Its bulwarks once overflowing with oysters, the schooner has undergone $800,000 in restorations to create the sailing classroom it is today with “Sailor for a Day” classes, evening sails and themed parties.
Capt. Jesse Briggs invites all aboard to learn the lingo and help crew raise the 2,000-pound sails while enjoying the sights of Cape May Harbor and the Delaware Bay.
The schooner, by definition a sailboat with two or more masts with the tallest mast in the front, was built in Dorchester and named for Augustus J. Meerwald in 1928.
The Bayshore Discovery Project, an education-based nonprofit group, now owns the three-sail schooner and uses it for educational and recreational purposes. Former Governor Christine Whitman dedicated the boat as the state’s official tall ship in 1998.
The boat annually tours Long Island, Burlington, Camden and Philadelphia and is currently taking applications for its fall crew.
To learn more, see the Herald’s video of the A.J Meerwald at: www.capemaycountyherald.com and visit www.bayshorediscovery.org.
Video by Leslie Truluck
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