KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the upcoming lecture “Why I Love Rowing,” held in-person on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 7:00 PM.
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There are many reasons to have an interest in rowing: its history, its evolution, the physics, the geography, the techniques, the benefits, the joy and the pain. There are a million stories to tell about it. This one is from rowing aficionada, Nelsie Aybar-Grau.

It all started when Nelsie moved to Kingston and she was introduced to rowing by a friend. After a few years she became certified on the Concept2 indoor rowing machine, then she picked up a Learn to Row Instructor's Certification from US Rowing. To track all the interesting things she found out about rowing she created a Facebook page and website: theRondoutRower.com. Then when asked to teach young participants in the HRMM Youthboat Project how to row a traditional wooden Whitehall boat, her interest in rowing went into high gear. Last summer she built a wooden tandem wherry AND participated in a row around Manhattan. Why is rowing so compelling, you ask?  Join us and see!

Nelsie Aybar-Grau is a longtime Hudson River Maritime Museum volunteer and rowing instructor. She is “The Rondout Rower,” and is currently working on a book on her rowing experiences.

“There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”- Kenneth Grahame
 
Tickets are $7 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. To register, visit www.hrmm.org/lecture-series.

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.
The Hudson River Maritime Museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries and related communities. 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 its floating classroom, Solaris. The museum is located along the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston. Visit www.hrmm.org for more information.

 KINGSTON, N.Y. - The Hudson River Maritime Museum is happy to announce the opening of ticket sales for boat tours for the 2022 season. These programs are conducted aboard our 100% Solar Powered vessel Solaris from the Museum docks. New this year, Sunday afternoons will feature tours from our new remote dock in Rhinecliff.

Multiple tours aboard Solaris are offered each day Thursdays through Sundays, May through October. All tickets include admission to the Hudson River Maritime Museum.

Tours of the Rondout Lighthouse, cruises on the Rondout Creek, and programs on Wrecked and Abandoned vessels in the area will be offered regularly, alongside guest presentations of "Indigenous Life" by Justin Wexler, "Children's and Adults Storytelling" by Karen Pillsworth, and Sunset Cruises. Live Music Cruises will be available on Thursday nights. Some unique programs will be offered over the course of the season, such as "Climate Change Education" in July, "Children's Riddle Cruises" on Saturday mornings from June to August, and more! 

For full schedule and ticket information visit Solarboattours.org
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Solaris is a 100% solar-powered vessel built by the Hudson River Maritime Museum. It does not require fossil fuels to operate. Designed by marine architect Dave Gerr from a concept developed by David Borton, owner of Sustainable Energy, our tour boat is commercial in design, meeting all U.S. Coast Guard regulations for commercial passenger-carrying vessels. She can travel up to 50 miles at night without the use of her solar panels. Even on cloudy days, the solar panels are so efficient that they continue to power the batteries. Solaris is used for educational programs, public tours, and private charters and events. With near-silent running, low wake, and no engine fumes, Solaris makes the ideal "floating classroom" for children and the general public alike.

The Hudson River Maritime Museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries and related communities. 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 its floating classroom, Solaris. The museum is located along the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston. Visit www.hrmm.org for more information.

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the upcoming lecture “The Hudson Valley: Weaving Geology and Climate Through Time,” by Audrey Trossen, held virtually on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at 7:00 PM.

Did you know? The Hudson Valley is one of the oldest geologic regions in the United States. The world beneath our feet has undergone millennia of tremendous change. Join educator Audrey Trossen as she walks us through the geologic history of the Hudson Valley, from hundreds of millions of years ago to the near-present and into the distant future. How does the climate of the past affect the way we use land today? And how will our actions today impact our world as we march into the future? This lecture introduces the geologic history of our region and invites guests imagine the geology the Hudson valley long after we have left it.

​Audrey Trossen is an outdoor educator and museums professional dedicated to developing innovative programming, exhibitions, and hands-on experiences in physical and virtual space that connect people to the natural world around them. She graduated from Smith College in 2019 with a degree in Geosciences and Museum Studies and has served as a member of the AmeriCorps Student Conservation Association with both NYS Parks and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
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Tickets are $7 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. To register, visit www.hrmm.org/lecture-series.

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.
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The Hudson River Maritime Museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries and related communities. 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 its floating classroom, Solaris. The museum is located along the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston. Visit www.hrmm.org for more information.

​KINGSTON, N.Y. –  Thanks to generous donations from supporters, scholarships are now available for women, men and teens to attend the Fourth Annual Riverport Women’s Virtual, International Sailing Conference. Hosted by the Hudson River Maritime Museum and Kingston Sailing Club, the virtual conference will take place on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7, 2020.  
 
The event will energize and empower women and men to get involved in sailing at all levels. Everyone is welcome, from experienced sailors to those who have never been on the water before! Conference registration is by household, so gather around your screens to participate in these amazing opportunities. All presentations will be recorded, so  participants will have exclusive access to  view the entire conference after the event concludes.
 
On Friday, November 6 at 5:00 pm, we feature our keynote speaker, Captain Dawn Riley, who was the first woman to manage an America’s Cup sailing team, has sailed on four America’s Cup and two Whitbread (now The Ocean Race) teams, and now runs Oakcliff Sailing Center (oakcliffsailing.org), in Oyster Bay, New York which provides opportunities for participants to build world class sailing skills in local and offshore racing.
 
Tracy Edwards, captain of Maiden, opens our Saturday, November 7 session at 1:00 p.m. You may recognize Tracy’s name from the recent film Maiden (2019), about the all-women crew (including Dawn Riley) she led in the Whitbread Around the World Race in 1989-1990. Tracy will regale us with stories about Maiden and will also update us on the Maiden Factor’s efforts to educate girls around the world (themaidenfactor.org).
 
On Saturday afternoon, several concurrent sessions will be available to choose from. The panel Community Outreach: Equity and Inclusion, will focus on welcoming people from many backgrounds into the sailing community. Presenters come from the Bayshore Center at Bivalve in Port Morris, New Jersey; the Brooklyn Boatworks in Brooklyn, New York, and Hudson River Community Sailing in New York, New York.
 
Another Saturday afternoon panel, Pathways for New Sailors, will showcase the many ways in which people from diverse backgrounds can gain a foothold in sailing. It features presenters from the Hudson River Maritime Museum, the Impossible Dream, the National Women’s Sailing Association, the Oakcliff Sailing Center, the Rozalia Project, and Women Who Sail.
 
Other concurrent sessions include:
 
●       Basic Navigation
●       Blue Water Sailing
●       Communications at Sea
●       The History and Mission of the Sloop Clearwater
●       Safety Around Large Vessels
●       Maritime Careers
●       Sail Care and Repair
●       and Outboard Engine Troubleshooting
 
The Saturday concurrent sessions will continue until 6:00 pm. Recordings of all sessions will be available online after the conference concludes.
 
The fee for the entire conference is just $50 per household. We welcome participants from low-income and underserved communities. Scholarships are for $40 per household, reducing the cost to just $10. To apply, use our easy scholarship application on the main conference page of our website.    
 
For more information, to register, and/or to apply for a scholarship, please visit www.hrmm.org/sailing-conference or email [email protected].

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the Fourth Annual Riverport Women’s Sailing Conference has opened registration for its new, virtual event taking place on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7, 2020.
 
Taking place on the evening of Friday, November 6, 2020 and from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2020, the Women’s Sailing Conference features speakers and instructors from around the world. The goal of the conference is to energize and empower women to get involved in sailing at all levels. Everyone, women and men, from experienced sailors to those who have never been on the water before are welcome! Conference registration is by household, so gather around your screens to participate in these amazing opportunities.
 
The conference begins on Friday, November 6 at 5:00 pm. Pour yourself a glass of wine or sparkling cider and get ready to be wowed by our Friday night keynote speaker, Captain Dawn Riley, the first woman to manage an America's Cup sailing team. She has raced on four America’s Cup campaigns and two Whitbread (The Ocean Race) teams. Dawn now runs Oakcliff Sailing Center, which provides opportunities for participants to build world class sailing skills in local and offshore racing and to learn the business of sailing.  Based in Oyster Bay, NY, Oakcliff hosts sailors from around the world and trains them to work and sail at the highest levels of the sport.

Tracy Edwards, captain of Maiden, opens our Saturday, November 7 session at 1:00 p.m. You may recognize Tracy’s name from the recent film Maiden (2019), about the all-women crew who competed in the Whitbread Around the World Race in 1989-1990. Members of the original and current crews will regale us with stories and keep us updated on their efforts to educate girls around the world through their current project The Maiden Factor. Participants are encouraged to watch the documentary film about the race before attending. Maiden is available for purchase on Amazon Prime or included with STARZ.
 
The afternoon will continue until 6:00 pm with more amazing women-led presentations including:
 
·         Welcoming Sailors from Diverse Communities
·         The History and Mission of the Sloop Clearwater
·         Safety Around Large Vessels
·         Maritime Careers
·         Blue Water Sailing
·         Basic Navigation
·         Communications at Sea
·         Sail Care and Repair
·         and Outboard Engine Troubleshooting
 
Afternoon sessions will be available in three sets of three concurrent sessions. All sessions will be recorded, so those participants who want to revisit presentations they did not attend will have access to the recordings after the conference.
 
The fee for the entire conference is $50 per household. We welcome participants from low-income and underserved communities and have scholarships available. To apply for a scholarship, please email Jody Taffet Sterling at [email protected]                                                                               
 
For more information, please visit www.hrmm.org/sailing-conference or email [email protected].

Maritime Museum to Host Vets-on-Water
Veterans’ Kayaking Group Arrives in Kingston Tuesday, September 15, 2020
 
KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to host kayaking veterans from the Vets-on-Water program of the Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration. The veterans group will be arriving in Kingston by water on Tuesday, September 15, 2020.

The museum’s 100% solar-powered boat Solaris will meet the vets at the Rondout Lighthouse and escort them into Rondout Creek and back to the museum around noon on Tuesday.

Three veterans in handmade wooden kayaks started their journey on September 5 at Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondacks. They are kayaking the entire length of the Hudson River, ending at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.

The goal of the journey is twofold. First, to raise awareness of veterans issues, including  the battle against Veteran/active duty suicide, and homelessness. Second, to raise funds for the Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration (HVCVR). Located in Kingston, NY, HVCVR works with veterans through programs including the Wooden Boat Shop and woodworking, financial readiness, writing programs, wilderness retreats, and peer-to-peer support.  

The Vets-on-Water program will also be stopping in the following cities:

• Poughkeepsie: September 18, 2020
• Newburgh: September 21, 2020
• West Point: September: 23, 2020
• NYC: September 30, 2020

You can follow their journey, including updates with photos, videos, and livestreams, via their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HVCVR
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For more information about the Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration and to donate to support the center, visit their website at www.hvcvr.org.
 
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About the Hudson River Maritime Museum. Located along the historic Rondout Creek in downtown Kingston, N.Y., the Hudson River Maritime Museum is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and related industries. HRMM opened the Wooden Boat School in 2016 and the Sailing & Rowing School in 2017. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

“RiverWise” Kingston to NYC Hudson River Trip
Maritime Museum’s Solaris and Apollonia Partner on Educational Voyage
 
Kingston, NY – Are you RiverWise? After a highly successful “RiverWise: North River Voyage” completed in June, 2020, the Hudson River Maritime Museum, in partnership with the Schooner Apollonia, is pleased to announce the continuation of its educational initiative to bring the Hudson River to the general public through virtual programs. “RiverWise: South Hudson Voyage,” brings carbon-neutral vessels Solaris and Apollonia together for a fleet sail from Kingston, NY to New York City in mid-August, 2020. The vessels leave the museum docks on Thursday, August 13, 2020 and will be gone for approximately 12 days.
 
The South Hudson Voyage is part of a broader effort the museum calls “RiverWise.” During the voyage museum staff and crew will collect film footage, conduct interviews, and produce short films, photos, and social media content to teach the general public about the Hudson River and allow them to experience it in real-time, as the crew does, from the comfort of their own homes.
 
After the voyage, museum staff will process the hundreds of hours of film footage collected on both voyages and begin to create short documentary films about the Hudson River and its history, with emphasis on the four themes highlighted this year – lighthouses, shipbuilding, towing, and sail freight.
 
The museum is seeking donations to support both the voyage and the documentary films.
 
Members of the public can follow along via the voyage website – www.hudsonriverwise.org – tracking the boats themselves, reading the daily Captains’ Log, and learning more about the history and maritime heritage of the Hudson River through interactive maps, educational videos, documentary films, and more. Livestreamed footage from each boat will also be available on the museum’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/hudsonrivermaritimemuseum.          
 
All public programs will be done virtually. When the vessels are in port, no shore programs will be provided and visitors will please refrain from gathering in groups at port to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The public is encouraged to view the vessels on their voyage from suggested public parks listed on the interactive map available on the RiverWise website.
 
This trip is funded by individual donations and sponsorships. If you would like to support the South Hudson Voyage and the museum’s documentary films, please visit www.hudsonriverwise.org/support for more information on sponsorship and donation opportunities.
 
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About the Hudson River Maritime Museum. Located along the historic Rondout Creek in downtown Kingston, N.Y., the Hudson River Maritime Museum is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and related industries. HRMM opened the Wooden Boat School in 2016 and the Sailing & Rowing School in 2017. In 2019 the museum launched the 100% solar-powered tour boat Solaris. www.hrmm.org

About Solaris. Solaris was built by the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s restoration crew under the direction of Jim Kricker. Solaris is the only US Coast Guard-approved 100% solar-powered passenger vessel in the United States. It does not plug in. Designed by marine architect Dave Gerr from a concept developed by David Borton, owner of Sustainable Energy, Solaris is commercial in design, meeting all U.S. Coast Guard regulations for commercial passenger-carrying vessels. www.hrmm.org/meet-solaris

About the Schooner Apollonia. The Apollonia is the Hudson Valley’s largest carbon-neutral merchant vessel. Powered by the wind and used vegetable oil, Apollonia can transport her cargo sustainably. This mission-driven, for-profit business has a transparent and reproducible business model - to provide carbon-neutral transportation for shelf-stable local foods and products.  Connecting the traditions of slow food, fair trade, and carbon neutrality, we will inspire and train a new generation of Hudson River stewards and create green living-wage jobs in the growing river-based economy. www.schoonerapollonia.com

​KINGSTON, NY – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is proud to present a film screening and panel discussion of Jon Bowermaster’s new film, “Hope on the Hudson,” on Saturday, September 9 at 4:00 PM in the Kingston Home Port and Education Center.
 
Jon Bowermaster is the filmmaker behind “Hudson: A River at Risk,” which was screened at the museum last year. “Hope on the Hudson” is in actuality Part III of the “River at Risk” series. While the “River at Risk” series covered the threats to the Hudson River, including crude oil transport, the nuclear power plant at Indian Point, and the construction of the new Tappan Zee bridge, “Hope on the Hudson” focuses on the efforts of organizations and individuals to preserve and restore the Hudson River both environmentally and socially.
 
After the film, Bowermaster will lead a panel discussion with some of the films’ participants. For those who missed the screening of “Hudson: A River at Risk” last year, the films will be shown again starting at 2:00 PM.
 
A writer, filmmaker and adventurer, Bowermaster is a six-time grantee of the National Geographic Expeditions Council. One of the Society’s ‘Ocean Heroes,’ his first assignment for National Geographic Magazine in 1989 was to document a dog-sled expedition that crossed Antarctica taking 221 days. His Oceans 8 project took him and his teams around the world by sea kayak over the course of ten years (1999-2008), where they bought back stories from the Aleutian Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Tasmania, and beyond about how the planet’s one ocean and its various coastlines are faring today. He is the chairman of the board of Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation and a board member of Celine Cousteau’s CauseCentric Productions. 

Despite the unseasonably chilly weather and all-day drizzle, an intrepid crew turned out for our Cement Industry car tour today. We started with a delicious pancake breakfast at the Ponckhockie Congregational Church, which was built by the Newark Lime & Cement Company in 1870 for their employees and neighborhood residents.  We learned about the church's long heritage starting as a Sunday school in the 1850s, and its unique construction. 

Next, we headed up to the top of Hasbrouck Park overlooking the Hudson and learned more about the Newark Lime & Cement Company, its formation, and viewed some historic images of the company's cement mines and kilns. 

At this point thoroughly chilled, we headed back down along the Strand and out to Rosendale for a delicious lunch at the 1850 House and Inn. Our gracious hosts had the fires and heaters lit for us and laid a delicious spread. We had a lovely time and even got a brief history lesson about the inn itself and explored the beautiful rooms upstairs. 

Finally, we headed just up the road to the Century House Museum and Widow Jane Mine at the A.J. Snyder Estate, where we learned all about natural cement, from its geological origins with the formation of Pangea, to the end of natural cement mining in the 1940s, to the adaptive reuse of former cement mines for everything from growing mushrooms to escaping potential nuclear blasts. 

We ended the day with a trek down to the Widow Jane Mine:

Did you miss out on this awesome tour? You can visit the Century House Museum, Hasbrouck Park, and the Ponckhockie Congregational Church yourself.

Century House Museum is open for guided tours, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Sundays starting tomorrow, May 14, 2017, and the grounds are open for self-guided tours 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily.

Hasbrouck Park is open daily for self-guided tours. There are a number of trails to explore. The view from the top is spectacular!

The Ponckhockie Congregational Church is still an active church, so they're not generally open except on Sundays, but you can visit and hear their amazing 19th century organ every Sunday. Donations are always appreciated.

And of course you can visit (and stay at!) the 1850 House & Inn. The tavern is open Wednesday through Sunday at 4:00 PM and you can book a room any time.

If you are interested in other local history tours with HRMM, check out these upcoming options:

KINGSTON, NY – The Hudson River Maritime Museum will host a special evening of dinner, music and dancing, featuring renowned musicians Jay Ungar and Molly Mason on Sunday, February 26, 2017, as a fitting culmination to the museum’s second annual membership drive. 

The benefit evening will be held at Ole Savannah Southern Table & Bar in the historic Cornell Building, formerly the boiler shop of the Cornell Steamboat Company, which is located at 100 Rondout Landing, next to the museum on the historic Rondout Creek. 

“Having such cherished musicians as Jay and Molly lead an evening filled with music and dancing is a huge honor,” notes Ellie Burhans, Social Media and Membership Coordinator.  “Members are the life-blood of this museum, and we could not offer our educational programs for adults and children without our members’ financial and volunteer support.” 

From 3:00pm to 5:00pm, the museum will host an open house in its Riverport Wooden Boat School to meet the shipwrights leading the “YouthBoat” education program for teens.  Beginning at 4:00 pm guests can transition to Ole Savannah where a special buffet will be provided.  Jay and Molly will perform throughout the evening until 7:00 pm.

The Hudson River Maritime Museum’s “Show the Museum Some Love” membership drive has set a goal of 100 new members to join the museum’s community. Throughout the month, the museum will offer special gift memberships sent with an exclusive bumper magnet and Valentines. 

Tickers are on sale now! Tickets are $35 and include a complimentary Basic membership for the purchaser or to give as a gift. 

For any questions on how to become a member or purchase tickets, please contact Ellie Burhans at [email protected] or call 845-338-0081 ext 19.