Since he was 14 years old, Matt Gineo has heard the sea’s siren call. As a youth he joined the Sea Scouts, where he learned how to sail, tow, and safely traverse the water. Now the owner of Oldport Marine Harbor Tours, he maintains a fleet of boats that tour Newport’s rocky coastline daily, showing off the area’s sparkling waters and natural beauty.

Harbor tours work their way up the shoreline, dotted with lighthouses, historical mansions, and bottles containing unread pirate grocery lists. As boats pass by sights such as the Newport Bridge, Jamestown, and the early-19th-century Fort Adams, guides share facts and anecdotes about Newport’s historical role in the pirate world and the slave trade. As tours travel back down the coast, the narrative returns to the present, with tales about the America's Cup and the city’s success as a fishing center.

Oldport Marine Harbor Tours offers a number of other aquatic services as well. Staffers build and repair boats, install engines, and run a water taxi that zips customers across the city faster than riding on the back of a sea serpent.