Dream and Drool

The annual trek to the Newport International Boat Show is one that we look forward to all year.

A quaint town with historic houses, mansions, parks, and SHOPPING, is hard to beat, but when you add in several hundred boats (new and used) it's over the top. 

Usually, we stay aboard Steadfast and go ashore daily for the weekend show.  This year, we were land-lubbers--guests at the Viking Hotel, a Victorian treasure. 

Elegant. 

Fun (especially the Hendriks Gin Martinis before supper with friends.)

  We walked our legs off all day at the show, beginning and ending with a hike down and then up the hill between the hotel and the harbour.  So many period houses, cobbled narrow streets, churches and parks.  I had a hard time not tripping over the uneven walkways as I peered thru the camera lens and tried to keep up with Hubby as he marched along.

St. Mary's, founded in 1828.
John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier
were married here Sept. 12, 1953.
The church was designated a national shrine in 1968.

Cemetaries date back to 1677!

Built in 1864, the Griswald House now houses the Newport Art Museum. So many of the old homes are now open to the public for a fee, which is the only way to help offset the cost of upkeep and repair.

Of course this a boating blog, but part of the fun is where boating takes you, and all the lovely places you get introduced to along the way.

Now on with the show!!

There was method in our madness, we did have an agenda (express trawlers), but with so much to see, we frequently became distracted and got off course.  The sail boats are always so beautiful, many deserving a tour even though they are not our style. 

"Best in Show" is a case in point...just look at those lines.

Here is the Tern Boatworks display: (check out the link to see "Enigma" under sail.)

Bruce Thompson, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, designed and built this sailboat and you can tell he is  proud to show it off in this prestigious venue.  I just had to include a fellow Canadian and the sleek and slender lines of "Enigma" really caught my imagination.

Newport, RI is still a working harbour.  The distinctive "aroma" of fishing vessels tell you they're present even before you turn to look.  They made for a stark contrast to the pleasure craft gleaming on the adjacent docks.



Gandaff would be intrigued by the name of this boat:  Shadowfax.



"High Tea" with its tender "Tea for Two" was one of my two favorites on offer.  Even though this would not be a boat I would buy, for so many reasons, it is still ADORABLY CUTE.  Built in 1929, refurbished several times over the years with new Volvo engines, vacuflush toilets, upholstery and such, it still plies the waters in grand old style.

My other fav was"Fredrickstad".  This beautifully appointed ship was built as a rescue vessel for Norway fjords over 35 years ago.  With full steel construction, she is classified for ice-bound waters. Fully refurbished, she can cruise anywhere in the world in comfort and safety.  These old lamps are characteristic of the antique furnishings in the main salon.  The galley with the old "farm style" double sink was a delight, the heads were giggle-producing in their ingenuity, especially the porcelain bathtub for midgets and the cabins were the stuff of legend.

This is my ship, I exclaimed!

No it's not, my husband countered.

But why????

The maintenance would be horrific, he replied, and the draft...don't even go there!
Besides, it's too slow for us anyway.

Well, that's what boat shows are for--to dream and drool.  I have tons of photos, but these will have to whet your appetite for more.  Next September, I'll see you there, and we can dream and drool over your favs together, okay?