yacht school newport ri

Newport Sailing

School & tours.

Newport's Finest Since 1971

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(401) 848-2266, [email protected].

Experience Newport the way it should be seen: Under Sail

Join us for a Sailing Tour of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay,  and view all the famous points of interest. We at Newport Sailing would like to introduce you to the very finest in Sailing Tours and Instruction. For over 50 years, we have introduced to thousands of people the thrill of “pure” sailing in Newport, Rhode Island, the “Sailing Capital of the World”! Enjoy delightful narrated Sailing Tour, Team Building Event, Custom Sailing Experience or Learn to Sail.

What Makes Us Special

 As a local family owned company since 1965, we pride ourselves in the personal feel of our tours and instructions and love sharing the beauty of Newport and the thrill of sailing with everyone who sets sail with our crew.

Experienced Local Crew

For over 50+ years, Newport Sailing School and Tours has been providing the finest sailing instruction and tours 

ASA Certified

We are proud to be Certified by the American Sailing Association, and to offer ASA keelboat instruction courses.

Unforgettable Scenery

Discover spectacular Newport Harbor, Castle Hill, Jamestown, Hammersmith Farm, Clingstone, and breathtaking sunsets.

What Our Customers Say:

"We had an amazing time sailing the sunset with our captain, Mike. He was a very experienced sailor and a knowledgeable person about the area...Definitely a must do when in the area!

Newport Sailing School is a great place to learn to sail or see the harbor. Mike took excellent care of our son’s safety and ensured he had the knowledge to become certified. An amazing experience!

My family of five had a great private sail today. Mike was friendly and expert. We learned a lot about sailing and about Newport history and landmarks... Highly recommend Mike and Newport Sailing.

Welcome Aboard

Sailing Cruises Departing every 90 minutes from beautiful Goat Island Marina in downtown Newport, RI, next to Newport Harbor Island Resort.

Free parking at our kiosk located at Dock A5, Goat Island Marina, 5 Marina Plaza, Newport, RI 02840.

5 Marina Plaza, Goat Island Marina, Dock A5, Newport, RI 02840

Free Parking is available here at our Kiosk.

Contact Our Crew

[email protected] | 4 01-848-2266

IYRS School of Technology & Trades

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IYRS School of Technology & Trades - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

• Mon - Sat 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
• (0.15 mi) The Francis Malbone House
• (0.13 mi) Admiral Fitzroy Inn
• (0.11 mi) Bouchard Inn
• (0.15 mi) Samuel Durfee House
• (0.09 mi) William Gyles Guesthouse
• (0.11 mi) Chanterelle Restaurant
• (0.10 mi) O'Brien's Pub
• (0.06 mi) The Reef
• (0.04 mi) Mokka Coffeehouse
• (0.06 mi) Harry's Newport

IYRS - School of Technology and Trades

Education Industry: Education Non-Profit Yacht Restoration School

• 449 Thames Street Suite 111 Newport RI 02840
• (401) 848-5777
• (860) 919-9917
• (401) 842-0669
• Visit Website

IYRS School of Technology & Trades is a non-profit, post-secondary experiential learning institution in Newport, Rhode Island and is the premier marine trades and modern manufacturing school in the United States. IYRS offers education & training programs for people with a passion for thinking and working through their hands. IYRS was founded in 1993 as the International Yacht Restoration School on the Newport harborfront. It was originally founded to teach students the fine craftsmanship and restoration skills necessary to preserve maritime heritage through the restoration of historically significant wooden sailing yachts. Since that time, IYRS has grown into a world-class learning institution offering four full-time, accredited experiential programs; Boatbuilding & Restoration, Composites Technology, Digital Modeling & Fabrication and Marine Systems. IYRS' Mission: IYRS empowers students through immersive, hands-on learning to realize their full potential in career and in life.

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International Yacht Restoration School (Newport, Rhode Island USA)

Founded 1993, with its main campus in Newport, RI and a satellite campus in Bristol, RI, IYRS is a world-class experiential school with a core education model dedicated to teaching highly technical and deeply craft-oriented career skills. IYRS teaches the skills, history, art, and science of building, restoring and maintaining boats.

IYRS is the only school with a 20-month Boatbuilding & Restoration program. IYRS also offers a 6-month Marine Systems program for American Boat & Yacht Council certification, a gold-medal standard in the industry, and a 6-month Composites Technology program that has been heralded as the most comprehensive programs offering a wide array of skills for both building and maintaining products of a wide nature. IYRS also offers Continuing Education courses for professional development, so individuals can advance their skills while working full-time.

IYRS currently has three Accredited Schools: 1.) School of Boatbuilding & Restoration. 2.) School of Marine Systems. 3.) School of Composites Technology. The skills acquired in these programs are transferable to other industries and applications.

IYRS – Newport Campus & Administrative Offices 449 Thames Street, Suite 111 Newport, RI 02840 United States of America Tel: (401) 848-5777 Fax: (401) 842-0669

IYRS – Bristol Campus (Physical location only, please send mail to the Newport Campus) 253 Franklin Street Bristol, RI 02809 Tel: (401) 848-5777 Fax: (401) 253-4111

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• WoodenBoat School (Brooklin, Maine USA)
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We own a 1976 Hallberg Rassy 31 Monsun. We are the third owner of the boat. It has all original components. Aside from needed updates the Volvo Penta diesel engine has to be rebuilt or replaced. Would this be a vessel that the Restoration School would be interested in receiving?

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Fax: (315) 686-2680

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International Yacht Restoration School – Newport, RI

I.Y.R.S. is recognized as the ACBS Associate Member of the week.

The International Yacht Restoration School or I.Y.R.S . is an Associate Member of the Antique and Classic Boat Society.  ACBS recognizes them with gratitude for their support of our organization. 

I.Y.R.S.  EMPOWERS STUDENTS TO MAKE, BUILD, RESTORE & MAINTAIN ALMOST ANYTHING!   They have been an Associate Member of ACBS since 2012. And they have been the recipient of Scholarship funds from ACBS since our scholarship program began.  

I.Y.R.S. , located in Rhode Island, welcomes newly graduated from high school students as well as those seeking training for a career change.  They offer major programs in these areas:

Boatbuilding & Restoration – a 20-month program which enrolls each September.

IYRS’ Boatbuilding & Restoration program is a comprehensive two-year program which combines the time-honored craft of wooden boatbuilding with the modern problem solving skills to succeed in today’s thriving job market. IYRS’ curriculum is regarded as the best in the industry, training the next generation of master craftspeople.

Marine Systems –  a 6-month program which enrolls in March and September

IYRS’ Marine Systems program is an immersive learning experience with a curriculum guided by the needs of industry-leading companies. Covered over six-months are techniques and skills needed to maintain and repair all essential marine systems, as well as career planning, key certification exam preparation and real-world internship experience.

Composites Technology – a 6-month program which enrolls in March and September

Considered to be the wave of the future in the manufacturing and design industries, IYRS’ Composites Technology program offers students unique exposure to composite building materials, emerging technologies, mold-making and infusion processing, all with a heightened focus on career preparation and certification.

I.Y.R.S.,  called “iris”, has a great website with many videos.  Click here to enjoy one of their videos:  International Yacht Restoration School – Newport, RI

The Antique and Classic Boat Society appreciates the extra support given to our organization by Associate Members.   Click here to see this year’s list of Associate Members .

If you or your business would like to support the Antique and Classic Boat Society by being an ACBS Associate Member, you may join here or contact ACBS Executive Director Dan Gyoerkoe at [email protected] or call (315) 686-2628.

Do you ever take donations of wooden boats that need to be restored? I know of a beautiful wooden 51’ Alden ketch that could be a possibility if you’re interested. Call Sharon at 1 805 -878-8201 CA

Please contact the school. You may use this link to view the school’s contact page, https://iyrs.edu/contact-us/

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Visiting the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, Rhode Island

On yesterday’s blog, I mentioned that I spent last weekend in Newport, Rhode Island, visiting my good friends, Holly Bannister and Doug Newhouse.  It was an invigorating weekend of hiking, touring, and boating in and around that historic town.  On Saturday, we had the great pleasure of seeing an amazing school called the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS).  IYRS is an internationally known school, focused on preparing students to enter and excel in all aspects of modern boatbuilding.  IYRS is a highly technical and deeply craft-oriented establishment that offers the most advanced technical training in Boatbuilding & Restoration, Marine Systems, and Composites Technology.  The entire focus is on making and building boats and I have to say that I was totally impressed with everything I saw at IYRS.

[albumid2 id=CaptionedVisitToIYRSGetMoreInfoOnlineAndFromDoughNewhouse]

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International Yacht Restoration School

Project Details:

Industry:  Institutional Location:  Newport, RI Services:  Site/Civil Engineering; Regulatory Permitting; Surveying

The International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) of Technology and Trades’ on Thames Street in Newport has added a new 20,240 square foot building to its campus, two stories above flood elevation. The building is home to four programs, featuring classroom space and technology-based teaching areas for marine systems, composites technology and digital manufacturing on two upper floors.

The project included 32 parking spaces at grade below the building. DiPrete Engineering and Wilson Architects collaborated with regulatory agencies to create a structure that could endure significant storms and flooding. DiPrete Engineering’s scope of work included boundary and topographic survey, site/civil design including construction documents, state permitting through RIDEM and CRMC, and local permitting through City of Newport Zoning and Planning Boards.

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Newport Office 90 Broadway Newport, RI 02840 (401) 619-5890

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Newport Charter Yacht Show To Be Held June 23-26, 2024 at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard

The Newport Charter Yacht Show, held annually in picturesque downtown Newport, R.I., will be held June 23-26, 2024 at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard. For charter yachts who plan to spend the summer in New England, the Newport Charter Show is the perfect way to kick-off their season in the northeast. Over 100 charter brokers attend the show, which will feature sailing and motor vessels ranging in size from 50 to 200+ feet. The show is open exclusively to charter yacht brokers, agents, and industry professionals. Registration is now open online: www.newportchartershow.com

“2024 looks to be another exciting and busy season for yachts heading to Newport,” said Michael Millerick, general manager of Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard, a premier superyacht marina and shipyard in the northeast. “This summer’s yachting and special event schedule is packed with many great events including the TP52 Super Series regatta; Newport to Bermuda Race; USGA Senior Open Championship at Newport Country Club; Newport Flower Show at Rosecliff Mansion; Safe Harbor Race Weekend; and many more high-profile events that are sure to attract yacht owners and charter guests from around the world,” Millerick said.

“We look forward to welcoming back yacht captains, crew members, charter brokers, marine industry vendors and sponsors and we encourage yacht captains and charter brokers to register early for the show to take advantage of the 25% savings on registration and dockage which is in place until February 15, 2024.”

“We are also thrilled to announce that one of Newport’s most popular charity events, the Newport Yacht Rendezvous, benefitting the Boys & Girls Club of Newport County, will be held a day prior to the Newport Charter Show, on Saturday, June 22. More than 350 supporters and donors attend this sold-out event each year to enjoy dinner, dancing, and a cocktail hour ‘yacht hop’ at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard,” Millerick concluded. Yachts who participate in the Newport Yacht Rendezvous receive a complimentary night of dockage and shore power as a thank you for their support of this very worthy cause.

NEWPORT CHARTER YACHT SHOW KEY DETAILS

When: June 23-26, 2024

Where: Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard, Newport, RI

Why Attend:   Over 100 charter brokers in attendance identifying yachts for their clients; marine industry vendors on display in Charter Show village; ideal setting to show off yacht refit/repair work & new crew additions.

Fun & lively crew competitions for interior & exterior:

Chef’s competition judged by local & celebrity chefs;

Signature cocktail competition for stewards/stewardesses;

Tablescaping contest for stewards/stewardesses;

Captain & deck challenge featuring fender inflating contest, yoga challenge, and deckhand flower arranging.

AYCA Educational Seminar on Wednesday, June 26, 8:30AM – 12:00PM

HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE NEWPORT CHARTER YACHT SHOW

Yachts register here: www.newportchartershow.com/yacht-registration

Charter Brokers register here: www.newportchartershow.com/charter-broker-agent-registration

Exhibiting Vendors register here:  www.newportchartershow.com/exhibiting-vendor-registration

Non-Exhibiting Vendors register here: www.newportchartershow.com/nonexhibiting-vendor-registration  

Obituary: Dr. John F. Begg, Jr. D.D.S (1935-2024)

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Inside the Just-Opened Gardiner House, a Newport Hotel With a Rich History

By Lilah Ramzi

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A visit to Newport, Rhode Island , is incomplete without a tour of Bellevue Avenue’s famous homes. Though their original owners (Vanderbilts, Astors, Morgans) dubbed them “ country cottages ,” they stand as imposingly as any mansion on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue. We’d even go as far as to argue that these homes—properties like Marble House, The Elms, and The Breakers—are the coastal New England town ’s main draw. But there are also the ones you can’t tour, the privately-owned mansions that you need an invitation to step inside. The alternative? You can check into Newport’s newest hotel Gardiner House.

Opened late last year, Gardiner House is a 21-room property located on Lees Wharf, directly next to the International Yacht Restoration School. The hotel’s proprietors, Wirt Blaffer and Howard Cushing, have a deep connection to the town—especially Cushing, whose 1860s family home, The Ledges, inspired much of the interior design of Gardiner House. (The original white Stick-style Victorian house of The Ledges was built by Cushing’s great-grandfather, the artist Howard Gardiner Cushing, and has sat on a cliff perch overlooking the town’s member’s club, Bailey’s Beach, for 150 years.)

This elder Cushing, a celebrated painter whose works can be admired at the Newport Art Museum , painted the entryway of The Ledges with a powdery mural in rose quartz-pink and turquoise blue, featuring butterflies mid-flight and peacocks on the branches with viney weeping willow trees. A wallpaper of the very same mural, digitally reproduced by twenty2 Wallpaper + Textiles, now greets guests of Gardiner House hotel in a loving nod to the Cushing family home. As guests walk up a winding staircase alongside the mural, they’ll notice unfinished traces of flora and fauna, as well as cracks in the artwork. Howard Gardiner Cushing passed before he could finish it, and the charming patina of the 100-plus-year-old mural is reflected in its recreation—a thoughtful design choice that winks to Newport’s rich design legacy.

“I love the immediate reaction people have when they walk into [Gardiner House],” says Cushing. “It’s like, ‘Okay, this is different, and I’m going to have so much fun here.’” Of paying homage to his great grandfather’s artwork, he says, “It wasn’t something I thought about recreating, but given the opportunity with Gardiner House—the idea of recreating the mural there was such an obvious yes. ”

Traces of “Old Newport” abound as you tour the property. Take a conversation-starting pair of wicker peacock chairs picked up from a sale at the 1904 home Clarendon Court, or the second-floor Sun Room, arranged like a Gilded Age indoor-outdoor space with clusters of seating and palm fronds.

Located in a former shipyard just off bustling Thames Street—which leads you to Newport culinary institutions like The Black Pearl and Clarke Cook House—Gardiner House is also uniquely positioned right on the wharf, offering views of the Newport Harbor and Fort Adams State Park. And what the hotel might lack in curbside appeal, it more than makes up for in views, which have been wisely designated to the hotel’s public spaces for maximum impact.

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No two guest rooms are quite alike, yet what unites them is their bright and cheery textiles—think wobbly stripes or block-printed floral motifs—and their year-round sunny feel, courtesy of sisal rugs, wicker seating, and burled wood accent furniture. As for the activities on offer? Cushing has high hopes his family’s Lobster boat—which one welcomed JFK for a fishing excursion—will be rehabilitated and can tour around hotel guests. In the meantime, the hotel has partnered with local charter companies should hotel-goers be interested in a sunset cruise. (Gardiner House also offers a beach picnic experience—parasols and all—and provides bicycles for roving the town.)

The aforementioned Sun Room, meanwhile, offers guests a cozy spot to take their continental breakfasts with a view of the harbor. The buzzy Studio Bar welcomes guests and locales (there are “liquor lockers” for frequent patrons) alike a spot to enjoy a cocktail by the fire. And later this summer, a restaurant on the top floor of the three-floor hotel will open, serving coastal Mediterranean cuisine. The restaurant will be one of the few Newport spots with a view—most of those belong to private houses, as Cushing and Blaffer are very well aware.

“Gardiner House has a spirit and feel that is familiar to Newporters, but hasn’t existed in a hospitality concept in Newport. Walking into the hotel is like walking into a house on the water full of art and unexpected design, and views that transport you into another world,” says Cushing, “But now, this scene exists in a hotel.”

Booking details for Gardiner House:

Amenities: Complimentary breakfast, free parking, restaurant, bar

Address: 24 Lees Wharf, Newport, RI, 02840

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Sharks and middle school students: Opening of Save The Bay aquarium in Newport celebrated

NEWPORT – Two dogfish sharks swim up close to the surface of one of the several touch tanks at the new Save The Bay Hamilton Family Aquarium , letting pairs of small hands reach out and touch their smooth, slimy gray backs. A gaggle of more students scamper through the glass tunnel underneath the central fish tank.

“This aquarium was envisioned and designed and built to inspire people through connection to Narragansett Bay to get involved in protecting the bay itself,” Save The Bay Executive Director Topher Hamblett told a crowd of students and community members at the ribbon cutting on Monday. “This is why we are here, this facility, we think will be an inspiration to people in the city, on the island, in the state and throughout the region and this is a very exciting time for all of us. This is going to be a transformational aquarium for all.”

The ribbon was cut on the new aquarium inside the Newport Gateway Center on Monday, signifying the opening of the sleek, newly constructed exhibits for educational trips from schools all across the state. Starting March 28, the aquarium will be open to the rest of the public.

Why the aquarium moved

Hamblett, whose favorite exhibit is the jellyfish tank, said the new facility is 7,000 square feet, a big step up from the 1,500 square feet the Save The Bay Exploration Center and Aquarium that was housed inside the Rotunda building on Easton’s Beach since 2006. In 2012, Superstorm Sandy flooded the beach building, which led the organization to look for new facilities. Save The Bay seized its opportunity in 2020 when Discover Newport moved out of its space in the Newport Gateway Center. Over the next three years, the organization spent millions of dollars to renovate the space and moved its animals over, acclimating them to their new tanks just steps away from Newport’s main transportation hub and bus station.

“We believe that this is one of the first aquariums in the country to be located in an intermodal hub,” Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong said to the crowd on Monday. “So whether you’re getting here by ferry, whether you’re taking a bus in, whether you’re walking, one of the first things you see when you come into the city of Newport is an institution that highlights the impacts of climate change and how we all can do our part to make a difference by learning more about our bay and doing all that we can to support it."

What's in Save The Bay's new aquarium

In addition to an increase in square footage, the new space is outfitted with touchscreen displays giving visitors more information about Narragansett Bay, a sand tray with a projector that shows changes in elevation as visitors move the sand around, several touch tanks with local animals like horseshoe crabs and dogfish sharks, a “Bay at Night” exhibit with jellyfish and an octopus and several tanks with fish and turtles.

Next to the dogfish touch tank, Aura Hernãndez points out the model of a basking shark hanging from the ceiling, explaining in Spanish what the animal is to a group of Thompson Middle School students who came to help cut the ribbon. Hernãndez, whose favorite exhibit is the tank of tropical orphan fish carried to New England through the Gulf Stream, is one of many multilingual educators with Save The Bay and regularly visits schools across the state to teach students about marine biology and Narragansett Bay.

“It’s so awesome being able to let them have their chance to explore and touch a shark and skates,” Hernãndez said. “I had a little pod of students walking around with me and I was talking to them in Spanish, just connecting with them a little more. It was really heartwarming.”

Like many in the organization, Hernãndez had previously worked at the location on Easton’s Beach before it closed.

“I think it was just for the best that we kind of moved to a new location and I’m so glad that this location came up,” Hernãndez said. “We’re so glad that we’re able to reach more people now through our educational space here.”

The rotunda that formerly housed the aquarium is actually the only one out of three main buildings on Easton’s Beach that will not be demolished this summer. Hamblett said it has been a bittersweet goodbye for the staff that worked at the beach facility.

“While there is a little bit of sadness for leaving the old place, we’re beyond excited to be here,” Hamblett said.

The aquarium received unanimous praise from a group of Thompson Middle School fifth-graders that spoke to The Newport Daily News alongside their science teacher, Melissa Turner, on Monday. The biggest hits for Reagan, Jane, Kensie, Ariella, Amaya and Lily were the sand tray and the fish tank tunnel, but they learned several new facts about creatures from the waters in Narragansett Bay. The six explained how they learned that diamondback turtles like to bite, starfish have five eyes, and one student even learned there was a particular reason why the horseshoe crabs kept crawling, or rather mounting, on top of each other.

“We have been so lucky at Thompson Middle School because Save The Bay has been a huge supporter of our education and over the past several years, they have anonymous donors, so they channel those funds to allow our students to do things like this, to go to the aquarium, to go out on exploration vessels, that our budget would not sustain without the support of those donors,” Turner said.

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Coventry High School mourns beloved psychologist and coach

by LEANNA FAULK, NBC 10 NEWS

COVENTRY, R.I. (WJAR) — The Coventry Public Schools community is mourning one of its school psychologists, Dr. Lou Ruffolo, who worked at the district for over 23 years.

Classes were canceled Tuesday for Coventry students as they grieve Ruffolo, or Coach Ruff, as many of them called him.

Former students said his life and unexpected death will make a mark well beyond his time.

"He definitely touched a lot of people's hearts while he was here," said former student Erik Gonsalves. "Open arms, he accepted everybody, no matter who they were."

According to the superintendent, Ruffolo died after two decades with the Coventry Public School District.

Gonsalves graduated in May 2020.

He said he remembers meeting Ruffolo in kindergarten, the then 5-year-old Gonsalves unaware of the impact Ruffolo would ultimately leave on him.

"He was always just open and caring. And, you know, he took me in, you know, and he mentored me and taught me and here am I now," said Gonsalves.

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He is one of hundreds of student-athletes Ruffolo coached for the Coventry Unified Basketball Team.

He said Ruffolo always stayed in touch, their latest check-in as recent as last month.

"He was always telling me, like, you know, just be the role model that you are, you know," said Gonsalves. "You've inspired a lot of people, and I really appreciate it. You know, I, I never really had anybody telling me like, I inspired somebody to do something."

He feels for current Oakers like 11th grader Chris French, who told NBC 10 News that he's devastated.

French said he's a better person and a better player because of Ruffolo's leadership.

"He helped me out with my issues going on, but he was awesome," said French.

Officials have not released the cause of death.

School will reopen Wednesday with grief counselors available for any students or staff.