FREEDOM ON THE WATER - Avalon Pontoon Boats

The Voyage

In May 2026, a crew of five set out to run the Hudson River from Albany to New York Harbor — an American journey for the nation’s 250th birthday, aboard a stars-and-stripes Avalon Excalibur 27 LTD driven by twin 500-horsepower Mercury Racing engines.

Departing the New York State capital on the morning of May 19, the crew ran roughly 90 miles south to Peekskill — past Kingston, Poughkeepsie, the ruins of Bannerman Castle and the famous S-curve at West Point — before the final push into Manhattan the next day. One goal stood above all the rest: get the boat in front of the Statue of Liberty, and get the shot.

The Hudson isn't just a river — it's a corridor through time, from Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage of exploration, through the fiercest campaigns of the Revolution, past the country's first state capital at Kingston, to the harbor where Lady Liberty raises her torch. Running it in a red-white-and-blue pontoon built by American hands is less a cruise than a birthday salute.

Three days and roughly 150 river miles later, the boat arrived in front of the Statue of Liberty. The full story ran in the July 2026 issue of Pontoon & Deck Boat Magazine.

The Route

Hudson River

Albany NY Day 1

Kingston NY Day 2

West Point NY Day 2

Peekskill NY Day 2

New York Harbor Day 3

Origin

Albany, NY

Destination

New York Harbor

Duration