The A.J. Meerwald will be at Trenton's Waterfront Park through Sunday, May 7
TRENTON -- A.J. Meerwald, the state's official tall ship normally docked at the South Jersey shore, took a trip up the Delaware River and will be at Trenton's Waterfront Park through Sunday.
Visitors can go aboard for sails and free dockside tours.
The A.J. Meerwald was built in 1928 by Charles H. Stowman & Sons in Dorchester, Cumberland County specifically for dredging oysters from the shallow Delaware Bay. She is 115 feet in length and with a height of 70 feet.
"When they come on board, we encourage them to help us hoist the sails and get a feel of what it was like to work and be on a vessel like this," said Jesse Briggs, the vessel's captain and director of maritime operations.
He said he hopes it will give residents an opportunity to connect with New Jersey's maritime history and gain a greater environmental awareness.
"We're very dependent on our waterways around here and we need to keep them clean," Briggs said.
The nonprofit that restored and now operates the ship is Bayshore Center at Bivalve.
The schooner is docked at the marina just north of the Trenton Thunder baseball stadium. Dockside tours are available from 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday. Public sails are on Friday from 5 to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, 1:30 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 7:30 p.m.; and a one-way sail to Burlington and Camden leaving Sunday at 9 a.m.
The ship will make a stop in Burlington before continuing on to Camden. Passengers must provide their return transportation, but the NJ Transit River Line is close to both ports.
Tickets range from $25 to $30 ($20 to $25 for 60+ or $12 to $15 for children 3 to 12 years old); 856-785-2060, bayshorecenter.org.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.