Centuries of Hudson River Tradition on Display this Winter
It’s no secret that Athens is a summer waterfront destination in the Hudson Valley. Our River Grill is a hub for friends, neighbors, locals and visitors to gather dockside for a meal, drink, music, and camaraderie. If you didn’t know any better, you might think it all goes away for winter. But one of the most unique and special activities the Hudson River has to offer happens only in the coldest spells of a long winter, right here in Athens.
Since the early 1800’s, Hudson Valley residents have been sailing on ice. Beginning as a practical form of transportation for goods and people, ice boating, or yachting, quickly became a sport and pastime celebrated across the United States, into Canada and Scandinavia. Light-weight wooden, hulless crafts sit on cast iron skates and are propelled by traditional sails. In the right conditions, they’ll race up and down the Hudson at speeds of up to 75 or even 100 miles per hour.
By the 1860’s, wealthy and prominent members of communities along The Hudson were competing and forming clubs around the sport. The Hudson River Ice Yacht Club came out of that era, was revived in the 1960’s and still sails whenever conditions permit. Last winter, photographer Adam T. Deen took to the ice with the Club and captured the strength, grace and surrealism of ice boat culture. This winter, a solo exhibition of his ice boat photography will be on display at the Stewart House with an opening on Sunday, January 8, 2023 from 3pm to 6pm. The exhibition will remain on display through the end of March (closed for the month of February).
His exhibition presents the patient process leading up to that thrilling moment of flight on ice. The Club watches the River closely. The ice no longer freezes every year and even when it does, the wind can be elusive. Several historic boats, some of which once belonged to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, are preserved by The Club, and a portion of sales from the exhibition will benefit The Club.
“Out on the ice they say, ‘this isn’t soft water sailing,’ Deen recounts. “And it’s not. Many, many people carry a massive, heavy structure from the shore out onto the frozen water. It’s a real community effort. Then the boat goes from heavy with gravity to totally weightless. It’s like magic.”
The giant riverside willows that frame the Stewart House will be bright with the yellows and greens of spring before we know it. Until then, come inside to take in some of the majestic winter history and culture of Athens, and keep your eye on the River for ice boaters once winter settles in and it freezes over.
Adam T. Deen is a photographer and filmmaker based in the Hudson Valley with an eye on contemporary culture. His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. adamtdeen.com | @adamtdeen