Sailing in Newport

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For those of you who don't know this, Newport, Rhode Island is the sailing capital of the United States...and for good reason! On any given day, but especially between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Narragansett Bay is filled with sailboats of all sizes. It is the birthplace of the legendary American J-class boats and one of the few places in the world that these mighty America's Cup sloops from the 1930s can still be sighted. With their enormous sail area, they are easy to spot gliding majestically across the bay.



Labor Day weekend, we went sailing in the Bay with our friends Leo and Sparky (Frank). The marina at the naval base here in Newport, rents Rhodes 19s and Shields 30s. The graceful Shields are always my prefered choice, although it must be pointed out that they are only available to qualified sailors due to the rarity of the class. As you can see below, they are attractive...and very powerful. The first photo (obtained from the net) was taken during the class international regatta here in Newport this summer.




Saturday the 1st of September was spectacular with temps in the high 60s and clear skies. We brought along all the necessary victuals (mainly wine and cheese) for a day on the bay. Apparently, Frank never got the memo about the space limitations on a Shields and showed up ready for a full-on nautical expedition. Probably the highlight of the day was trying to untangle Frank’s fishing lure from a trap buoy. While it may seem odd that someone was fishing off a sailboat, since fishing rods don't go well on a vessel with lots of moving spars and bits of rope, Frank was adamant about trying to catch something. Although the bay is known for striped bass and blue fish, we didn't catch anything.



Narragansett Bay is very picturesque. Here's a pic of the U.S. Naval War College.

...and here's some more pics of our day on the bay.

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Photos

Captain Laurie and Her First Mate
Yes, Laurie THOUGHT she was in charge.....