47th Annual Newport Boat Show: First Look at the New Cruising Boats
By Peter A. Janssen
The Newport, RI, boat show has always been my favorite. It’s the first of the fall show season, so almost all the new boats are there, and then, well, it’s in Newport. Enough said.
This year the show, the 47th annual, runs from Thursday, Sept. 14 through Sunday, Sept. 17, with most of the docks and tents at the Newport Yachting Center, but spilling over to neighboring docks; all told, some 600 boats are displayed over 13 acres. There’s also a brokerage show at the Newport Shipyard, and a wooden boat show at Bowen’s Wharf. You don’t need an extra ticket for these shows, and there’s a water taxi to and from the main show.
In addition to the new boats, electronics, gear and equipment, seminars and courses run throughout the show. Confident Captain holds hands-on, in-the-water power and sail courses; a 90-minute course on Powerboat Docking and Maneuvering, for example, costs $99 per person. It’s popular, so you should register in advance. You can see America’s newest Tall Ship, the 200-foot Oliver Hazard Perry, just up the street, across from the Red Parrot restaurant; it’s open during show hours to anyone with show wristband. On land, you can sign up in advance for a test ride on a new Tesla.
Show parking is at Easton’s Beach and costs $20. A free shuttle runs to the show. Or if you want to get in the boating mood, you can park in Jamestown and take the ferry to the show. Get the ferry at East Ferry Wharf in downtown Jamestown; it drops you off at Perotti Park in Newport, an easy walk to the show. The ferry costs $24 for an adult roundtrip.
Meanwhile, it’s fall in New England, and few places offer more for a casual visit than Newport. You can see the mansions, take the Cliff Walk, or drop by the Trinity Church as the top of a small park just a few blocks from the show to see where George Washington once worshipped; it’s been there since 1726. One of my favorite things to do in Newport is to take the Ten Mile Scenic Drive along some of the most beautiful shoreline on the East Coast; I think it rivals the 17-mile drive in Pebble Beach, California, and that’s saying a lot.
We hope to see you at the show. Drop by the Blue Water Sailing booth in Tent A4 to say hello.
Click here to see more about the show: http://newportboatshow.com
