Events & Calendar


Events at IYRS and the Museum of Yachting

Events at IYRS and the Museum of Yachting take place throughout the year, both on campus and off. They are a great way to get involved in both institutions and the world of classic boats, meet interesting people with similar interests, support our students, and celebrate the tradition of craftsmanship taught at the school. Come to Restoration Hall for a Tuesday night lecture, celebrate the accomplishments of our students at Launch Day, attend our elegant Annual Summer Gala, volunteer at the school, or even take one of our Continuing Education courses. Read on for a calendar of upcoming events.



2008

 

 

May

  • Lecture - Tuesday, May 6; 7:30pm; IYRS Campus, Newport.  Daniel Forster:  Far and Away: Images from the World's Top Offshore Races. Through the lens of his camera, Daniel Forster has witnessed many dramatic moments in sailing, and his work has graced the pages of major sailing magazines published throughout the world. He comes to IYRS in May to give lecture-goers a bird's-eye view of the great races he has covered in a career that began in his native Switzerland in the mid-70s. The Rolex Fastnet, the Volvo Ocean Race, and the Rolex Sydney Hobart are just some of the offshore contests he has documented. Forster will also show a selection of his America's Cup images. The lecture takes place at 7:30, with plenty of time to make this a dinner-and-a-lecture evening by stopping first at Cafe Zelda on Thames Street.

 

  • Graduation and Launch Day - Saturday, May 31; 10:30 AM; IYRS Campus, Newport. The school's traditional Launch Day ceremony, which also marks graduation day, takes place at IYRS on Saturday, May 31. IYRS students will launch and sail the boats they restored in a ceremony that has become a unique waterfront event for the Newport community. Graduation ceremonies begin inside Restoration Hall at 10:30 AM. This year, students from the two-year Boat Building & Restoration Program will be joined by the first class to graduate from IYRS' new Marine Systems Program. Rives Potts, general manager of Brewer Pilots Point Marina (Westbrook, Conn.), will be the featured graduation speaker. After the ceremony, the crowd migrates from Restoration Hall to the school docks to watch the fleet launching at 11:30. This year, students are restoring a fleet of 12-foot Beetle Cats, 6-Meter hull #12 Madcap, and an 11-foot Bulldog that was originally commissioned in 1935. Students are also building a replica of a 15-foot Whitehall tender. That afternoon, the festivities move across the harbor to opening day at The Museum of Yachting (see below).  

 

  • Opening Day at the Museum of Yachting - Saturday, May 31; 2:00pm; Museum of Yachting, Fort Adams State Park, Newport.  Join us for the Opening Day ceremonies at the Museum of Yachting.  Three new exhibits will span the one hundred year period between 1883, when Rufus Bush first made plans to build the schooner yacht Coronet, to 1983 when the America's Cup left Newport. The event is free to the public and runs until 6 PM.

 

  • Summer Exhibits at The Museum of Yachting and IYRS - May 31 to October 31; IYRS Campus and The Museum of Yachting, Newport. IYRS and The Museum of Yachting will coordinate exhibits with restoration projects in summer '08, so visitors  can see restorations underway and learn about the history of these watercraft and the individuals who designed them and sailed onboard in displays of historic photos, artifacts, and film footage. The summer '08 exhibits focus on Sparkman & Stephens and the people behind the famous one-designs and ocean racers that put this design firm on the map, coupled with the building of a replica of the S&S-designed 6-Meter Cherokee. At IYRS, shipwrights will be working on the restoration of the 133-foot 1885 schooner yacht Coronet while the museum hosts an exhibit on the voyages of Arthur Curtiss James (1867–1941), who owned and cruised worldwide onboard Coronet and his series of Aloha yachts.  Also on view at the Museum will be an exhibit on the America's Cup during the Newport years from 1930–1983, when Cup syndicates competed in J/Class and 12-Meter yachts.

 

 July

  • Third Annual Robert H. Tiedemann Regatta -- Saturday, July 5 - Sunday, July 6; Museum of Yachting, Fort Adams State Park, Newport.  On Fourth of July weekend in Newport, the Museum of Yachting will host a celebration of classic yachting with the Third Annual Robert H. Tiedemann Regatta. The weekend event includes racing for a fleet of classics—with vessels such as the Herreshoff-designed schooner Eleonora, S&S designs, and 12-Meters expected—and a Sunday parade of the fleet, complemented by evening social activities. The regatta honors the late Bob Tiedemann, whose passion for classic yachts lead him to rescue a substantial number of historic vessels, among them the majestic 12-Meter Gleam.  For more information, contact James Russell or call 401-847-1018.

 

  • 11th Annual Summer Gala Weekend at IYRS--Friday, July 11 - Sunday, July 13; IYRS Campus, Newport. IYRS will hold its Eleventh Annual Summer Gala, sponsored by Lexus, on Saturday, July 12. Restoration Hall will once again be transformed for this elegant evening that crowns an entire weekend of festivity. The theme of the 2008 Gala—the school's largest fundraiser of the year, which is paired with a live and silent auction—is "A New Launch," and the summertime fete will celebrate the convergence of IYRS and the Museum of Yachting. For more information or to reserve a ticket, contact Deirdre Opp or call 401-848-5777 x217.

 

 August

  • The 29th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta-- Friday, August 29 - Sunday, August 31; Museum of Yachting, Fort Adams State Park, Newport.  The 29th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta hosted by the Museum of Yachting will again turn the waters off Newport into a panorama of graceful classic yachts. The event includes two days of racing and the Regatta's traditional Classic Yacht Parade, balanced by evening festivities. The regatta will draw a fleet that ranges from modern classics, to vintage yachts, to smaller one-designs with design pedigrees by Herreshoff, Hunt, Fife, and Sparkman & Stephens.  For more information, contact James Russell or call 401-847-1018