July 7, 2012 — I spent the evening of July Fourth out on my friends’ 119-year-old oyster schooner, the Maggie S. Myers, under sail on the Delaware Bay off Bowers Beach, Del., eating, listening to acoustic guitar music and watching the fireworks along the coast.
Our friends Jean Friend and Frank “Thumper” Eicherly IV, who own the Maggie, invite a group of us out each year to enjoy the camaraderie and celebrate our nation’s independence. Last year someone on shore ended the evening by setting off Chinese lanterns, hundreds of them, that floated in the dark over the bay like spirit flames.
My friend Robert Price, http://www.etsy.com/shop/assemblage333 shot these photos of our event this year. With his camera he created a beautiful documentation of the night.
Jean and Thumper bought the Maggie fourteen years ago, rescuing her when her former owner was about to beach her, and since have sunk tens of thousands of dollars into her each year, maintaining her and lovingly restoring her, in 2004 restoring one of her masts.
The Maggie S. Myers was built as a two-masted Delaware Bay oyster-dredge schooner in Bridgeton, N.J., and commissioned in 1893. She is 50 feet long and 18 feet wide. The 24.62 ton schooner can carry her weight in oysters. She is listed on the National Historic Register.
The Maggie has never been out of commission. Thumper and crew work her nearly daily on the bay dredging for conch, blue crabs and oysters. She is believed to be the oldest, continuously-working oyster schooner under sail in the United States. She is living history.
“She’s low to the water and dredges by hand,” Thumper rhapsodizes. “She turns on a song, like a snow goose flying around in the air.” I can tell you his claim is true; I piloted her briefly up the serpentine Cohansey River in New Jersey that early morning in 2004 on the way to the boatyard to restore her mast.
This July Fourth night it was hot out on the boat, but far more pleasant on the water than on land, with a light breeze, the water like glass. A guy with a house on the beach, and apparently money to burn, buys and shoots off fireworks every year. They go on for over an hour. Simultaneously, someone nearby again this year set off Chinese lanterns. The fireworks go on longer than displays in local cities. They are beautiful, too. Deep blues and golds and some purple along with the standard colors. People build big bonfires all along the beach. Someone on shore set off a couple of red rocket type fireworks that sailed right over the boat — over, thankfully. We were getting ready to jump. Awestruck on seeing them, I stepped back from the gunwale, stood between Jean and Thumper and said, “‘The rockets’ red glare’ springs to mind.”
We had been out on the water in the dark for a couple of hours, when a swimmer was spotted swimming the distance from shore to the boat. “Did we forget someone?” asked Jean.
“Throw me the ring!” he yelled. He was yet about 25 feet from the boat.
“He’s nuts!” said Jean in her deep, raspy voice.
Thumper tossed out the life preserver. The crew hauled the swimmer aboard. He was J.T., another crewmember. He had hurt himself somehow and was in pain.
He ate, said “See ya later,” then jumped back overboard and swam to shore wearing a life jacket — hard to swim that way, but at least he wouldn’t tire and drown.
The Maggie’s deck was laid with two Oriental rugs. Tables were laid with food. Jean supplies some of it and guests bring some. Thumper pilots the Maggie from her berth up the creek and brings her to the public dock for us to board.
At dock in the creek, we have to climb down a ladder (just a household four-step ladder that you would stand on to paint the walls or hang the flag from the porch roof beam) folded and leaning steeply against the gunwale and dock piling — you climb down frontwards, placing your feet on the back edge of the treads of the closed ladder, with two crew members, one on each side of you, firmly holding your hands, supporting you over the foot of black water space between the dock and the boat.
In order for Maggie’s five-foot draft to make it through the cut from the creek to the bay, we have to start as the tide is coming in and then return at high tide. The cut is silted in because new high-roller residents have built houses and dumped more sand on the beach.
After we ate and watched the fireworks two of the guys, members of Delmarva Friends of Folk, sat at the bow, played their guitars and sang the blues for us. There in the dark, a light breeze came up and a shoal of black mackerel clouds etched in silver light traveled across the full moon.
We were under sail much of the time, but barely moved since there was little breeze. Thumper used the engine to move us around.
At the end of the evening, back at dock, we jumped down about three feet onto land. Crewmembers once again held both our hands to steady us.
What a wonderful, very special time. A very special annual event Jean and Thumper provide for us.
We never did find the apple pie, however, that the friends I rode with brought and carried aboard.
—Samantha Mozart
Maggie S Meyers has always held a spot in my heart. I worked many many years on her for Captain “Pretty Harry” Killen. I had since left her and went on to captain my own work boats but it was on board her that Pretty Harry gave me my Captain’s name of Captain “Hair Back” which stuck with me for many years I worked my own boats and with others on the water as a commercial waterman. Even as being my own captain, I still returned and worked a lot more years aboard the Maggie with Pretty Harry. I was very fond of the Maggie. I would truly LOVE to have the chance to ride on her at least one more time before I pass on. I spent many hours piloting and working on her on the bay in the past back when we worked her to dredge oysters, crabs, conks and horseshoe crabs. I am no longer a waterman as I had to give up that life due to health issues, but the Maggie will ALWAYS be a special girl to me. Does she still have the same engine in her, the one Pretty Harry had installed which came out of a WWII army tank, after all, Captain Pretty Harry Killen was a tank operator in WWII under Patton, or has the engine been updated with a newer engine? Thank-You So much for posting this article about her, may she continue to have the great life on the Delaware Bay!!
Tom, I am so sorry to only now be replying to your wonderful comment. My computer has been down since the end of October, and then so was this website. I am only just now getting everything in working order again. I am so glad you took the time to comment here. I am very good friends with Jean Friend and Frank “Thumper” Eicherly, who now own and are lovingly restoring the Maggie. I have heard that during the past few months Jean & Thumper are having the Maggie’s second mast restored.
A few years ago, Ron Sayers (Sayers Jewelers) showed me really old photos of the Maggie when Harry Killen owned her. Ron is married to Ellen Killen, as you may know.
I will phone Jean and Thumper and read them your comment here. Thumper always welcomes visitors aboard the Maggie. I have sailed onboard numerous times.
I will definitely get back to you on this and see if I can get you and Thumper connected. Thanks so much.
Samantha
Beautiful Job you two. Great story, Great pictures and Great friends.
Ah, yes. As always, Connie. It was a magical evening, thanks to Jean and Thumper. Robert’s photos are beautiful and so beautifully document our event. Thanks.
Thank you Connie…
R.
I loved this post! You and Robert did a terrific collaboration about your fascinating 4th. Thanks! What a cool story about such a cool schooner that’s living history. That’s wonderful that Jean and Thumper rescued Maggie and that she’s never been out of commission for 119 years! Great holiday story Samantha!
Hey, thank you LAWoman. Interestingly, Robert and I barely spoke all evening. He was at one end of the boat and I at the other, mostly, and I had no idea what he was up to. The next day he emailed me his photos, and they are gorgeous; they really document our evening. I was wondering what to write about our evening, and his photos set me on the path. Yes, Jean & Thumper really love the Maggie; when they saw her in 1998, it was love at first sight.
Glad you loved the post. Thank you for commenting. A number of people have told me they love it, but have not commented here — the phantoms of my blog.
Thank you La…
R.
Great piece — a lovely blending together of word-pictures and picture-pictures. It all flowed.
Thank you, T.J. Robert’s pictures truly tell the story.
beautiful, just beautiful
Beatrice, you’re wonderful. Thank you so much. I know Robert thanks you, too.
Thank you Beatrice…
R.
Great historical documentation!
Cheers,
R.
You did it. I mostly provided the captions.
Thank you C.
R.
You’re welcome. Gorgeous photos. An important documentation.