New Jersey’s got a state fruit (the blueberry), state bird (the American goldfinch), a state dog (the Seeing Eye Dog) but did you know New Jersey also has an official tall ship?
The A.J. Meerwald, which is an oyster schooner that normally docks at the Port Norris Marina along the Maurice River in Bivalve, Cumberland County, sailed its way up to Trenton this week for a special dockside reception and sail at South Riverwalk Park, behind the Trenton Thunder baseball stadium.
This is no ordinary sailboat; it’s a historic, wooden, traditionally-rigged tall ship that sailed on the Delaware Bay and Delaware River from 1928 to 1994, when oyster harvesting was a huge industry in the area. The Meerwald was one of nearly 500 schooners built along the Delaware Bay before the decline of the local shipbuilding industry in the 1930s. One hundred years later, there are just a handful of converted schooners still harvesting oysters!
Since 1994 the boat has been used for educational tours, including a lot of school group tours. It comes to Trenton once a year to sail east along the river, but there are more sails planned in New Jersey throughout the year, including in Bivalve in Commercial Twp, Cape May, Alpine, Atlantic Highlands, Liberty State Park and Greenwich in Cumberland County. It will also be docked in Lewes, Delaware; Norfolk, Virginia; and Chestertown, Maryland, at different times through November.
In 1998, then-Governor Christine Todd-Whitman designated the schooner as New Jersey’s official tall ship, and now it’s run by the Bayshore Center in Bivalve as a traveling classroom. You’ll learn about fish identification, boat navigation, life as an oysterman, the captain’s responsibilities, the ecology of the area and how pollution affects the watershed. You’re able to help the crew hoist the sails, you can walk across the 115-foot boat and peek down into the captain’s area and the kitchen, or you can sit and enjoy the scenery along the way. Sometimes the captain will pull up some oysters for you to see.
The current sailing schedule and tickets can be found at www.bayshorecenter.org/our-ship/public-sails. The sails are open to the public, and although the educational component is good for kids 10 and older, anyone can climb aboard for the sail. Tickets are $50 per person and you can bring your own snacks.
The Bayshore Center is a non-profit organization that also operates the Delaware Bay Museum and offers shore-based programs at its campus and in Bivalve.
Catch a glimpse of the sail on our Instagram page.
Get the latest on the best things to do with your family in and around New Jersey by signing up for our newsletter and following us on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram!
Read More:
This Cruise is An Epic Way to See the Statue of Liberty and The NYC Skyline
Fleet Week is the Perfect Time to Visit the Intrepid Museum
