BOWERS, Del.- Maggie S Myers is looking in shipshape, especially at 130 years old. The oyster schooner sank just before Christmas, but now she’s ready to set sail once again.
It was a sad day in Bowers Beach when Maggie S Myers sank beneath the Murderkill River back in December. But the ship’s captain, Frank “Thumper” Eicherly and his crew stopped at nothing to bring her back.
The historic oyster schooner fell victim to winter weather.
“Maggie Myers completely sank, and everything that was in her was pretty much lost,” said first mate, Matt Green.
As Capt.Thumper surveyed the damage, he knew there’d be a river of problems ahead. “That night I had to spend with Maggie, that was a strange night. I had sleep deprivation coming down here like every hour checking on her,” he said.
Rescue crews, divers, and neighbors all chipped in to help get the schooner off the bottom of the river.
Although Maggie missed out on crab and conch season, Capt. Thumper is looking forward to oyster season in the fall, when the schooner can do what she was built to do back in 1893.
“We are getting ready for oystering, doing all the things that oyster men do and we’ll have all our sails up white and tight, we are pretty excited about that,” he said.
“Thank God the captain got her back up and running because this is how some of us that live in Bowers survive, and it could’ve gone the other way,” said first mate Green.
Capt. Thumper tells us he used his life savings to get the schooner up and running again, but that he doesn’t regret a single dollar spent.
“I had too much invested in the boat to just turn around,” he said, expressing gratitude towards all those who came out to help. “I should’ve sent thank you notes to thousands of people.”
Here is the link for the Maggie S Myers GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/maggie-s-myers-needs-your-help-to-survive?qid=9ab57adbb998782f4f6d6d49b42ff2d5
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