Students’ boats save Washington’s crossing

Low water level meant different vessels needed

WASHINGTON CROSSING,

Pa. — George Washington and his troops’ annual Christmas Day trip across the Delaware River has been saved by boats made by children.

Organizers had feared the crossing would have to be canceled because low water levels in the river between Pennsylvania and New Jersey would have made it impossible for re-enactors to navigate their wooden Durham boats.

But Philadelphia Waterborne, a nonprofit that teaches boat-building skills to middle and high school students, is lending the organizers six handmade, 12-foot rowboats. The boats only draw about 6 inches of water, meaning they can get across the river under current conditions.

The river’s water level needs to be at least 9 feet above sea level to use the Durham boats, and recent water levels have been around

8.3 feet.

The crossing, which commemo- rates the trek that turned the tide of the Revolutionary War, is the highlight of the annual event that draws thousands of people to the banks of the river in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, and Titusville, New Jersey.

Organizers note there’s plenty of historical authenticity to this unique reenactment. They note that while Durham boats were used in the original 1776 crossing, historians agree that Washington probably used various river craft to make his daring crossing.

Nicholas Pagon, founder and managing director of the Philadelphia Waterborne program, said the agreement “suddenly came together.”

“This is just great, so perfect for the students,” Pagon said Friday. “As part of this program, I wanted them to build something real and to see they could build things that were valuable to the community, which is why being part of this Washington crossing event is so wonderful.”