As recreational and competitive boaters begin to repopulate the waters surrounding Rhode Island, Sail Newport is rolling out a new program for novice sailors of all ages and preparing to instruct more than 1,000 kids over the summer.
At the same time, the nonprofit is in the process of deciding whether to put a bid in for a third go-round as the North American stopover point for the round-the-globe 2021-2022 Ocean Race.
Bids are due June 28, said Brad Read, Sail Newport’s executive director.
While Sail Newport has been invited to bid, a number of factors play into the decision, he said, including a change of ownership in the race, the addition of another fleet of racing boats and the timing of the North American stopping point.
“We’ve heard April and we’ve heard May. April would not be a good month to run a sailing event in New England,” Read said.
Money is another consideration. Sail Newport hosted the 2015 and 2018 stopovers, and while the events netted tens of millions for the state, Sail Newport lost $250,000 in 2015 and barely broke even three years later.
The stopover decision is up to the event’s owners, Ocean Race LLC, which has said the announcement is likely by the end of the summer, Read said.
Although there is no word yet on other bidders, Sail Newport has an idea of its potential competition based on previous years. In 2008, Miami won out over Newport, New York and Baltimore for the 2011-2012 Ocean Race. The loss spurred Sail Newport into reimagining how best to use its resources.
“It got us to rethink what we had at Fort Adams for international sailing events, it got us to take a deep dive into what infrastructure we had that could bring large sailing events here,” Read said.
Playing host to prestigious sailing events has huge economic benefits that extend across the state, Read said.
He estimates that the America’s Cup World Series, along with the Ocean Race stops, brought in a combined $100 million for Newport and Rhode Island.
The 2015 Ocean Race stopover was responsible for $47 million of that amount.
Up to 16 boats, manned by professional sailors, are expected to participate in the 2021-2022 event. Midrace, vessels navigate past Cape Horn and on to a stop in South America before setting sail for North America in mid-April to reach land by May.
For Newport, that timing is perfect. A later arrival would pit the event against the city’s summer rush, possibly resulting in too few resources for proper accommodation.
“Everybody is more apt to support something in a shoulder season when they’re more likely to increase their bottom line,” Read said.
Sail Newport, the state’s largest public sailing center, hopes to attract beginners this year with its Try Sailing program, which is aimed at people of all ages who are new to boats.
“It’s not for tourists, we want Rhode Islanders to come down and experience Narragansett Bay,” Read said. “You can go out on the water for an hour and then maybe decide to come back and take a lesson.”
He estimated more than 1,500 kids will turn out for the Pell School program and to learn how to navigate a number of boats, including keel boats and others.
OWNER: Nonprofit managed by board of directors
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Public sailing center
LOCATION: Fort Adams State Park, 72 Fort Adams Drive, Newport
EMPLOYEES: 12 full time
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1983
ANNUAL SALES: $2.5 million operating budget
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Graham@PBN.com.
