As he embarks on his 94th year, one could thank Pete Seeger for any number of things: his gift of music, his social activism, his work for the environment.
For a group of middle-schoolers who gathered at the 79th Street Boat Basin last week, though, the most immediate reason was this: It was thanks to Seeger that they’d escaped the classroom for the morning.
Instead, they’d spend a few hours sailing the Hudson on a replica of a 19th-century schooner, on a trip run by Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, the organization Seeger founded in the late 1960s to clean up the then-ailing river.
This weekend, Clearwater holds its annual Great Hudson River Revival, a fest that dates back to the beginnings of Seeger’s effort, when he held a string of concerts to raise money. It’s the year’s highest-profile event for the organization, bringing attention to the sloop Seeger built and dubbed the Clearwater, and the group’s success in bringing the river back to life.
During the rest of the year, though, the Clearwater organization quietly continues its mission to advocate for the river — and a key part of that is educational sails like this one. Today some 30 seventh-graders from Egbert I.S. 2 in Staten Island climb aboard a 110-foot schooner and gather midship. This is the Mystic Whaler, which for the last decade has served as a downstate adjunct to the Clearwater, which docks in Beacon, NY.
Head educator Capt. Phil Frandino, a South Carolinian with a hoop earring and a freewheeling manner, greets the kids. He starts with some basics, breaking down ship directionals — port, starboard, bow, stern. Next up, for some light manual labor, the kids line up to hoist the main sail as Frandino belts out a sea shanty.
Soon Frandino talks about the river itself: The part they’re on is an estuary, where a river meets the tides and fresh and salt water mix. “They’re one of the most important ecosystems in the world,” he says.
Next, the kids rotate through a series of small-group lessons. There’s geology, where they talk about how the Hudson River Valley was formed, and biology, where they discuss the river’s creatures. They learn basic chart-reading in navigation, and, in chemistry, measure the water’s oxygen content, a healthy 9 parts per million. (“The fish are loving that,” says instructor Zoraida Maloney.)
Then comes a potentially challenging assignment for the digital generation: a few minutes of silence. “Use your senses,” says Frandino. They’re on “America’s grand river,” he tells them: “Appreciate where you’re at.”
He breaks the silence with a song: Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” followed by an upbeat number about riding the river. He tells the tale of how Seeger, “mortified” at the pollution-choked river, decided to take action.
The lessons get a finer point as the sail continues. Frandino asks them to think about overuse of plastic bags; about water-wasting 15-minute showers. “These are the habits you guys have to start trying to change,” he says.
For a final demonstration, he takes a jar of clean water and has the kids introduce substances representing various contaminants: oil, pesticides, PCBs, sewage.
Whether that last sample is genuine is a consuming point of interest; Frandino neither confirms nor denies.
“You guys have got to be the ones to change this stuff,” he says, getting to the crux of the message. “It’s not me — I’m getting too old here.”
Back on dry land, the kids give the trip high marks.
“I loved it,” says Richie Keleman, to agreement from his pal Dennis Gatti. “It’s a good idea that they’re trying to help the environment.”
Seeing how the ship’s crew lives — in bunks below deck — was extra cool, they agreed: “It’s different from regular lives,” says Gatti.
And there was the aforementioned escape from the classroom. “This was a lot better,” says Keleman.
In addition to hosting school groups, the Clearwater and Mystic Whaler offer regular public sails. Two will leave from Brooklyn Bridge Park on July 4 and 6, with a third embarking from the 79th Street Boat Basin on July 12. For info and reservations, see clearwater.org, or call 845-265-8080.
FOR PETE’S SAKE!
Running today and Sunday, the 2013 Clearwater Festival features music, dance, storytelling and other family-friendly attractions spread over seven stages. (As befits a fest with an environmentalist theme, they’re sustainably powered.) There’s a juried crafts exhibit, a green-living expo, a “working waterfront” exhibit with boats and rides, a farm market and more, and you might find Pete Seeger roaming with a banjo to boot.
Headliners include Son Volt, Mavis Staples, Kris Kristofferson, David Bromberg, Jill Sobule, Acoustic Hot Tuna, and Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience.
The fest takes place at Croton Point Park, Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Doors open at 9 a.m. each day. Music and other events run from 11 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. Single-day tickets are $90, a weekend pass is $150; kids 12 and under are free with an adult. For info, see clearwaterfestival.org.