Ports – Trenton, NJ

Sailing A.J. Meerwald from Trenton
***ARRIVE 30 Minutes Prior to Departure***

Public Sails

A 2 hour sail with a view Trenton on the Delaware River

Public Sails Offered Friday – Saturday 1 pm – 3pm & 5pm – 7pm Sunday 1pm – 3pm & 4pm – 6pm – Tickets $50

Set sail aboard the AJ Meerwald, one of the hundreds of oyster schooners that graced the Delaware Bay in the 1920s!

Enjoy the excitement and wonder of sailing aboard our 115’ 1928 oyster schooner. You’ll experience sailing as done for hundreds of years on our 1928 oyster schooner. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even join our crew in hauling lines and setting sails! Enjoy the great outdoors as you breathe in the fresh air and marvel at the scenery that surrounds you.

A ticket is required for all passengers. Children 17 and under must be accompanied by an adult. You may bring your own food and drink on board.

Purchase of a ticket to sail comes with a social membership to the Bayshore Center. To receive your membership card, show your ticket receipt in our gift shop, the Meerwald Mercantile in our Home Port of Port Norris, NJ. This membership allows access to AJ’s Pub and the Delaware Bay Museum and is good for 1 year.

Accessibility:

Accessibility: Passengers should plan to walk about 5 minutes from the parking lot to the dock. Boarding the boat requires ascending 2-4 steps, but once on board handicapped passengers may be seated on a deck box. While there is a small crew bathroom (“head”) on board the ship it is not easily accessible. It is only accessible by descending a ladder. We highly recommended that you use the shoreside facilities prior to coming aboard the ship. Restrooms on board are not handicap accessible, but onshore facilities are.

Arrival:

Please plan to arrive 20-30 minutes prior to your sail departure time.

The dock for our Trenton Port is located at Waterfront Park, behind the Arm & Hammer Baseball field and runs along the river behind the Riverview Plaza Office Park. Please follow signs to the docks to be checked in by crew.

Parking:

MONDAY – FRIDAY : Please park in the Trenton Thunder Ballpark parking lot just south of the stadium. Once you have parked please follow the signs and sidewalk that wraps around the ballpark between the stadium and the river. The dock is also accessible from the walking path behind the Riverview Plaza Office Park.

SAT & SUN: Please park in the lot of the Riverview Plaza (Office of Information and Technology lot) and follow signs to the docks.

*see map below*

Restrooms:

Rest rooms are located as you walk from the parking lot behind the stadium to the docks.

Snacks & Beverages:

Passengers are invited to bring their own personal food, snacks and beverages on board for the sail. (No open containers while boarding) Please Carry Off anything you bring on board

Sailing Notes:

Please plan to arrive at least 30 minutes ahead of sail time and allow extra time for traffic issues. We make every effort to leave the port ON TIME. Please be respectful of the other passengers and be on time. With sailing questions on the day of the sail, please call 856-265-1991.

You may want to bring an extra layer of clothing as it often gets cooler when out on the water. Also consider a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, a camera and binoculars may be useful too, considering the likelihood of seeing shorebirds. You may bring refreshments – water, sandwiches, sodas, beer or wine, but you are required to carry off whatever you carry on.

We cannot allow any pets or comfort dogs (except service dogs) on board. Strollers are not permitted due to safety issues. For patrons in wheelchairs, please call ahead and let us know. No smoking on the boat. We ask all patrons to use the shore side restroom before boarding the boat. There is a tiny “ships head” on the boat, but one would have to climb down a ladder to use it.

We do sail rain or shine, but if the Captain decides the conditions are dangerous, he will cancel the sail. Should this occur, we will contact you via the email you used to book your sail. If we cancel the sail we will refund your payment. There are no refunds available if you do not show up for your scheduled sail.

Thank you for your ticket purchase. We look forward to your attendance.

If you are sailing, please contact the boat phone at 856-265-1991 for questions day of your sail.

Dock Address: Waterfront Park, 1 Thunder Road Trenton, NJ

Overview

The Schooner AJ Meerwald is New Jersey’s official Tall Ship. She is a restored oyster dredging schooner, whose home port is in Bivalve, New Jersey. Launched in 1928, AJ Meerwald was one of hundreds of schooners built along South Jersey’s Bayshore before the decline of the shipbuilding industry which coincided with the Great Depression.

Today, the AJ Meerwald is used by the Bayshore Center at Bivalve  as a traveling classroom and vehicle to enjoy area’s waterways. The AJ Meerwald was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1995.

Specifications

• Rig | Two-masted gaff schooner
• Tonnage | 57 gross registered tons
• Length | 85 feet (26 m) on deck, 115 feet (35 m) overall
• Beam | 22 feet (6.7 m)
• Height | 70 feet (21 m)
• Draft | 6 feet (1.8 m)
• Propulsion | Sail; auxiliary engine (John Deere 6068AFM 85, 230 hp)
• Sail plan | Mainsail, foresail, oversize jib
• Capacity | 49 passengers
• Notes | Oak hull; 3,562 square feet (330.9 m2) total sail area

The Schooner is registered as 76.1’ between perpendiculars, 22.3’ beam, 6’ depth of hold, 46 net tons and 57 gross tons. She measures 85’ on deck and 115’ overall when fully rigged. Her construction was/remains ‘oak on oak’ meaning oak planks laid on oak frames, as was tradition in Dorchester built vessels. She has relatively light scantlings, no knees and no horntimber which is also characteristic of Dorchester Schooners.

The AJ Meerwald was launched on September 7, 1928 by Charles H Stowman & Sons at Dorchester, NJ. She was built with a wood centerboard schooner with low freeboard and a raked transom stern designed for oyster dredging under sail and power. She had minimal draft, considerable beam and a flush deck from stem to stern. Her original sail rig, as evidenced in photographs taken during her first oystering season in 1929, typified the new style schooners; bald-headed (without topmasts), gaff rigged, with a large ‘gloriana peaked’ mainsail, a smaller foresail, and spike bowsprit supporting a single large club staysail.

River Sails

The AJ Meerwald sails from ports around NJ, PA, DE and MD. These river sails are a wonderful way to experience local waterways and spend time with family and friends. Passengers can help the crew hoist the sails or simply relax and enjoy an unforgettable experience. For more information, click here!

Education Sails

The AJ Meerwald’s educational programming has been recognized nationally for its high-quality hands-on experience and the program is not just for children! The AJ Meerwald has provided educational sails to elected officials, academics, civic groups as well as schools and youth groups. For more information, click here!

Charter Sails

The AJ Meerwald can be chartered for private events including birthday parties, weddings, corporate events, reunions, fundraisers, etc. Charters are 2 hours long and the ship programming can be tailored (within reason) to meet the needs of your group! For more information, click here!

History

The AJ Meerwald is a Delaware Bay Oyster Schooner, a distinct vessel that evolved to meet the needs of the local oyster fishery. The AJ Meerwald, launched in 1928, was one of hundreds of schooners built along South Jersey’s Delaware Bay before the decline of the shipbuilding industry during the Great Depression. The AJ Meerwald embodies the true spirit of the schooner; adapted to efficiently fulfill the prevailing conditions and specific demands of her native waters. While there were once as many as five hundred schooners sailing ‘up the Bay’ to catch oysters, now there are only a handful of converted schooners still harvesting oysters.

• 1928 | The Meerwald family of South Dennis commissioned Charles H Stowman & Sons shipyard to build the AJ Meerwald. She was a bald headed (without topmasts), gaff rigged oyster dredge. The oystering gear consisted of a winder, or gas powered winch, for hauling in the dredges.
• 1942 | In June the Maritime Commission commandeered the AJ Meerwald under the War Powers Act. She was turned over to the U.S. Coast Guard and outfitted as a fireboat.
• 1947 | In January the AJ Meerwald was returned to the Meerwald family. Eight months later they sold the vessel to Clyde A Phillips who used her as an oyster dredge under power. The winder installed for dredging consisted of a power takeoff mounted forward of the engine. She was renamed the Clyde A Phillips.
• 1959 | Ownership passed to Cornelius (Nicky) Campbell who outfitted her for surf clamming. During the 1960’s she was owned by American Clam and operated primarily as a clam dredge into the late 1970’s. She was eventually retired until her donation to Bayshore Center at Bivalve in 1989.
• 1988 | Bayshore Center at Bivalve was formed and the Clyde A Phillips was given to the project by Captain John Gandy.
• 1992 | Clyde A Phillips was lifted by crane from the river and set in Bivalve, NJ for restoration.
• 1995 | Clyde A Phillips was rechristened and launched as the AJ Meerwald and added to the National Register of Historic Places. She offers public sails, charters sails, education sails throughout the Delaware River and Bay area and along the Atlantic Coast.
• 1998 | Governor Whitman designated the AJ Meerwald New Jersey’s Official Tall Ship.

If you have any questions about the restoration or special features of the AJ Meerwald, please visit the Bayshore Center, email us at museum@bayshorecenter.org, or call us at (856)785-2060.