Press Releases
The Annual Summer Gala at IYRS, sponsored by Lexus, celebrated "A New Launch"--the joining of IYRS and the Museum of Yachting. By evening's end, it was, "...clear that the community embraces the convergence," said Carol O'Malley, who co-chaired the event with Joe Dockery: the event raised $660,000 for the school and the Museum.
When the Annual Summer Gala sponsored by Lexus returns to IYRS on Saturday, July 12, this elegant evening will once again transform the school and provide a fitting setting for celebration. But this year the reasons to rejoice are two-fold: namely, IYRS and the Museum of Yachting. The theme of the gala, "A New Launch," celebrates the convergence of IYRS and the Museum.
On the morning of the Saturday, May 31st, IYRS marks graduation by launching the fleet of wooden classics restored by students this year. That afternoon, the festivities move across the harbor to opening day at the Museum of Yachting, when the public gets its first glimpse at new exhibitions that will run throughout the summer. This May Saturday kicks off a summer of coordinating events at IYRS and the museum.
The visit of U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) to IYRS on April 28 marked a milestone for the restoration of the 1831 Aquidneck Mill Building. Federal funding secured by Senators Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), announced in a press conference at IYRS on April 28, will help fund the restoration of the mill and the revitalization of the "working waterfront" along Lower Thames Street. Click here for more information on the Mill Building restoration. For a press release on the press conference issued by Senators Reed and Whitehouse, click here.
United States Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) stop at IYRS on Monday, April 28 for a press conference to discuss new federal aid they secured to help restore IYRS's 1831 Aquidneck Mill Building and Newport's working waterfront.
IYRS will host its Third Annual Marine Industry Career Day on Saturday, March 1. The one-day event, the only marine-exclusive career fair in the state, comes at a time when newly released research tallies a double-digit job vacancy rate in the marine business in Rhode Island, which signals opportunities for those with the skills and interest to embark on a marine trades career. Click above for a Press Release.
The Spring/Summer calendar at the International Yacht Restoration School and the Museum of Yachting is full, with new exhibitions, classic-yacht regattas at the Museum, Launch Day (which marks graduation), and the Annual Summer Gala, sponsored by Lexus, in July. Click above for a compilation of events for calendar listings.
A groundbreaking ceremony held at IYRS on July 12 marked the official start of the restoration of the 1831 Aquidneck Mill Building, an historic landmark on the school's campus. A crowd of community leaders, local business owners, and IYRS board members and supporters gathered outside this historic building on the National Register of Historic Places to mark the occasion.
Following over a year of discussions, the Boards of both organizations have signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines a structure for bringing these two Newport nonprofits together.
IYRS is known for training fine craftsmen in the art of wooden boat building and restoration. With a new one-year program in marine systems, the school expands its educational programs to cover the full range of onboard systems for all types of boats: sail and power, classic and modern.
IYRS has reached an agreement with Robert McNeil of Coronet Restoration Partners that will result in the restoration of the historic schooner yacht Coronet. An official signing ceremony will be held on December 13.