NEWPORT, R.I. — The IYRS School of Technology & Trades will partner with the Ida Lewis Yacht Club to present the 46th Annual Newport Classic Yacht Regatta on Aug. 30-31.
The event will bring together more than 200 sailors and supporters for a weekend celebrating classic wooden yachts at the IYRS campus at 449 Thames St.
Jens Lange, a 2010 IYRS graduate, will chair the event, with Peter Gerard serving as principal race officer. The regatta is a featured race in the Classic Yacht Owners Association’s Classic Yacht Challenge Series.
The weekend will include both racing competition and a classic yacht parade open to all classic vessels, whether sail or motor, regardless of race registration status.
Racing begins Saturday morning with check-in at 8 a.m. in Restoration Hall at IYRS. A mandatory skippers’ meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., with the first warning signal at 11:55 a.m. The race committee will announce the day’s rendezvous location on VHF Channel 79A at 9 a.m.
Sunday’s schedule features the Classic Yacht Parade at 10 a.m., starting at the south end of Goat Island. The parade route will pass Newport Harbor’s harborside restaurants, wharves, IYRS, King Park, Ida Lewis Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club and Fort Adams.
Sunday racing begins with the first warning signal at 11:55 a.m.
The weekend concludes with an awards ceremony and cocktail party from 6-9 p.m. Sunday in Restoration Hall. The event will feature an open bar, hors d’oeuvres and live music by Honky Tonk Knights. Swift Morris Interiors and Whaler’s Brewery are sponsoring the awards event.
Registration remains open for both racing and social events at https://iyrs.edu/events/cyr. The regatta is open to the public.
For event information, contact Jenny Holmqvist at events@iyrs.edu or 401-207-9321. Sponsorship inquiries should be directed to Liz Isdale at lisdale@iyrs.edu or 401-580-0042.
IYRS School of Technology & Trades is a nonprofit, post-secondary institution founded in 1993 as the International Yacht Restoration School. The school offers four full-time, ACCSC-accredited programs in marine trades and modern manufacturing.