Newport Boat Show
Lectures, boats, and more boats

The Newport International Boat Show is a showcase of the latest boats -- both power and sail -- presented in the luxurious setting of Newport, RI. The Show attracts thousands of serious yacht buyers every September, just as the northeast boating season is in its final burst of activity and the season in Florida is about to start. ...

A Walk in the Woods
Hiking Browning Mill Pond and Stepping Stone Falls
By Linda Eagleson
Hiking has always been a passion of mine. Since I can remember, I loved to explore the dark and daring spaces of the daunting woods. Being the imaginative child that I was, I would envision large grizzly bears prowling the woods surrounding my house and even heard a growl or two as I ventured a few feet into the woodlands. Now that I am an adult (though some may question that statement), I still enjoy hiking through the woods, no matter what the conditions might be. Crispy autumn days are my favorite time of year to go for a hike. Listening to the leaves crinkle under my feet and the smell of bursting pine trees and maple saplings makes the hiking more enticing. ...

More Time For Sailing
The fifth Newport Race Week extends the one-design racing and adds IRC
Outdoors and Sports Article
North American championships for four one-design classes and National championships for two one-design classes will be determined at the biennial New York Yacht Club (NYYC) Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex. The popular regatta is known for its split format, with the first half of the week, July 15-18, devoted to handicap racing under IRC, PHRF, NYYC CR and Classics, as well as the 12-meter yachts, and the second half, July 20-23, dedicated to one-design racing. A distance race around Conanicut Island that draws competitors from all divisions takes place mid-week July 19 is scored separately. ...

Closer To Home
The Winter Olympics comes to Downtown Providence
Outdoors and Sports
Can’t get your fill this year of Winter Olympic events on television or on the sports pages? No need to despair. You don’t have to travel to Italy to see the Winter Olympics; you can see or even participate in some winter Olympic events this year at the Bank of America City Center skating rink in Downtown Providence. ...

Hoofs... and Wings
Angels On Horseback Therapeutic Riding School
By G. S. Kirk
Imagine the lives of children who always run slower than the other kids, children who lack the coordination or physical strength or endurance to keep up. Now imagine that angels have given them a way to move effortlessly and fluidly, almost gliding above the heads of their peers. Imagine how their confidence and self esteem would grow when they master new skills. Those are the gifts given by the Angels on Horseback.

Planting New Roots
Arbor Day for a New Generation
By Audra Ryan Dolan
"Those who plant trees, benefit another generation." Cicero

Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Enjoying RI's Own Pawtucket Redsox
By Linda Eagleson
The day was beautiful, slightly hazy, but enough of a breeze to keep the humidity down to a comfortable level. I could hear the singing of the morning dove, a little later that usual. It was around 11:00, and I was still clothed in my pajamas, coffee mug in hand. I decided that I better get moving, if I was going to get this article to my editor. "Take me out to the ball game," I said to Robert, who joined me for morning coffee. "I have free tickets to the Paw sox, and they are playing against Toledo. I don't want to waste them. "Great," he said.... And off we went to the game, neither one of us having been to one in about 10 years.

The Fleet Center Gets A New Name
The Bank of America City Center Skating Rink Poised For A New Season
Mayor David N. Cicilline and Bank of America Rhode Island Market President, William Hatfield unveiled the new sign officially designating the downtown skating rink the Bank of America City Center. The 14,000 sq. ft. facility, which is twice the size of Rockefeller Plaza’s ice rink in New York City, is now open for the 2005 season.

Sailing Like A Millionaire
An Adventure with Newport's Bareboat Sailing Charters
By Paul Pence

A Perfect Afternoon
Beavertail Light, Jamestown, RI
By Linda Eagleson
The weather was beautiful -- dry, slightly overcast, with sunbeams inching their way through the cloud cover. The drive to Beavertail, Jamestown brought back joyous memories of earlier days, when I used to take my "offspring" for a day of rock climbing, picnic lunches and chatty conversations.

Where to Pitch a Tent
The Best Campgrounds in Rhode Island
By Paul Pence
Camping means different things to different people. To some, camping means backpacking – a long hike into the wilderness, where the only luxuries were the ones important enough to you to carry them with you. Luxuries in this case included things like dry socks and toilet paper. Others see camping as something done from the back of a mobile house, surrounded by other people of the same opinion, where the video game system and the microwave are necessities.

Sailing Just Got Easier
Rhode Islanders can now renew boat registrations online
Online boat registration renewal allows Rhode Island boat owners to spend less time on shore waiting in government lines, and more time at sea. Befitting the Ocean State, online boat registration renewal is the first of many popular state services available on the State's website, RI.gov.

Cool Breezes, Crisp LeavesButtonwoods City Park, Warwick, RI
By Linda Eagleson
Cool autumn breezes caressed the seashore, as my companion and I strolled along the beautiful shoreline of Buttonwoods City Park in Warwick. I was surprised to find the vastness of the town beach as immense as it was, lined with sandy shores and brightly colored trees.

Camping is Fun with Kids!
Advice and tips before your children's adventure begins
By Gary L. Benton

An Amazing Stroll through Time…
Walking the Walk…The Cliff Walk
By Linda S. Manning, Staff Writer
Outlining the perimeter of an ancient pathway, twisting, turning, and curving high above the ocean along the cliffs is the incredible and famous Cliff Walk. Stretching from Memorial Boulevard on the north to the very southern end of Bellevue Avenue, a 3.5 mile hike is known as one of most beautiful and diverse walks in America. Cliff Walk has been designated as a National Recreation Trail by the National Park Service.

Kayaking to Dutch Island
By Andy Janes
Imagine yourself on an island. Not stranded, but almost. Wild rose-hip, lavender and briar cover rocky crags overlooking pristine coves and perfect little beaches. In the sun, you take shade beneath a thirty year old hickorys, maples and beechs. In the rain, ruins of an old fort provide fair shelter. There is no one else around, so feel free to walk around the eighty-one acres in your bare minimum, like a native. On the right weekend, maybe you'll catch music floating in the breeze from the Newport Jazz Festival or Folk Festival. Snorkel for starfish in deep, pristine coves.

Freedom At East Beach
Some People Are Freer Than Others
By Patricia Ann Chaffee
Hundred degree temps in Connecticut made me long for the escape of the place that was sure to cool me off. The luscious lure of Rhode Island beaches. Not just any beach, but East Beach. Right off route 1 and just a ways past the whole Misquamicut menagerie is the piece de resistance of Rhode Island sun and sand.

Recreation and Relaxation on Wheels
Rhode Island's East Bay Bike Path
By Audra Ryan Dolan
Move the wicker furniture, the old blankets and out-dated newspapers and alas! my bicycle. I thought it was red, and five paper towels later, I was right.

Warm Winter Wishes at the Fleet Skating Center
by Audra Ryan Dolan
Another crisp winter eve and an opportunity to earn that rich cup of hot chocolate. Now normally, I am in the belief that the snow covered days in winter are better spent on a fat couch under a fuzzy blanket, but that will not earn me the cocoa. And so it is off to the charm and sport of the Fleet Skating Center in downtown Providence.

Flying colors
The story of one man's love of birds, and how hemanages to be a world-class ornithologist and NewEngland conservationist - and still keep his day job.
By Beth Schwartzapfel
It's a rainy winter day in Providence, but in SteveReinert's mind, it's springtime on Block Island. He'sjust placed a small aluminum band on the leg of aKentucky warbler - a small yellow and green bird thatis rare in these parts - and a friend takes a pictureof Steve and the warbler before they release it to flyaway.

Leaf Peeping In Rhode Island
A guide to the fall foliage in the Ocean State
By Paul Pence

A Nature Preserve Worth a Hike
East Greenwich's Frenchtown Park
In East Greenwich, a short drive away from the classic downtown of Main Street, tucked behind the town's tiny Parks Department building, is a hidden treasure -- a 125 acre nature preserve with streams and ponds and hiking trails that draw you deeper and deeper into the woodlands.

Goddard Memorial State Park
Little more than 100 years ago, the shady woodlands along the shore of Greenwich Bay were barren sand dunes. In 1874, the owner of the land, Henry Russell began a private tree planting project that he continued for thirty years.

World Championship Sailing At Newport
The 2005 Grey Goose ISF Team Racing World Championship
By Jan Harley
Sailing's equivalent of World Cup soccer was held in Newport this year -- embodied by eleven countries doing battle for the 2005 Grey Goose ISAF (International Sailing Federation) Team Racing World Championship. Like the fast-action stadium sport, this sailing event was geared to please spectators who watched from shore as the teams worked to advance their overall positions while holding off their competitors.

Keeping an Ear Out for Trouble
URI's guard donkey keeps watch over her flock
By Jan Wenzel
Mary had a little lamb, but that pales in comparison to the responsibility of Bonnie, the University of Rhode Island's guard donkey. Bonnie keeps watch over 25 lambs, 20 sheep, including one about to give birth, and a ram that occasionally comes calling.

Jerimoth Hill
Rhode Island's High Point: 812 feet
By David Wickersham
Jerimoth Hill is jokingly referred to by highpointers as the most terrifying of all 50 state highpoints. Not because it is difficult to climb, but because the adjoining landowner may run you off with a gun. I was blissfully unaware of the potential danger as I casually strolled in and out the 125 yards from the nearby highway. Not until I received my first Highpointers Club newsletter did I realize the terrible fate I had avoided only by dumb luck.

250 Steps to the Perect Beach
Mohegan Bluffs, Block Island, RI
By Paul Pence
The perfect beach has pristine sand. Pristine, that is, if you don’t count sand-washed pebbles, the occasional granite boulder, and a sand dollar or two. And the perfect beach is in Rhode Island.

Motoring on Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay
Sights around the bay on an afternoon cruise
By Linda S. Manning, Staff Writer
What better way to enjoy a lazy afternoon than to board a privately chartered motor boat? Meander through the waters of Newport Harbor and inland Narragansett Bay for a glimpse of the elegant and graceful lighthouses used for guiding mariners for centuries. As you motor past unknown islands which have served as countless venues in the times of yore, the visual beauty creates a lost-in-time image in your mind.

Feel the Thunder... Experience the Horsepower...
Polo at Glen Farm, Newport, RI
By Linda S. Manning, Staff Writer
Excitement in every turn... the earth throbbing as the thunderous hoofs of the polo pony pounds to its core... and the instantaneous and effective action of horse and rider, yields ‘The King of Games’ -- Polo.

More Time For Sailing
The fifth Newport Race Week extends the one-design racing and adds IRC
North American championships for four one-design classes and National championships for two one-design classes will be determined at the biennial New York Yacht Club (NYYC) Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex. The popular regatta is known for its split format, with the first half of the week, July 15-18, devoted to handicap racing under IRC, PHRF, NYYC CR and Classics, as well as the 12-meter yachts, and the second half, July 20-23, dedicated to one-design racing. A distance race around Conanicut Island that draws competitors from all divisions takes place mid-week July 19 is scored separately.

Sailing on the Noreast Gypsy
By Paul Pence
With a 20-knot wind blowing steady from the southwest, crisp and cool across Narragansett Bay, it's time to crank up the mailsail. Captain Paul W. Shaw II swings the boom out leaward, and the Nor'east Gypsy begins to slow, but not for long. With First Mate Joni Viola at the helm, Shaw sets the winches and in a moment raises over 800 squarefeet of sails. Then, drawing the boom back, the cables begin to groan and creak, the 40-foot yacht leans, and the 20,000 lb boat surges forward.

Fishing Just Got Easier
RI Offers Fishing Licenses Online
Recreational anglers can now obtain freshwater fishing licenses online.

A Bump In The Road
Winter’s Potholes, Icy Roads Can Jar Your Vehicle Out of Alignment
Each winter, thousands of drivers have at least one encounter with a seemingly bottomless pothole. Others have “minor” collisions with curbs and other obstacles as a result of icy road conditions. And many -- perhaps even most – experience both over the course of a typical winter.

Closer To Home
The Winter Olympics comes to Downtown Providence
Can’t get your fill this year of Winter Olympic events on television or on the sports pages? No need to despair. You don’t have to travel to Italy to see the Winter Olympics; you can see or even participate in some winter Olympic events this year at the Bank of America City Center skating rink in Downtown Providence.

Block Island's Race Week
A New England Sailing Tradition Doubles as One of Nation’s Most Popular Race Weeks
Since 1965 when it was first held, the Storm Trysail Club’s biennial Block Island Race Week has been a staple in the lives of New England’s most dedicated racing sailors. Now with 40 years of tradition behind it, the event, scheduled for its 21st running this year from June 19-24, has steadily grown into one with national appeal, consistently attracting over 200 entries and partnering with some of the sport’s most committed sponsors, including presenting sponsor Rolex. It is fair to say, in fact, that Block Island Race Week presented by Rolex is now one of the most popular sailing Race Weeks in America.

RI Beach Closures
And Beach Health Advisories for Rhode Island, issued by the Rhode Island Department of Health
Beach Closures in Rhode Island happen. Sometimes it's due to manmade causes, sometimes it's the weather. For whatever reasons that Rhode Island Beaches are closed, we want our visitors to know so that they can plan on visiting our multitude of other beaches in the state.

Fishing Just Got Easier
RI Offers Fishing Licenses Online
Recreational anglers can now obtain freshwater fishing licenses online.

Going To The Birds
URI student studies marsh birds to assess wildlife habitat quality
By Todd McLeish
Growing up in a Native American family, Cassius Spears developed a strong connection to the natural world and a passion for environmental protection.

Cleaner Waters
Rhode Island's Urban Rivers Coming Back To Life
Most of Rhode Island's rivers offer natural beauty and numerous opportunities for recreation, but Rhode Island's urban rivers were once seen as lost causes, destined to be covered over and used as a convenient way to flush away toxic waste. But thanks to the dedication and work of Rhode Island citizens and a blossoming commitment to a cleaner environment, Rhode Island's rivers are staging a comeback. Fish and wildlife abound in the Blackstone River, the Woonasquatucket and Mussasack Rivers in Providence have been uncovered and turned into a pleasant downtown park, and chemical levels in the Providence and Seekonk rivers have dropped.

Castles in the Sand
Sandtasia, Sand Sculptors of the Ocean State
By Dick Huggins
It's early on a typical Saturday morning, at least for most beach goers. Second Beach in Middletown is still nearly deserted at 8:30, with only a few of the diehard regulars having claimed their traditional places. I pull my two wheeled hand truck loaded with pool siding forms, shovels, and bags full of tools through the entrance path. The Huggins family has arrived as it has so many previous summer weekends to transform the Middletown beach into something more.

Sailing the Skys of South County
Hot air ballooning in Rhode Island
By Paul Pence
At a quarter to five, when the sun has barely begun to lighten the sky, but has not yet risen, Larry Fortin releases a black toy balloon and starts his stopwatch. Five seconds, ten seconds and the balloon has sailed above the treeline and the first breezes of dawn sweep it southeast. Twenty more seconds and a second current of air pushes the balloon northeast. After fifty seconds, the balloon is a tiny black dot sailing southward in a strong wind that only Fortin seems to be able to see. He flips open a map and announces to the huddle of helpers and passengers, "Skunk Hill Road."

Snowmobiling a Family Sport In Rhode Island
There are over 4 million snowmobilers in the United States and Canada, and with significant snowfalls in Rhode Island sometimes as late as April, a significant number of those are in Rhode Island. Studies show that snowmobiling has become a family activity. A survey by the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA) shows that 95 percent of snowmobile enthusiasts consider it a family sport.

Rhody soccer star sees future as mentor to teenagers
But first he’ll give soccer a shot in Scotland
By Dave Lavallee
Conor Lander eventually wants to become a high school soccer coach, but first the University of Rhode Island senior will travel to Scotland in the summer to keep his soccer-playing dreams alive.

Contents of a Modern Picnic Basket
Picnicing in South County Rhode Island
By Debra Bacon
As I spread my blanket out and positioned my basket filled with cheese, hummus and vegetables, I began thinking about the days when people traveled for miles to enjoy a picnic -- a simple time spent with family and friends enjoying conversation and food. Yes, food is the main component of what many may call a successful picnic, but the surroundings matter almost as much as what’s in the basket. Breathing fresh air, listening to chirping birds, or viewing the ocean waves amidst the weather sets the tone for the hours spent outdoors.

Body, Mind, and Spirit
Master Park’s Champion Taekwondo Center, Smithfield, RI
By Cathy Landry
Have you ever heard yourself saying this: “This year I will get into shape?” Or, “This year I will become more focused on my work and what I need to get done before next year happens.” I know I have. Once I met my sister’s friend Felicia a black belt in Taekwondo, I found out how I was going to achieve some of my goals.

Secret Lives of a Tall Ship
By Tom Kindre
If you could look in on the Jeanie Johnston as she sails to America, you would see a sailing vessel with a live-aboard crew who handle the sails, do the chores and navigate her to her desired destination. That's a standard description of any tall ship and is nothing new.

Travel trailers have grown up
Park Trailers At Timber Creek RV Resort
Carole and Nick Tirozzi and their friends, Luanne and Rick DeMatto, have been RVing together across the Eastern United States for more than 15 years. “Luanne and Rick had a motorhome. But we had a 4-wheel-drive truck and we would pull a travel trailer and the four of us would go all over the place,” Carole Tirozzi says.

Tracking Lost Trains
Abandoned Rail Lines in Rhode Island
By Paul Pence
Rhode Island's history was shaped first by the shipping in Narragansett Bay, second by the waterways and the mills that tamed them, and third by the railways that came to service the mills and the growing population of Rhode Island. Not much remains of these rail lines -- the main Amtrak line that snakes along the coast before shooting north toward Boston, a few minor spurs that still get intermittent traffic to factories, and the "Brown and Orange" Providence and Worchester railroad, that follows the Blackstone river.

Preserving Rhode Island Wetlands
The Walker Farm Salt Marsh Restoration Project
Ducks and other waterfowl can't migrate through Rhode Island without a safe place to land. And though it may seem that we have more than enough ponds, ducks require marshes and vegetation-coverage to feed and shelter. The folks at Ducks Unlimited have been working to restore wetland areas in Rhode Island and throughout the US in an attempt to preserve the annual migrations of these birds.

Rollerblading Washington Secondary
Rhode Island's bike paths aren't just for bikes!
By Audra Ryan Dolan
I do not believe that A to B has ever been a direct route. This Sunday I decided it was time to spring into this new and fabulous weather that has been gracing us Rhode Islanders; destination bike path.

YAGOO, no, no YAWGOO VALLEY
by Audra Ryan Dolan
All right fellow outdoors lovers, it is Saturday afternoon. The sun is shining, the air is chilled with crispness and the afternoon is errand free, sounds like snowtubing to me.

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