The Bayshore Center at Bivalve was founded in 1988 to “motivate people to take care of the history, the culture and the environment of New Jersey’s Bayshore region through education, preservation, and example.” First, we restored the 1928 Delaware Bay Oyster Schooner AJ Meerwald as a sailing classroom.

Private Charters

Next, we created the Bivalve Center – BCB’s Maurice Riverfront home where the restored 1904 Bivalve Shipping Sheds and Wharves serve as a maritime center of national significance, homeport to the Meerwald and the Delaware Bay Museum & Folklife Center. Now we are an established educational institute, with programs on the schooner, at the Bivalve campus and in the community – Commercial Township, Cumberland County and throughout South Jersey’s Bayshore region.

The Meerwald’s spacious wooden deck, 23 feet wide by 85 feet long, provides a unique setting for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, reunions, fundraisers, company picnics, and other special occasions. The ship is available for 2 1/2 hour sails to a full day.  Bring your own refreshments or have a catered event.  Beer and wine are permitted onboard.

For information on accommodations for people who use wheelchairs, please contact the Bayshore Center.