Click on the picture above for a Free Schooner Booklet

The A.J. MEERWALD, a Delaware Bay oyster schooner rescued from oblivion and painstakingly restored, now sails as an ambassador for New Jersey, the state's official tall ship. Home ported on the Maurice River in Bivalve in Cumberland County, the schooner is the centerpiece of the Delaware Bay Schooner Project and serves as a sailing classroom to teach people of all ages about the maritime history and fragile ecosystem of the Delaware Estuary.

The MEERWALD, her billowing sails and sleek white hull interrupted with yellow, red and green stripes, is a familiar sight along the Delaware Bay and River.

From April to October, the schooner sails from ports around the state with a crew of 10 who live aboard the ship for the sailing season. During public sails, passengers can help haul and furl the 3500 square feet of canvas sails aboard the 115-foot schooner while savoring a few hours at sea, learning more about the schooner, the region's maritime history and the issues facing area's natural resources. The public sails, including family sails, sunset sails and even special events like an early morning birding sail, help provide income to offset the cost of educational programs.

For youngsters, Schooner Ecology Camp and field trips aboard the schooner are part of the MEERWALD's Shipboard Education Program that started in 1996. Each year, thousands of school children from hundreds of schools learn more about the Delaware Estuary and experience the sailing adventure of a lifetime aboard the MEERWALD with a staff of professional crew members and trained educators.

The A. J. MEERWALD is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also listed on the State Register of Historic Places and both the schooner and the museum are designated sites on the New Jersey Heritage Tail. For reservations or additional information call the Delaware Bay Schooner Project at 1-856-785-2060 or www.ajmeerwald.org