AJ Meerwald — NJ’S Official Tall Ship
Adventure awaits, hop aboard the 1928 oyster schooner this summer — for a morning educational sail or an evening sunset sail!
WHERE IS IT? AJ Meerwald sails throughout the state of NJ and makes stops in the nearby states of NY, PA, DE, and MD. The Bayshore Center at Bivalve is the parent organization that oversees her. Her home port is in the tiny village of Bivalve in Port Norris, NJ a scenic 45-minute drive from Cape May. But this beautiful tall ship is based in Cape May every year and is set to sail from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal in Cape May in July, August and September of 2026.
WHY SHOULD I GO? The AJ Meerwald is New Jersey’s official “tall ship,” a majestic wooden oyster schooner that’s 98 years old (and looking pretty great after a full restoration and continued upkeep).
Sails last 2 hours. Enjoy educational sails which have stations onboard for kids to learn about local marine life, identify fish, and explore why the oyster is a keystone organism. How many creatures can you name that live on or near an oyster reef?
In addition to public sails, which offer passengers a chance to help raise the sails and “haul away” on the halyards — each sail includes a history presentation for guests as they sail local waters. You can find a list of specialty sails ranging from an oyster and wine sail to an all-day lighthouse sail up the Delaware Bay. Have you ever seen a lighthouse on the Delaware Bay?
Commissioned in 1928 by the Meerwald family of South Dennis, the ship became an instrument in one of the state’s most valuable industries. At the time, Port Norris — where the Maurice River meets Delaware Bay — was the oyster capital of the world. Six million bushels of oysters were harvested per year by intrepid, rake-wielding schooner crews.
Disaster struck in the 1950s when a parasite lethal to oysters but not dangerous to humans devastated the Delaware Bay population. This, combined with a history of overharvesting, meant catches were depleted by 98 percent. The AJ Meerwald is a proud U.S. Coast Guard veteran having been reinvented during World War II as a fire boat meant to respond to Philadelphia-Camden port fires (see black and white photo on right page). Her summer home in Cape May is an official Coast Guard Community. She was reinvented once more as a clamming vessel. It looked as though the grand oystering history of the Delaware Bay was destined to become the stuff of legend.
Marine scientists from Rutgers University, NJ DEP, and local commercial oystermen have been working together to bring back the bivalve. Rutgers developed disease-resistant oysters and nurturing their seed in a lab before transferring it to the wild. This science has allowed for an oyster renaissance. Oyster farms now flourish throughout Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic and Ocean counties. What is your favorite local oyster purveyor and oyster varietal?
Come aboard for an adventure you will never forget. Enjoy the beauty of life as a sailor, even if just for a few short hours. Please contact the crew if you are interested in chartering for a special occasion, or you would like to volunteer on board as an educator or learn to sail.
