Workships, Panels, and Planning for the Maiden Visit in 2022! 

On November 13, 2021, the Sailing School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum and the Kingston Sailing Club co-hosted its fifth annual women’s sailing conference. This was a virtual event, from 10 am to 4 pm. 

Keynote Speaker Tracy Edwards, MBE, of Maiden fame, enthralled and inspired her audience with stories from the famous all-women’s 1989-90 Whitbread Around the World Race campaign which she led.  She explored the resilience she developed as a young sailor and explained this quality is just what is needed as we navigate the depths and shoals of our current times. Tracy discussed how she and others are bringing that flexibility and energy to The Maiden Factor Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting education for girls around the world. 

Most exciting, Tracy announced the vessel Maiden will be restarting its around-the-world sailing trip in early 2022, and the fact that the vessel and its crew will be visiting us at the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston, New York in June, 2022!

​In addition to the keynote, the conference presented 12 workshops on topics including weather for the mariner, sailing as therapy, navigation, rules of the road, safety, buying a boat,  sustainability, and more. There were four racing workshops including How to Develop as a Racing Sailor with Dawn Riley, Executive Director of Oakcliff Sailing in Oyster Bay, New York, who was recently inducted into the US National Sailing Hall of Fame.

Finally, the conference concluded with a panel of sailors, representing seven local sailing organizations, who presented a variety of ways people can get out on the water. It was a wonderful day bringing men, women and youth together to learn and grow as sailors. 

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the launch of the trailer and a crowdfunding campaign to complete the new documentary film “Seven Sentinels: Lighthouses of the Hudson River.”

Of the dozens of lighthouses and lights that once dotted the Hudson River, only seven remain. This iconic American river, at the heart of the rise of New York City and westward expansion into the interior of the continent, was also a transportation super highway long before automobiles were invented. Throughout it all, the lighthouses kept watch, guarding the safety of the Hudson’s waterborne traffic.
But no comprehensive history of these lighthouses exists. Until now.

The idea for this film has grown out of decades of Hudson River lighthouse interpretation, including research, exhibits, articles, short films, presentations, and the book.

Together with filmmaker Jeff Mertz of Moonbow Imaging, the Hudson River Maritime Museum is creating a feature-length documentary film: “Seven Sentinels: Lighthouses of the Hudson River.” This beautifully shot film will place the lighthouses in historic context, tell the fascinating stories of the buildings themselves and their keepers, and outline how these seven have survived to the present day, and how to preserve them for generations to come.

The museum and Mertz spent part of 2020 and most of 2021 partnering with lighthouse organizations, historians, and historic preservationists to record interviews and get footage of the interior and exterior of all seven of the Hudson River Lighthouses: Hudson-Athens, Saugerties, Rondout, Esopus Meadows, Stony Point, Sleepy Hollow, and Jeffrey’s Hook (a.k.a. the “Little Red Lighthouse”). 

Those interested in learning more about the film, each of the lighthouse organizations, and how to donate can visit www.hudsonriverlighthouses.org. Supporters through Indiegogo can receive perks like DVDs, signed Hudson River Lighthouses books, lighthouse tours, supporters-only film screenings, credits, and more.

The museum has already received partial support from Ulster Savings Bank, Rondout Savings Bank, and the County of Ulster’s Ulster County Cultural Services & Promotion Fund administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.

​Learn more about the steamboat “Mary Powell,” Queen of the Hudson

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the upcoming lecture “Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson,” held on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at 7:00 PM. 
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Have you ever wondered how the Mary Powell got so famous? Director of Exhibits and Outreach Sarah Wassberg Johnson will discuss the history of the steamboat Mary Powell in this illustrated virtual lecture. 

Learn about the economic and social conditions that led to her construction, the lives of her owners and captains, and why she was “Queen” from the beginning. From the beginning of the Civil War to the U.S. entrance into World War I, the Mary Powell oversaw it all. Hosting famous passengers like President Ulysses S. Grant and Walt Whitman, leading national events like the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty in 1886, and fending off multiple challenges to her throne. Beloved until the end, the post-WWI “death” of the Mary Powell inspired eulogies and poems from fans locally and around the world, and she continued to represent the golden age of steamboating on the Hudson River long after she was gone. 

Sarah Wassberg Johnson is the Director of Exhibits & Outreach at the Hudson River Maritime Museum and researched and wrote much of the text for the museum’s exhibit, “Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson.” She is the editor and co-author of Hudson River Lighthouses (2019) and editor of the museum’s Pilot Log and History Blog. She has an MA in Public History from the University at Albany.

Tickets are $5 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. To register, visit www.hrmm.org/lecture-series.

For more than a decade the Hudson River Maritime Museum's "Follow the River Lecture Series" has hosted historians, authors, and maritime experts for engaging illustrated talks on a variety of regional history and maritime subjects. In recent years, many of the lectures have also been recorded and are available on YouTube. For more information about upcoming lectures and to access recordings of past lectures, visit www.hrmm.org/lecture-series. The series is sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank.

​Sessions for beginners include knife rack and nautical rope wreath

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Wooden Boat School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum will offer a number of holiday-themed woodworking classes throughout December. Fun and creative sessions enable students of all experience levels to create thoughtful and personalized gifts for family and friends, as well as locally made home decor. 

Students will create a matching live edge cutting board and knife rack during a 1-day class on Saturday, December 4. Each student will pick a flitch of locally harvested and kiln dried hardwood, then use draw knives, sanders, and other tools to plan dimensions, smooth their material, and embed magnets to custom make these common kitchen tools.

People can register for an intro to leatherworking session on Sunday, December 5, during which students will choose leather varieties and colors to make a handcrafted leather wallet. On Saturday, December 11, staff will offer a fun introductory class to create scroll saw holiday ornaments. Students will select designs, learn to read patterns, and use basic cutting techniques using a scroll saw. Other classes throughout December include a parent/child cardboard dulcimer build on Saturday, December 11, nautical wreath construction on Sunday, December 12, and a wooden block plane class on Saturday, December 18. A calendar and registration details can be found at www.hrmm.org/woodworking. 

Introductory woodworking classes at the HRMM Wooden Boat School are designed for beginner woodworkers. Curriculum includes an overview of materials, tool use, and shop safety. Instructors work with small class sizes which allow students to learn at their own pace and customize their creations. Also offered at the school are after-school youth sessions and an extensive foundations of woodworking series, as well as more advanced woodworking courses on timber framing, boat building, and vessel restoration.

The Wooden Boat School was founded by the Hudson River Maritime Museum in 2015 to preserve the maritime craft traditions of the Hudson Valley and to teach a hands-on interpretation of the living history of the Hudson River. The school offers diverse curriculum and opportunities which inspire skills in woodworking, boat building, and maritime craft. Also available are restoration services for wooden boats. A class calendar and details can be found at www.hrmm.org/woodworking.

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The HRMM Sailing School and Kingston Sailing Club will host the 5th annual Riverport Women's Sailing Conference on Saturday, November 13, 2021, from 10:00am-4:00pm. The event is virtual and will include presentations and panels featuring women mariners. Topics include maritime navigation, safety around large vessels, outboard engine troubleshooting, and more. The event is open to anyone who is interested in sailing regardless of experience. 

The conference will feature a keynote address from Tracy Edwards whose story is chronicled in the documentary film Maiden. Edwards, a 24-year-old cook on charter boats, overcame the odds to become the skipper of the first all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World sailing race in 1989.

A schedule of topics can be found on the HRMM museum website at www.hrmm.org/sailing-school. Conference participants can choose from a variety of workshops and presentations including sessions from Dawn Riley of Oakcliff Sailing, Deborah Mellen of Impossible Dream, Elizabeth McCarthy from SUNY Maritime, and Haley Lhamon of Team Sail Like a Girl. Workshop choices include weather/wind, rules of the road, basic navigation, safety around large vessels, outboard engine troubleshooting, buying a boat, sustainable sailing, introduction to racing, and more. All sessions will be presented by experienced women mariners. 

Men are welcomed to attend the conference. Organizations such as sailing teams, community sailors, yacht club groups, and school groups are encouraged participate. General admission is $60 per household, and $50 for museum members. The fee for registration as an organization is $150. Advanced registration is required and is available at www.hrmm.org/sailing-conference.

The Sailing School at Hudson River Maritime Museum offers a variety of sailing experiences for youth and adult students. Classes are available for every level of experience and include 1-day introductory sessions, youth groups, and certification opportunities. The school hosts the annual Riverport Women’s Sailing Conference each November and is the only US-Sailing-accredited sailing school in the Hudson Valley. Learn more at www.hrmm.org/sailing-school. 

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the upcoming lecture “The Orca-Human Bond: The True Story Behind Whaler’s Daughter,” held on Wednesday, November 3, 2021 at 7:00 PM. 

Author Jerry Mikorenda joins us virtually to discuss the history behind his new novel, The Whaler’s Daughter, published in July, 2021. 

In Two-Fold Bay, Australia, Aboriginal people built a symbiotic relationship with orcas, who helped them hunt baleen whales for centuries. These practices were adopted by “station” whalers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this engaging multimedia presentation, author Jerry Mikorenda will reveal the real-life places, history, and stories, like the “Legend of Old Tom,” that inspired his new young adult novel, The Whaler’s Daughter (July, 2021). Learn about Aboriginal whaling, orcas, station whaling, and the technological wonders of the whaleboat. This presentation also features the sights and sounds of the mythical New South Wales town of Paradise, designed to enhance a live reading from the novel.

Jerry Mikorenda’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Herald, The Gotham Center History Blog, and the 2010 Encyclopedia of New York City. His biography America's First Freedom Rider: Elizabeth Jennings, Chester A. Arthur, and the Early Fight for Civil Rights was published in 2020. His historical novel, The Whaler’s Daughter was published by Regal House in July 2021.
Tickets are $5 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. To register, visit www.hrmm.org/lecture-series.

The Follow the River Lecture Series is sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank.


About the Follow the River Lecture Series
For more than a decade the Hudson River Maritime Museum's "Follow the River Lecture Series" has hosted historians, authors, and maritime experts for engaging illustrated talks on a variety of regional history and maritime subjects. In recent years, many of the lectures have also been recorded and are available on YouTube. For more information about upcoming lectures and to access recordings of past lectures, visit www.hrmm.org/lecture-series. The series is sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank. 

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Wooden Boat School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum will host a yard sale of tools, equipment, and various boat building ephemera on Sunday, October 31 from 10am to 4pm. Proceeds from the sale will support improvements to the wood shop at the school which offers a variety of woodworking classes and boatbuilding experiences. Also available for purchase will be raffle tickets for a drawing of the Atkin’s Nymph sailboat which will happen at the end of the day.

The public is invited to donate tools to the school in advance of the sale which may be used in curriculum or sold at the event. Tool donations can be dropped off at the Wooden Boat School from Monday, October 25 through Friday, October 29, from 9am to 5pm. The sale and raffle will take place at the school’s wood shop located on the museum campus at 50 Rondout Landing in Kingston’s historic waterfront Rondout district.

Items will be priced to go and staff are hoping the sale will help make room for new projects. Proceeds from the boat raffle will support youth boat building programs. The Atkin’s Nymph is a 10’ wooden sailing skiff that was built by the 2018/2019 Youth Boat class. Tickets are $10 each or 3 for $25 and will be available on site. Tickets can also be purchased in advance at the museum store, open Thursday-Sunday, 11am-5pm, or by calling 845-338-0071. Winners need not be present to win. 

People can support the school in a number of ways. Staff are seeking volunteers with various skill sets, as well as new equipment including a stationary belt sander, shop vac, work truck, and casters. Financial support is always welcome and donations of boats also support the organization. A calendar of classes and details on how to support can be found online at www.hrmm.org/boat-school. People can also email Wooden Boat School Manager Becky Sellinger at bsellinger@hrmm.org.  

About the HRMM Wooden Boat School
The Wooden Boat School was founded by the Hudson River Maritime Museum in 2015 to preserve the maritime craft traditions of the Hudson Valley and to teach a hands-on interpretation of the living history of the Hudson River. The school offers diverse curriculum and opportunities which inspire skills in woodworking, boat building, and maritime craft. Also available are restoration services for wooden boats. Learn more at www.hrmm.org/woodworking. 

KINGSTON, N.Y. – Hudson River Maritime Museum is offering local tales of legends and lore aboard Solaris on Friday and Saturday evenings throughout October. Passengers will explore the Hudson River and Rondout Creek by searchlight and listen to legends and lore of the Hudson River from the pages of Washington Irving or straight from newspaper headlines of centuries past. Guides will share stories including the tale of the serpent of the Hudson River, the terrible crime of William Salisbury, and Rondout's barge graveyard. Tickets range from $20-$25 and all proceeds support the museum’s educational programs. 

Solaris is the museum's 100% solar-powered tour boat and floating classroom. The boat was built on campus at the Wooden Boat School and is the only solar-powered boat in operation on the Hudson River. This quiet vessel does not require any fossil fuels to operate. The lantern cruises are part of over a dozen themed tours happening this season, including visits to local shipwrecks, Indigenous history events, and trips to the Rondout Lighthouse. 

All boat tickets include general admission to the museum, open Thursday-Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm. This event is one of over a dozen themed boat tours happening on the Rondout Creek and Hudson River this season. Find details and a calendar at www.solarboattours.org or call 845-338-0071. 

​This story is a guest post from Kingston resident and museum member and volunteer Nelsie Aybar-Grau of The Rondout Rower. We’re excited to share Nelsie’s experience building an Annapolis Wherry Tandem at Chesapeake Light Craft in Annapolis, MD. HRMM's Wooden Boat School offers boat building courses as well as introductory woodworking classes and wooden vessel restoration services. Boat building is a tradition with deep roots in the Hudson Valley’s harbors and ports and we thank Nelsie for sharing her story! 

By Nelsie Aybar-Grau

Never in my life had I EVER thought I would build my own boat.  If you would have told me that at the age of 72 I would build an Annapolis Wherry Tandem at Chesapeake Light Craft in Annapolis, MD, I would have told you that “you’ve lost your mind!”

But that’s exactly what I did.  In five days! (minus finishing which I am still doing now).

It is a long road that led me to this.  It started at the Hudson River Maritime Museum.  When I was president of the Rondout Rowing Club I was asked to help out with the YouthBoat project where a group of students where taught woodworking skills. As part of the course we would take the students out on a traditional wooden boat, a Whitehall named John Magnus, so that they would learn to row a boat on the Rondout Creek.  The John Magnus is a replica of the Whitehall design built by members of the Floating the Apple not-for-profit in New York City.

Because of this I became interested in the very long history of the origins of the Whitehall.  There is very little information on the Whitehall but I got my hands on a copy of the book Building Classic Small Craft (copyright 1977) by John Gardner which had a couple of chapters on it.  It is believed that the basic design of the Whitehall was preceded by the Thames river wherries used by London watermen to provide taxi service. 

A Whitehall gig, which is the slightly longer version of the London wherry is 25 ft in length, requiring four rowers and a coxswain for a crew of five.  For me, it resembled the “4+” crew boats that I used in the Rondout Rowing Club.

When I began my own business of teaching sculling with my own crew training boats  I found I needed a boat permitting two scullers (sculling is rowing with two oars, one in each hand). So I began looking everywhere for a modern wherry because I felt that it would be safe on the Hudson River as well as the Rondout Creek.

I soon found that such a boat was out of my price range…… unless I built it myself.  What I kept remembering was Gardner explained how boatbuilding in bygone years was done by everyone who needed a boat to do some sort of work on local waterways.  Back in the day when there were no boat manufacturers people did what they could and over many, many years the designs improved until you had a boat like the wherry.  It was famous for its speed and stability. “Fast, seaworthy, trim” and “reliable, expeditious” were terms frequently attributed to the wherry. 

Using Google, of course, I searched for a way to get my hands on a tandem (two seater) wherry and came upon the kits manufactured by Chesapeake Lightcraft in Annapolis, Maryland. They had a design they had been honing for 20 years.  Their aim became to allow someone to build a boat in a week.  Although not perfect, they worked hard at making sure that anyone with the least amount of experience could build a wherry with their kits in five days. A very ambitious plan and very well executed.  The kit comes with a manual that one can follow individually or under the supervision of an instructor. The wood used in the kits is is plantation grown African marine plywood --- okoume, to be precise.  The lightest weight plywood you can find.

Not having a workshop AND not having the wherewithal to do this on my own I decided to go for the instructor-led course.  Because I chose the tandem (double) and not the single, they told me I would have to have a partner.  I had nobody to help me but on a whim I invited an old friend who I knew dabbled in woodworking, John Wilder.  Neither of us were totally convinced we could actually do this, but if Chesapeake Light Craft did not balk at our skill level or our age, we figured we would take the plunge.  It was a risk we wanted to take. And this was during the COVID pandemic!

It’s pretty hot in Annapolis in the summer.  In July it gets up into the 100+ temps and being in a workshop for 8 hours a day (minimum) was exhausting.  It’s no small feat to build a boat in five days!  We hit the ground running.  As soon as we were given instructions we set to the tasks at hand each hour, each day, relentlessly.  We did have a lunch break but pretty much we worked continuously.   You really had to if you wanted to take that boat home on the final day!

It was mind-boggling to watch the planks of wood we prepped and stitched together with copper wire become a navigable vessel. It went from looking like a Flamenco dancer’s fan to a trim boat within hours.  

I am not a very crafty person.  OK, I had put together a piece of furniture or put up shelving in my house, but I did not know much about how to use a sander, a plane, a rasp….  The doing of it is the learning.  By the end of the week I knew what “puzzle joints” are, what a scarf is, what “denatured alcohol” is (and the secret tip), how and when to sand, what level of grit paper to use,  how to mix epoxy and hardener,  when to use “fillet” (epoxy mixed with wood dust) or not, how to handle fiberglass.  How to remove epoxy (note:  epoxy cannot be removed, so don’t let it land on a spot you don’t want it to be unless you are committed to hours, no days!, of sanding.)

Curiously (and somewhat disappointing) I have found that most rowers are not boat builders---they just want to row. And most boat builders are not rowers---they just want to build small craft. 

In Kingston I think boat builders should learn to row and I think rowers should get into boat building ---especially since there are courses being given at the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s Wooden Boat School!

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum, The Library at the A.J. Williams-Myers African Roots Center, TMI Project's Black Stories Matter, the Underground Railroad Education Center, and the Harambee Coalition and Pine Street African Burial Ground are proud to host the 2021 Conference on Black History in the Hudson Valley, to be held Saturday, October 2, 2021 at SUNY Ulster in Stone Ridge, NY. The conference will be available for a limited number of attendees in-person, and will be simultaneously broadcast virtually via Zoom. 
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The all-day conference features twelve presenters on four panels with topics including the role of the Black church, voting rights, the Underground Railroad, Jim Crow, the arts, Green Books, interpretation at area museums, and more, plus a roundtable discussion, and a program remembering Dr. A.J. Williams-Myers, a leader in Hudson Valley Black history research and education. Keynote speakers include Dr. Myra Young Armstead, Vice President for Academic Inclusive Excellence; Lyford Paterson Edwards and Helen Gray Edwards Professor of Historical Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY and Lavada Nahon, Interpreter of African American History, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.

This conference is open to everyone. The fee to attend is $30/person for in-person and $15/household for virtual access. For more information and to register, visit www.hrmm.org/black-history-conference.

This conference has the generous support of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, the Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project, individual donors, and others. SUNY Ulster is the conference facilities sponsor. 

The Hudson River Maritime Museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries and related industries. In addition to extensive collections documenting maritime transportation, industry, recreation, and natural science, the museum offers classes and programs at its Wooden Boat School, Sailing and Rowing School, and aboard Solaris, the 100% solar powered tour boat and floating classroom. The museum is located along the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston. Visit www.hrmm.org for more information.

The Library at the A.J. Williams-Myers African Roots Center promotes literacy through teaching and learning about the African roots experience, including history and culture, through a dynamic exchange of information, ideas, and creativity. Learn more at www.africanrootslibrary.org. 

TMI Project's mission is to help craft and amplify radically true stories to ignite human connection, challenge the status quo, and inspire both storytellers and listeners to take action for positive social change. Black Stories Matter provides Black-led true storytelling workshops where Black folks can write about, share, and reflect upon their experiences without having to justify, explain, or defend the truth of their lived experiences. The culminating content -- written stories, live storytelling performances, videos, and podcasts -- is accessible to an all-inclusive audience. We pair our storytelling media with strategic tools to inspire deep introspection, a willingness to transform oneself and take bold action to end systemic racism. Learn more at www.tmiproject.org/blackstoriesmatter. 

The Underground Railroad Education Center researches and preserves the local and national history of the Underground Railroad movement, its international connections, and its legacy for today’s social justice issues, thereby empowering people of all ages to be agents of change toward an equitable and just society. Learn more at www.undergroundrailroadhistory.org. 

Harambee a mid-Hudson valley coalition that supports and promotes the strength of our community through cultural and educational events that enriches the lives of youth and adults. Harambee also cares for and manages the Pine Street African Burial Ground. Learn more at www.harambeekingstonny.org. 

Photo
Undated photo of Steamer Mary Powell crew posing on deck with Captain A.E. Anderson, center front row with newspaper. 1st row: Fannie Anthony stewardess; 4th from left, Pilot Hiram Briggs; 5th, Capt. A.E. Anderson (with paper); 6th Purser Joseph Reynolds, Jr. Standing, 3rd from left: Barber (with bow tie). Black men at right possibly stewards. Donald C. Ringwald collection, Hudson River Maritime Museum.