Restored oyster schooner A.J. Meerwald arrived in Barnegat Light Friday, July 25. It was originally scheduled to dock in Beach Haven; all activities are now at the north end of Long Beach Island.
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| Photo by Ryan Morrill The entirety of the ship is visible 68 feet below from the mast top. |
New Jersey’s officially designated tall ship, which launched in 1928, was one of hundreds of schooners built along South Jersey’s Delaware Bay shore before the decline of the shipbuilding industry, which coincided with the Great Depression.
Today the vessel is owned and operated by the Bayshore Center at Bivalve, a nonprofit organization dedicated to motivating people to take care of the history, culture and environment of New Jersey’s bayshore region through education, preservation and example. The A.J. Meerwald is currently used as a hands-on sailing classroom throughout the area.
Public sails will be held Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.; as well as Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, 12:30 to 2 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.
Sailor for a Day Camp for children 10 to 16 years old will be held Wednesday, July 30 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Passengers are also welcome to join the crew as the ship moves to its next port of call in Atlantic City Thursday, July 31. The vessel will leave Barnegat Light at 6 a.m. and arrive in Atlantic City by 4 p.m. Learn hands-on seamanship skills by helping the crew, or sit back and enjoy the ride. Return transportation is not included.
All sails will leave the dock from Sixth Street and the bay in Barnegat Light.
Tickets cost $30 to $45 for adults, $25 to $40 for seniors and $15 to $22 for children.
To purchase tickets, or for more information, call 856-785-2060 or visit bayshorecenter.org.
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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