Last Updated on August 28, 2020 by Christopher G Mendla

We took a sail on New Jersey’s Tall Ship, the A.J. Meerwald in July 2019 from Beach Haven, NJ. 

The A.J. Meerwald is a restored tall ship originally build in 1928. She spent most of her life as an oyster or clam dredge. 

We took a sail from Beach Haven. The cost was about $35/person for a two hour cruise and was definitely worth the price.

We purchased our tickets in advance fromthe Bayshore Center where the Meerwald is home ported.  

When we arrived at the dock, we found that a group of people brought picnic baskets (and they shared with us). They have water on board but you might want to bring your own drinks. Keep in mind that the bathroom facilities are VERY limited. There is a marine head but you would need to climb down the ladder to the crew area. It’s best to take care of that beforehand. 

There are about a dozen crew members. They were all very friendly and gave some interesting presentations about the Meerwald and her history as well as sailing. 

Raising the sails is a good bit of work. The crew divided us up into two groups and gave instructions on how we were going to raise the sails. We used the engine to get to Holgate where we turned around to be able to ride back under sail. The mainsail required a good bit of work to raise. The foresail was a lot easier. The crew handled setting the jib. 

The sail was a little over two hours. The crew handled lowering and furling the sails. Once the sails were down, it took a little bit of time to set up for docking. 

If you go, be sure to wear comfortable clothes and bring along sunscreen and bug repellent. The greenheads started to get annoying when we dropped the sails. 

I’ve been around boats for all of my 60 plus years. The way the young captain handled backing her into the dock was simply amazing. 

The map below is to the home port of the Meerwald. She visits other ports throughout the summer such as Cape May. 

Related – Our post from the 2012 visit of the Meerwald. 

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