The Hudson River sloop Clearwater, the flagship of an environmental organization cofounded five decades ago by the late folk icon and activist Pete Seeger, was forced to leave the tall ships parade in New York Harbor on the 4th of July after officials claimed banners on its mainsail violated rules against “political or politically charged” messages.
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A banner displayed on one side of the sloop’s sail read: “Save the Clean Water Act.” A banner on the other side of the sail called for “Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions.”
The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater organization, founded in 1966, is one of the nation’s oldest activist organizations with roots in music. The sloop itself was launched in 1969. Artists who have previously supported the Clearwater, most notably at a 2009 benefit at Madison Square Garden to celebrate Seeger’s 90th birthday, include Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Arlo Guthrie, Eddie Vedder and Joan Baez.
On Saturday (July 4), the Clearwater sloop — a replica of the type of Dutch sloops that sailed the Hudson in the 19th century — had been scheduled to accompany the Portuguese ship NRP Sagres during Sail4th 250, the flotilla in New York Harbor of vessels from around the globe. The event was one of the major celebrations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Shortly before 1 p.m., a post on the Clearwater’s Facebook page reported that the sloop “was removed from the Sail4th 250 Parade of Sail“ by the U.S. Coast Guard and escorted out of the parade’s exclusion zone by the Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy and the New York Police Department.
Clearwater Captain Rory Kane was informed the sloop’s removal was due to the presence of the banners on its sails.
Billboard reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard and the Sail4th 250 organization. The latter said in a statement: “As part of the parade of sail, participants agreed to conditions established by Sail4th. One of those conditions was to not display political or politically charged messages/statements. The owner of the sloop Clearwater was contacted and requested to remove the message being displayed or be removed from the parade of sail. They declined to remove it. So, the Coast Guard enforced the agreement on behalf of Sail4th removing the vessel from the parade.”
The Clearwater organization disputes that sequence of events — as well as the characterization of the banners as political. “We were not given the option to remove the banners and continue in the parade,” said David Toman, Clearwater’s executive director.
The Clearwater’s initial Facebook post about the July 4th incident noted: “The sloop has a long and storied history” of using its main sail “to share messages of hope and advocacy.”
The organization also challenges Sail4th’s claim that it violated rules of the ship parade through the display of the banners.
“We believe clean water and climate solutions are not political — clean water is a human right, and has been fought for by people of all and no political persuasions in the history of the United States,” said Toman. “Nor, to my understanding of our agreement, were we forbidden to. The contract forbids displaying flags, signs or distributing literature with sponsor names/logos without 250 permission, and displaying flags from any other tall ship festivals or organizations except Sail4th 250.”
Through its exclusion of the Clearwater from the parade of ships, Sail4th 250 has amplified the message on its sails. Within hours of the action against the Clearwater and its banners, news of the action related to Pete Seeger’s sloop was picked up by national and global media outlets.
On Monday (July 6), Toman reached out in an open letter to the community of Clearwater supporters.
“Since 1969, we have raised our sails in support of clean water, environmental stewardship, and a more just world. We do not see those values as political; we see them as fundamental,” he wrote.
“The events of this past week only reinforced why our work matters. Extreme heat placed tremendous strain on the electrical grid and wastewater infrastructure, causing a major sewage release into the Hudson River.
“Clean water protections are not abstract policy debates; they affect the health of our rivers, our communities, and future generations.
“Since Saturday, we have heard from longtime members, first-time supporters, fellow mariners, environmental organizations, musicians, elected officials, and those who learned of Clearwater through this news. Your messages of encouragement, your generosity, and your belief in our mission are deeply appreciated.
“Our efforts are rooted in education about the Hudson River and the realities of a changing climate. Rising temperatures, aging water infrastructure, and more frequent extreme weather are all putting increasing pressure on water quality and coastal ecosystems. Clearwater helps people see these changes directly through hands-on education on the river, sailing programs, and public engagement.”
