Student Life
Life at IYRS is a blend of hard work, careful study, camaraderie, and the exhilaration of being in the epicenter of the marine industry and New England’s strongest boating community. The best way to understand the IYRS experience is to hear it directly from students. See what takes place over the course of a typical day for our students.
The IYRS Community.
At IYRS, you are at the epicenter of a global maritime community, with a rich history that exists nowhere else. The shipping lanes and cruising waters off the coast of Rhode Island, once populated by whaling vessels and steam freighters, are still major thoroughfares of commercial shipping. Sailing competition at all levels is a vibrant part of the culture of Rhode Island. And of course, cruising is a time-honored Ocean State tradition. The harbors surrounding Narragansett Bay are host to an amazing array of boats from around the world.
In the midst of this community, IYRS graduates gain the skills to join the major economic engines of the Northeast. Companies like Hinckley, Hall Spars and New England Boatworks are nearby. America’s Cup contenders and Volvo Ocean Race competitors are built just around the corner. Some of the world’s most renowned races and regattas can be seen from the IYRS campus in Newport and just down the road in Bristol.
These are the reasons why IYRS is widely respected. It is an opportunity to explore the inner workings of an industry, from basic tools and traditions to the most advanced companies and brightest people leading the industry forward.
Of course, the best way to understand what student life is like is to visit us. Or, for an inside look at the life of an IYRS student, have a look at our student blog.
Beyond the Books
Each year, IYRS offers a host of extracurricular activities to enrich the education of its students. These include field trips to boat yards and places like MIT and Mystic Seaport, campus visits by industry professionals, and a series of lectures from some of the most prominent people in the world of yachting. Past luminaries have included:
- Don Watson, New England Boatworks
- Duncan Walker, Fairlie Restorations
- Elizabeth Meyer, President, J Class Management; IYRS founder
- Gary Jobson, Jobson Sailing
- Gerard Dijkstra, Dijkstra & Associates
- Halsey Herreshoff, Herreshoff Marine Museum
- John England, Rockport Marine
- Nat Benjamin, Gannon and Benjamin
- Olin Stephens, Sparkman & Stephens
- Steve White, Brooklin Boat Yard
- Ted Hood, Ted Hood Yachts