The A.J. Meerwald, a Delaware Bay oyster schooner launched in 1928, is back in the water after an extensive 10-month restoration and refurbishment at Clark & Eisele Traditional Boatbuilding of Lincolnville, Maine. The Meerwald is also the “Official Tall Ship” of the State of New Jersey and was included in the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1995.
The Bangor Daily News quotes Garett Eisele, co-owner of the boatyard, saying, “It feels good to get the Meerwald and make her really look brand-new. We are really excited to see the boat in the water. We are really pleased with how it turned out.”
The schooner is owned by the non-profit Bayshore Center at Bivalve, an environmental history museum located on New Jersey’s Maurice River. It’s used as a traveling classroom to teach people about the historically rich oyster grounds of Delaware Bay and more.
Ultimately, the boatyard had to replace everything from the deck level up, including the transom and about 30 hull planks. Because it was a historic renovation, they worked closely with the New Jersey Trust regarding the materials they could use, down to the species of wood.
“It was definitely the biggest project we’ve done,” Eisele, 31, said. “We’ve been building a relationship with the boat for a long time. We had a pretty good idea of what we’re getting into, but there’s always stuff you just can’t know when you do the [demolition].”
John Brady, the interim director of the Bayshore Center at Bivalve, said he is delighted with the Meerwald’s restoration. The organization is working out the details for the return voyage to New Jersey. It’ll spend a week at the dock in Belfast, and then be moved, perhaps to Castine, until the crew is ready to sail it home to Bivalve.
“The boat looks, I think, better than ever,” he told the Bangor Daily News. “It’s been really great working with the folks in Maine to get this done. It’s great to see there’s such a strong interest in maintaining wooden vessels in Maine.”
Who was A.J. Meerwald?