A Boat Show Warm-Up in Newport, RI
This past weekend, while West Coasters were cleaning up the shorelines and racing in the Rolex Big Boat Series, some of us were on on the East Coast watching the onset of fall colors along the river banks. The visit happened to coincide with the Newport International Boat Show. What does a sailor do when there’s a boat show nearby? We go to the show, of course! Naturally, as things go, we picked the only rainy day after three days of sunshine. But nonetheless, there was lots to see and do.
This year was the 54th Newport International Boat Show, running September 17–20. And what a show it was! The biggest thing that stood out for us was the number of boats on display — all sorts and all sizes.
The sailboats ranged from pretty little wooden skiffs to luxurious-looking teak-laden cruisers.
Powerboats ranged from fold-up tenders to small runabouts to massive-engine fishing rigs: We’re talking five 600-hp engines. We found the sailboats much more appealing.
But back to sailboats. The J/Boats cornered a section of the docks where they displayed some of their fleet — J/7, J/9, J/36 and upward.
Inside the tents were a range of vendors displaying clothing to bags to novelties.
There was an entire tent dedicated to engines and other powered-up and technical gadgetry.
Later in the day, we came across Ronnie Simpson’s Class 40 Koloa Maoli, aboard which he will compete in the second Global Solo Challenge, a singlehanded nonstop sailing race around the world, in October 2027. Readers may recall Ronnie’s campaign in the inaugural Global Solo Challenge in 2023–24. It ended when, after sailing most of the race in third place, he dismasted after Cape Horn and was unable to finish the race.
While it can be tiring to spend the day looking at boats (someone has to do it), it’s also exciting to see what’s happening outside our own relatively small window. We also left wanting more. Thankfully, there is more on the very near horizon.
This coming weekend, September 25–27, is the fourth annual Sausalito Boat Show. This grassroots show has grown exponentially in its short lifespan, and we’re excited to see all the boats and vendors who will be in Sausalito over the three-day show. We’ll be there with our Latitude crew, and aside from looking forward to seeing who and what is at the show, we’re looking forward to catching up with our readers, in person!
So, grab your tickets — you can get $5 off with code L38 — and come see us at Booth #203. We’ll meet you there!