Historic Lighthouse Cruises Aboard the M/V Gansett
Gansett off Castle Hill Light
Gansett off Rose Island Light
Goat Isand Lighthouse captured in an etching by Rhode Island artist Parks Beach. The artist's work is sold on board the M/V Gansett and at Newport's fine galleries.
THE CREW aboard the Gansett is getting ready for the 2008 season with a new schedule of lighthouse cruises.
Join us aboard the Gansett, a true "Down East" style wooden boat to see five of the prettiest lighthouses in Rhode Island.
Sun. Sept 21 12:30 PM
Sat. Sept 27 5:30 PM
Sun. Sept 28 12:30 PM
Fri. Oct. 3 10:30 AM
Fri. Oct. 10 10:30 AM
Sat. Oct. 11 10:30 AM
Sun Oct. 12 2:30 PM
$20 adult, $15 ages 5 – 12, under 5 free (no coupons or discounts apply, except for groups of 15 or more.) Schedule subject to change due to weather, special events or private charters.
We're back for a second season in 2008 as part of the Rhode Island Sea Grant College Program COASTWEEKS. The program is dedicated to fostering awareness, understanding, and improved management of the coast.
Full details about 2008 COASTWEEKS and all the programs throughout Rhode Island are available at
Rhode Island Sea Grant,
University of Rhode Island,
Graduate School of Oceanography,
South Ferry Road Narragansett, RI 02882;
Tel (401) 874-6842;
RI SEAGRANT COASTWEEKS WEBSITE
** The Lighthouse Cruise is an excellent corporate outing or for private motorcoach tour groups, spouse tours and other special charters.
HOW DID sea captains find safe harbor entrances before the invention of radar, LORAN and Global Positioning Systems? Easy…they knew their lighthouses.
Take an informative and entertaining narrated cruise through Newport’s harbor and down
East Bay Passage to hear the history of five historic lighthouses, all restored and maintained
as active aids to navigation on the islands in lower Narragansett Bay. Board the M/V Gansett,
a comfortable 50-foot classic wooden vessel at Bowen’s Wharf in Newport and cruise to
* Rose Island Lighthouse, (established 1870), an operating lighthouse, restored in 1993. It offers people the unique opportunity to stay overnight or for a whole week to experience the keeper's resourceful way of life.
*Newport Harbor Lighthouse on Goat Island (est. 1824)
*Lime Rock Lighthouse, now the Ida Lewis Yacht Club (est. 1854)
*Castle Hill Lighthouse (est.1890)
and then across to Jamestown’s celebrated * Beavertail Lighthouse (est. 1749), one of the oldest lighthouse stations in the United States.
The crew will tell the tales of lighthouse keepers and daring rescues at sea, of hurricanes and gales.
The cruise is about 1-1/2 hours.
Compliments of the Captain - Something delicious from the galley always served on board ; included in the price.
USCG certified vessel for 49 passengers; clean, modern lavatory on board.
Main Deck - cushioned seats; canopy overhead with open sides; roll-up side curtains
Bridge Deck - wooden seats for 15 passengers; open deck with safety rails
Departing from Bowen’s Wharf, Newport (off America’s Cup Avenue).
Special Information for Wedding Couples
for Private Charters
Private Bookings Available for
Lighthouse Cruises
Call 401-787-4438
Gansett Cruises
Bowen's Wharf
Newport, Rhode Island 02840
Email Us
|
JOIN GANSETT CRUISES on an informative and entertaining 1 ½ hour cruise by five historic lighthouses on the Lower Bay - Rose Island Light (1870), Lime Rock Light (now the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, est. 1854), Newport Harbor Light (est. 1824), Castle Hill Light (est. 1890) and Beavertail Light (est. 1749. A narrated tour, with nibbles and a beverage included. Cash Bar and restroom on board. Limited seating.
Reservations recommended. (Min. 8 passengers for tour to proceed.)
About historic lighthouses - In early times people set fires at the edge of the water to warn boats of dangerous rocks and shores. The Egyptians were the first people to build lighthouses to use light to guide ships. In Egypt in the year 283 the Egyptians completed the tallest lighthouse ever built. It guided ships for over 1,500 years and stood 900 feet tall.
Lighthouses were also constructed by the Phoenicians, Greeks, and the Romans. The early lighthouses used wick lamps as a source of light. In the olden times the light beam could only travel a few miles. In 1822 the first modern lighthouse lens was invented by a Frenchman named Augustin Fesnel. He found out how to increase the light by using prisms. In 1841 the Fresnel lens was installed for the first time in a lighthouse. Lighthouses warn sailors to straighten their position so they don't hit land. They are built on harbors, islands, and beaches. They act as guideposts for ships at night or in a storm.
\The first lighthouse in America was the Boston Lighthouse on Brewser Island in Boston Harbor. The lighthouse was first lit in 1716, but was destroyed during the Revolutionary War. Beavertail Light, on Conanicut Island, is the third oldest lighthouse station in America.In the past the lighthouses were run by keepers. Early lamps burned whale oil. When fog came up the lighthouse keepers also warned ships by ringing bells every hour or shooting cannons.
Today most lighthouses have lamps that run automatically using electricity. Most are obsolete as a result of modern electronic and satellite navigation systems.
|