When I stepped aboard the A.J. Meerwald, a restored Delaware Bay oyster schooner and New Jersey's official tall ship, I was not assaulted by the full weight of the past, present, and future of Mid-Atlantic maritime communities. I was struck, instead, with the thrill of cruising under sail on a beautiful historic vessel, all polished wood and coiled ropes. The day was gorgeous. The sails--hoisted with the help of some of the passengers, including my daughter--luffed gently in the breeze.

This trip on the A.J. Meerwald in July of 2000 was my maiden voyage on a journey across over 2,000 miles of shoreline in the states of New York, New Jersey, ...