NEWPORT – The Ocean Race will be returning to Newport.
Sail Newport and The Ocean Race announced Newport as the race’s only North American host city Tuesday morning. The race is scheduled to be in Newport in spring of 2022.
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This marks Newport’s third consecutive race as a host city, with the last two stopovers being held in 2015 and 2018.
“This is terrific news for our state, again bringing global attention to Newport and Rhode Island as premier tourist destinations and promising to generate tens of millions of dollars in spending and economic impact,” said Gov. Gina M. Raimondo.
In 2018, the race brought out 100,000 visitors. In 2015, more than 137,000 visited the race with an estimated economic impact of $47.7 million for the state.
Newport will be one of ten stops in the race.
“Newport remains an iconic venue for generations of sailors,” said Richard Brisius, race chairman of The Ocean Race. “It is a town built around the water, and people here hold the race close in their hearts, which makes it a stopover to look forward to for all of our sailors and stakeholders.
11th Hour Racing team formally renewed its sponsorship deal with Rhode Island-based 11th Hour Racing in September. The team will be participating in the 2021-2022 Ocean Race global sailing competition. It includes team members Charlie Enright from Bristol, and Mark Towill of Honolulu, both Brown University alumni.
“The Ocean Race is a worldwide sporting event, and to host a stopover in Rhode Island is no small undertaking. I’d say it takes a village, but it certainly takes more than that,” Enright said.
The selection of Newport as a stop had not been a sure bet. Sail Newport told PBN in July that it had yet to decide to submit a bid – citing a change in ownership of the race, a reorganization of the route and time of the year were factors in considering the return of the race to Rhode Island.
Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport said in July that Sail Newport lost $250,000 in 2015 and barely broke even in 2018 – despite all of the money the event brought to the state. However, the organization said it planned to work with multiple agencies, including R.I. Commerce Corp., the Governor’s office and members of the Legislature and the city of Newport.
“At Sail Newport, we have seen the desire of the Rhode Island community to pitch in and help,” said Read in a statement Tuesday. “The most emotional part of this race is watching our community embrace the race, the sailors and the excitement of the race village. That’s what keeps us coming back to host this international race.”
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor. You may reach him at Bergenheim@PBN.com.
