Charters & Cruises - Newport & East Bay RI Region

For centuries, Rhode Islanders are people who love to get into boats and out onto the Atlantic Ocean or beautiful Narragansett Bay. This legacy is strong on the docks of the Colonial-era city of Newport, RI, where charter boat and cruise companies stand by to take enthralled visitors out onto one of the prettiest bays that exist anywhere on Earth. Boat charters and cruises from the docks of Newport launch into seafaring excitement from the get-go. The downtown docks are busy with boating activity (and that may include some 12-meter yachts of the America’s Cup hosting guests on chartered sails). From the harbor, views include a majestic suspended bridge arcing over the channel to neighboring Jamestown Island. Also on view from a boat charter or cruise are the sand spit of Rose Island, with its elegant lighthouse; shoreline-hugging mansions cresting spacious lawns; seals on rocky sand bars. Boat charters and cruises may last a few hours or even overnight. Some cruises take adventurers out far for deep sea fishing. Many serve wine, beverages, and delightful snacks or meals (brace for fresh seafood). Captains are known for their storytelling, including some true tales of shipwrecks and rum runners. Chartering a private tour – this may include a sail on an America’s Cup yacht – is a wonderful way for a family with children or group of friends to celebrate an occasion or just enjoy a moment of life on the sea. Apart from chartered cruises, there are plenty of opportunities to buy a ticket onto a scheduled public boat cruise. Anyone who has taken a boat cruise or charter from Newport will tell you it was a highlight of a vacation.