailing with the Hudson Sloop Club! 

See flyer below.

The Sloop Club's sailing program comes to a close this month with Intro to Navigating the Hudson and a Two-Hour Sail on Tuesday the 1st and with community sailing classes on Saturday the 5th and FREE Community Sailing on Sunday the 6th! 

Classes are open to anyone aged 14 and up, and sliding scale pricing is available! Sunday's sails are FREE, show up between 2pm and 7pm at the public docks at the Hudson Waterfront!

Class descriptions:

Tuesday, September 1st
Intro to Navigating the Hudson, 5:30pm - Sunset, $20.00** Learn about the characteristics of the Hudson River, and how to safely navigate your boat. Learn how to predict tides and currents, clouds and weather; learn local shallows and bottom substrates and “Rules of the Road” for your boat and commercial traffic on our area of the Hudson River.

Tuesday Sail, 5:30pm - Sunset, $20.00** Cruise by the Hudson Lighthouse, Middle Ground Flats and Athens, get a feel for sailing on the Hudson River in this 2-hour sail.

Saturday, September 5th:
Saturday Sail, 5:30pm - Sunset, $20.00** Cruise by the Hudson Lighthouse, Middle Ground Flats and Athens, get a feel for sailing on the Hudson River in this 2-hour sail.

Four Hour Sailing Basics, 4pm - 8pm, $90.00** Catch the sailing bug? Got the itch to learn more? This four hour sail will show you how to rig a boat, sail at different angles to the wind, maneuver, and introduce you to basic terminology.

Sunday, September 6th:
Community Sails 2pm - 7pm, Free!! Want access to the Hudson! Join the Hudson Sloop Club for a Free sail at the Hudson waterfront the this Sunday. Sails are 2 hours or less. Donations not mandatory, but accepted.

Email: sloopclubsailing@gmail.com to sign up, or find out more!

www.hudsonsloopclub.org

HSC Sailing Continues! THIS WEEKEND, Aug 1st-2nd and TUESDAY Aug 4th!

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Come Sailing with the Hudson Sloop Club! 

The Sloop Club's sailing program continues this month with community sailing classes on Saturday the 1st, FREE Community Sailing on Sunday the 2nd, and Intro to Navigating the Hudson, and Two-Hour Sailing on Tuesday the 4th! 

Classes are open to anyone aged 14 and up, and sliding scale pricing is available! Sunday's sails are FREE, show up between 2pm and 7pm at the public docks at the Hudson Waterfront!

Class descriptions:

Saturday, August 1st:
Saturday Sail, 5:30pm - Sunset, $20.00** Cruise by the Hudson Lighthouse, Middle Ground Flats and Athens, get a feel for sailing on the Hudson River in this 2-hour sail.

Four Hour Sailing Basics, 4pm - 8pm, $90.00** Catch the sailing bug? Got the itch to learn more? This four hour sail will show you how to rig a boat, sail at different angles to the wind, maneuver, and introduce you to basic terminology.

Sunday, August 2nd:
Community Sails 2pm - 7pm, Free!! Want access to the Hudson! Join the Hudson Sloop Club for a Free sail at the Hudson waterfront the first Sunday of every month. Sails are 2 hours or less. Donations not mandatory, but accepted.

Tuesday, August 4th
Intro to Navigating the Hudson, 5:30pm - Sunset, $20.00** Learn about the characteristics of the Hudson River, and how to safely navigate your boat. Learn how to predict tides and currents, clouds and weather; learn local shallows and bottom substrates and “Rules of the Road” for your boat and commercial traffic on our area of the Hudson River.

Tuesday Sail, 5:30pm - Sunset, $20.00** Cruise by the Hudson Lighthouse, Middle Ground Flats and Athens, get a feel for sailing on the Hudson River in this 2-hour sail.

Email: sloopclubsailing@gmail.com to sign up, or find out more!

www.hudsonsloopclub.org

Tuesday Night Sailing Rescheduled to Thursday Night, DUE to WEATHER!

$20 Tuesday Night Sailing will be THURSDAY this week!!

The regular Sloop Club Tuesday Night Sailing and Intro to the Hudson River Class are both moved to Thursday this week due to weather!

Classes start at 5:30 at the waterfront. The "2 Hour Sailing Class" is geared toward beginners to encourage new sailors! The "2 Hour Intro to the Hudson Class" is a great way to widen your understanding of the river and learn how to enjoy it safely on any type of vessel! You must RSVP to sloopclubsailing@gmail.com to sign up.

Thanks to those who came to Community Sailing on Sunday. For everyone who didn't make it, come join us for FREE afternoon sails Sunday, August 2nd- 2:30pm to Sunset.

Middle Schoolers Launch Their Plastic Origami Boats!

Check out our SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CORO-PLAST BOATS! The HSC wrapped up another year of working with the 6th graders at Montgomery C. Smith Intermediate School. This spring we designed model paper boats and then scaled them up and built bigger plastic versions using 5' by 10' corrugated plastic sheets. The results were some totally unique, light, and functional boats! Congrats to our middle school boat builders!