SPLASH DOWN! RV Tkuweyo Takes its Maiden Voyage

On June 12, under a brilliant blue sky, PDE and friends cut the ribbon on its first research boat, RV Tkuweyo, at a special splash-down ceremony at the Hansey Creek Boat Launch area in Port Norris, New Jersey.

PDE will use RV Tkuweyo to access remote locations in the Delaware Bay for study and to support marsh and freshwater mussel restoration projects across the tidal portion of the Delaware Estuary. RV Tkuweyo can transport up to five people, samples, and equipment.

Yamaha Rightwaters supports coastal resilience work to keep waterways robust and thriving.

“The continued health and maintenance of coastal environments is a key focus of Yamaha Rightwaters,” said Joshua Grier, Sustainability Program Manager, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit. “Working with the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Yamaha Rightwaters supports marine environment research and marsh and freshwater mussel restoration projects. We look forward to participating in the growth of the program.”

Tkuweyo, the Lenape word for “wave,” is a 20-foot-long G3 Gator Tough jon boat with a Yamaha V MAX SHO® 115 outboard engine. The boat, motor, trailer, and amenities come to PDE through a trio of corporate, foundation, and government support. PDE is eternally grateful to Yamaha Rightwaters, Aqua, an Essential Utilities Company, and the Environmental Protection Agency under an Assistance Agreement funded by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for making the boat acquisition possible.

“EPA is proud to support the scientific efforts of this partnership, which are crucial to the sustainability of this vital estuary,” said EPA Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “While we’ve seen real progress in recent decades, this vessel will help ensure that the essential work of restoring water quality and aquatic habitat in the Delaware Estuary will continue into the future.”

A research vessel has been on PDE’s wish list for more than a decade. Not having a boat has been challenging for PDE’s scientists, who spend an estimated 60 days a year in the Delaware Estuary’s waterways and wetlands researching water quality, impacts of climate change and sea level rise, and other environmental challenges facing the Delaware River and Bay’s ecosystems.

“This is more than a boat to PDE,” said LeeAnn Haaf, Ph.D., PDE’s Assistant Director of Estuary Science.

“With this vessel, our scientists can access remote tidal wetlands and will now have the