Hi, K W Kerr here -I'm helping out Heidi with posting vintage yacht and tall ship news links here from time to time, and for the past week I have been watching the news about the tall ships in Lewes, Delaware. The Sail Lewes Festival is part of the Lewes 375th anniversary celebration. Five tall ships gathered in Lewes over last weekend, giving tours Friday through Sunday.
Today a great article was published in the Delaware Coast Press, highlighting the A.J. Meerwald. It was nice to see an article with some history, some crew comments, and good photos. The history of the vessel in particular was well covered:
After being restored, the A.J. Meerwald was launched in 1996 as an education vessel. The Meerwald was no longer sailing the Delaware Bay in search of oysters, but as crew member Cheyenna Weber explained to curious passengers, it does have a rich history in that industry. According to Weber during the 19th and early 20th century oysters were not considered the delicacy they are today. "They were kind of like French fries," Weber said. From 1928 to the early 1940s the Meerwald made its way around the bay hunting for oysters. In 1942, Weber said, the vessel was commandeered by the Coast Guard in order to assist in World War II efforts. Most of the Meerwald's sails were removed and it was used to fight fires. After the war was over the Meerwald was given back but it had no sails. Weber said it was used as an oyster dredge under power until 1957 when a parasite struck the oyster industry. "It devastated the oyster population," Weber said. "The oyster industry was completely out of luck." In 1959 Weber said the Meerwald was sold and was converted into a clamming boat. Unfortunately the Meerwald was not meant for this type of work and became damaged. In the 1970s the A.J. Meerwald was retired until it was donated to the Bayshore Discovery Project in 1989. Through the project the A.J. Meerwald was historically restored, much of the work done by volunteers. In 1996 the boat was ready to sail the seas once again and began its work as an educational vessel. In 1998 New Jersey named the Meerwald its official tall ship.
Tall ships commemorate 375th anniversary - Delaware Coast Press - delmarvanow.com
Thank you to Adam Donnelly and the Coast Press for this article. The Meerwald crew gave 47 passengers the chance to experience sailing on an oyster schooner.The five tall ships participating in the festival were the A.J. Meerwald, the Alliance, Marland Dove, Kalmar Nyckle, and Virginia.
