The Newport International Boat Show, the first how of the season in the Northeast, opens on Thursday, Sept. 16, and runs through Sunday, Sept. 19. The show was cancelled last year, because of the pandemic; it undoubtedly will more interest than usual this year as a result.
The Newport show has always been one of my favorites, because almost all of the new boats are there and then, well, it’s in Newport, one of the most historic and iconic boating destinations in the United States.
The show this year, the 50th annual, will have hundreds of new power and sail boats in the water and on land, focused around the Newport Yachting Center in the middle of town, plus tents and land displays for engines, electronics and accessories of all kinds.
The show highlights new boats and accessories being introduced there for the first time in a promotion called Newport for New Products. New powerboats include the Hinckley 35 with twin outboards and a hull designed by Michael Peters; the Summit 54, the new Kadey-Krogen brand, with a hull by Michal Peters; the CLA76, the new Cheoy Lee brand, with a hull by Michael Peters; the MJM 3z, designed by Doug Zurn; and the Back Cove 39O with twin outboards and the Sabre 58 Sedan Express, both designed by Kevin Burns, Sabre’s VP of design and development.
People who attend the show on Thursday, the Preview Day, can vote for their favorite new sail and power boat in the People’s Choice Award. The winner will be announced on Friday morning.
During the show, the Freedom Boat Club will offer 90-minute on-the-water training by certified captains. Courses cost $99 a person and include necessary information including docking, rules of the road, buoy-to-buoy navigation and much more.
If you’re driving to the show, you can park at Easton’s Beach for a day, and take a shuttle to the show. You can buy parking passes in advance from the show’s website, (the link is below); they cost $30 on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and $35 on Saturday. The lot is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
If you want to get into a boating mood early, you can park for free in Jamestown and take a free shuttle to a ferry to the show. Then you can buy a show ticket on board the ferry itself.
The show is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost $35 on Thursday, the Preview Day, and $25 from Friday through Sunday. Children 12 and under are free if they’re with an adult.
The show will follow the Covid safety protocols and guidelines in effect at the time from state and local health officials. The state does not mandate mask-wearing outdoors, but the show recommends they be worn inside the tents. Hand sanitizer dispensers will be located throughout the show locations. Read more:
