Boat show drops anchor today

June Casagrande

It seemed like a big deal last year that the Newport In-Water Boat

Show included about 360 boats -- the most in the show’s history. Now,

that seems like a yawn in comparison. Because once again, the show --

now in its 30th year -- has outdone itself.

“We’re close to 400 boats this year,” said Duncan Macintosh,

organizer of the annual show at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort

and Marina. “As far as yacht shows go, this is it. This is the

biggest there is on this coast.”

Yacht brokers and dealers from places as far as Ft. Lauderdale

will have their wares on display beginning at noon today. The show

has added a new dock for yachts 35 feet and under in order to make

more room for the in-demand smaller boats.

“Last year, they were getting a little lost among all the huge

ones,” Macintosh said. “This gives more room to the 35-foot-and-under

yachts.”

A handful of boats in this year’s show are in the 80- and 90-foot

range, which posed a serious problem for getting them in the water at

the Dunes.

“They had to wait for the tides go down so the water would be low

enough that they could get under the bridge, and then for the water

to be high enough that they had the depth they needed to get to the

docks.”