The Classic Boat Museum is a museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 for boats located in Newport

Newport, Isle of Wight

Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...

 Quay alongside the River Medina

River Medina

The River Medina is the main river of the Isle of Wight, rising at St Catherine's Down in the south of the Island and through the capital Newport, towards the Solent at Cowes. The river is a navigable tidal estuary from Newport northwards where it takes the form of a ria . The Medina is 17km long...

 on the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

. It is a working museum featuring a restoration shed where work takes place all year round. In addition to classic boats the museum also contains tools, artefacts, books, photographs, film and archival items that relate to much of the history of boat building, sailing, yachting, cruising and racing over the last century.

Moving to East Cowes

The Museum will close for 2011 on 30 October, and will re-open at their NEW SITE in East Cowes in April 2012. There will be newly-designed exhibition containing several boats not previously seen at the Museum, as well as interactive and educational displays aimed at younger visitors.

The Boat Collection at Newport

The collection includes varied types of boat, most made from wood that have now been restored. In addition to the main exhibits, there are also smaller boats on display including dinghies, canoes and rowing boats.

• Flying Spray - A now restored 1920's river launch. It was found holed and rotting in a Thames backwater. Since restoration the boat has attended several rallies in France, Germany and Switzerland and recently won the Concours d'Elegance at a French regatta in Aix-les-Bains
  Aix-les-Bains
  Aix-les-Bains is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is situated on the shore of Lac du Bourget, by rail north of Chambéry.-Geography:...
  
  .
• Airborne Lifeboat - A Mark 1 version of Uffa Fox
  Uffa Fox
  Uffa Fox CBE was an English boat designer and sailing enthusiast.-Life:Uffa Fox was born on the Isle of Wight and was raised in East Cowes. He lived for a while in Puckaster on the Isle of Wight.-Work:...
  
  's 1943 Air/Sea Rescue design. The Mark 1 was carried and dropped by parachute from a Lockheed Hudson aircraft. Mark 1A boats used the larger Vickers Warwick. Later and larger versions used Lancasters and B17s. These boats were dropped to airmen who had ditched in the English Channel
  English Channel
  The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
  
   and the North Sea
  North Sea
  In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
  
   during World War II. It is estimated that these boats saved around 200-300 lives. The boat carried sufficient stores of food, water, fuel and clothing for a month at sea. A rescued crew was able to sail, motor or row home. This early example underwent a two-year restoration programme to restore it to its original specification after being dug out from a garden in Colchester
  Colchester
  Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
  
  . Airborne lifeboats were eventually replaced by helicopters in the 1950s.
• Sopranino - This is the famous first example of an offshore mini cruiser/racer and was the foundation of the present day Junior Offshore Group
  Junior Offshore Group
  The Junior Offshore Group is an organiser of offshore yacht races in the UK using IRC handicap system. Aimed at smaller yachts, though the size of the smallest yacht keeps getting bigger as the years go by....
  
   fleet. In 1952 she was sailed across the Atlantic by Patrick Ellam and Colin Mudie and was later found in a poor state in the USA. She was purchased for $1 and returned home for restoration.
• Lady Penelope - This is an early example of glass fibre sheathing technology and features a loud 225 hp V8 Chrysler engine. It is possibly the example previously owned by Lady Docker
  Norah, Lady Docker
  Norah Docker, Lady Docker was an English socialite.Daughter of Amy and Sydney Turner, she was originally a successful dance hall hostess and was noted for her colourful lifestyle.-Marriages:...
  
  .
• Kestrel - An early Bembridge Redwing. In 1934 Lord Brabazon of Tara fitted a rotating aerofoil rig, swiveling mast and a brake at the masthead. Its unique design often sparks interest with passers by.
• Rosabelle - A launch (restored 2011) from which Frank William Beken took famous sailing photos that can be seen worldwide today.
• Vigia - This historic Una Catboat awaiting restoration is the latest acquisition by the museum and was donated by the family whose care she has been under for over 70 years. She was built in Cowes
  Cowes
  Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
  
   in 1872 and is thought to be the oldest English registered pleasure yacht to be still sailing.
• Black Bess - An 1870 Itchen ferry. The boat carries the name of the museum on her sail to many regattas during the summer.
• Gipsy Moth IV Connection - This famous yacht was once sailed single-handed around the world by Francis Chichester
  Francis Chichester
  Sir Francis Charles Chichester KBE , aviator and sailor, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for becoming the first person to sail single-handed around the world by the clipper route, and the fastest circumnavigator, in nine months and one day overall.-Early life:Chichester was born in Barnstaple,...
  
   and was, in 2005 restored to an active new life. She was later sailed around the world again, this time by groups of young people in relays. Chichester was knighted by the Queen at Greenwich
  Greenwich
  Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
  
  on his return from his voyage. Today the museum's Gallery features some of the original equipment from his boat and clothing worn during his journey.