Sail Newport also rents boats to experienced sailors, and the fees support a valuable community resource. The organization provides free sailing instruction to area fourth-graders and incorporates the lessons into STEM education. It also hosts an annual fundraising race that started with donating $100,000 to charity after 9/11.
You haven’t seen Newport until you get out on the water for a sightseeing excursion and travel along the dramatic shoreline, spying landmark mansions, lighthouses and other points of interest—as well as beautiful boats of all types.
Cruise like an Astor on board a vintage Elco motor yacht called the Rum Runner II, built in 1929 during the height of Prohibition for two New Jersey mobsters to elude the Coast Guard while smuggling cases of alcohol. (John Jacob Astor, JFK and Thomas Edison all owned an Elco.) The 58-footer still goes fast, as it treats guests to all the waterfront highlights for just $40.
