Patrick! I’ve got an update on the seafaring friends with whom we spoke last month to coordinate our waterway delivery mission to New York City next summer. And this latest dispatch from the schooner Apollonia—a new sail freight venture operating out of Hudson, New York—is incredibly promising:
Last week, this painstakingly restored double-masted ship successfully delivered its first cargo of Hudson Valley goods to New York City!
“We’re thrilled, after years of effort, to put Apollonia to work,” said Sam Merrett, captain of the Apollonia. “Sail freight is running on the Hudson once again.”
That’s right, Pat! They did it. And you’ll be pleased to know that the vessel’s cargo on this maiden commercial voyage to New York City could not possibly be more in line with our own enterprise. Because the Apollonia delivered hundreds of pounds of brewer’s malt, corn, and wooden barrels. It thus appears we’re not the first New York distilling operation to commit itself to environmentally conscious modes of shipping.
(Indeed, our own fellow Albanites at Nine Pin Cider have already made use of wind-powered river shipment!)
Before I delve further into this announcement, check out the Apollonia website. Ship Captain Sam Merrett and his entrepreneurial venture partner Ben Ezinga—along with the rest of their team (crew?)—are on a mission to “bring sail freight back to the Hudson River”. Here’s their pitch:
The Apollonia is the Hudson Valley’s carbon-neutral merchant vessel. Powered by wind, the Apollonia can transport her cargo sustainably. This is not a living-history project trying to make the past “come alive”. We are part of a growing sail freight movement committed to relevant, intelligent solutions.
Granted, the Apollonia—built in 1946—was also laden with alpaca wool, petroleum-free pillows, and CBD products on this particular journey. Its cargo was successfully off-loaded at the Gowanus Bay Terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn. And get this: In coordination with the climate-focused nonprofit RETI Center, the cargo was then delivered to end customers—like Brooklyn’s Strong Rope Brewing, which received malt from Hudson Valley Malt (our own partner!) and Van Brunt Stillhouse, which received malt, corn, and barrels from Quercus Cooperage—via electric cargo tricycles from Upcycles of Brooklyn, thereby ensuring the products made a truly carbon neutral voyage.
In short, these guys really walk the walk. Or, rather, they really walk the plank. (Did you see what I did there?!)
Anyway, bud, the Hudson River has been a vital resource to the New York economy for generations, and its been one of the principal fixtures of our own imaginations since growing up with it right in our own backyard. I can’t wait for our own journey betwixt its banks carrying the fruits of our half-decade labor. What an enlivening time to be a New Scot!