Carbon-Neutral Schooner Uses the Hudson River ‘Superhighway’ to Ship Local
Over the last year or so it seems like all we have heard about is how you can get anything you want delivered to your door. Online shopping items, food from a national chain or a local restaurant and of course don't forget about your groceries. UPS, FedEx, the USPS and Amazon all making sure we get what we need. All that deliverability may be why I found the story of the Schooner Apollonia so intriguing. I think you will too.
The Schooner Apollonia is a 64-foot steel-hulled schooner (sailboat) that is running shipments up and down the Hudson River from Hudson to New York City and back. They announced this week that they are on their first voyage of 2021 which left from Hudson New York this week (May 16, 2021) and will be making stops in Poughkeepsie, Beacon, Ossining and Brooklyn to drop a variety of products that local business people have chosen to ship via wind power.
Why ship by Schooner?
As they explain in the video below the Hudson River was the original superhighway for the Hudson Valley. The Apollonia isn't trying to go back in time, instead, they state that they are actually going forward into a more carbon neutral and locally focused method of sending products produced in the Hudson Valley to other parts of the Valley up and down the Hudson River.
What's being shipped on the First Voyage of 2021?
According to the photos shared on Facebook which we have for you below and the statement on Apollonia's official website, the first voyage will be running 12,000 pounds of grain from Hudson Valley Malt, a local malt house in Germantown, New York, who believes in malting the old fashion way, on the floor. They will also carry products from Stone House Grain. The destination is partner brewers and distillers in Poughkeepsie, Beacon, Ossining and Brooklyn.
Next time you are on the waterfront make sure you look for the Apollonia making deliveries up and down the Hudson River. If you are interested in more information on how you can support this growing shipping method or if you are a Hudson Valley business looking to possibly use this method to ship your products you can find out more at schoonerapollonia.com.
Pictures from the trip so far.