Ocean Race Returning to Newport in 2022 - RI is Only North American Stopover

Ocean Race Returning to Newport in 2022 - RI is Only North American Stopover

Sail Newport and The Ocean Race announced Tuesday that for the third consecutive edition of the competition, The Ocean Race will make its only North American stopover in Newport, Rhode Island, in the spring of 2022. 

The race was previously known as the Volvo Ocean Race.

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The Rhode Island stopover will be one of ten stops during the eight-month 38,000 nautical-mile race around the world, which begins in Alicante, Spain, in October of 2021 and finishes in Genoa, Italy in June of 2022.

The event has been a massive boost to the Rhode Island economy.

“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,” says Governor Gina M. Raimondo, Governor of the State of Rhode Island.  

“I am grateful that The Ocean Race recognizes the value of coming back to the Ocean State and equally grateful to our partner and the official event host, Sail Newport, which has worked hard to ensure this successful event returns,” she adds.

The event had a wide-ranging economic and tourism impact on the community. Organizers released a detailed economic impact report that showed that the 2015 stopover generated an estimated $47.7* million to the Ocean State’s economy. 

Both events were huge draws for visitors, with over 137,000 people in the race village in 2015 and over 100,000 visitors in 2018. 

 

 

Sail Newport 

Once again, Sail Newport, Rhode Island's Public Sailing Center, will organize the event and Executive Director Brad Read said in the announcement, “This is the pinnacle event of the sport of ocean racing. These athletes are spending 24 hours a day for weeks on end transiting oceans in storms and calms and as a community we have the privilege of welcoming them to the only stop in North America. Our entire community will greet them as we have greeted seafarers for generations. We will welcome them and celebrate the human victory of overcoming the monumental challenge,"

“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.

“When you walk through Fort Adams State Park and down the streets of Newport, you feel enthusiasm and passion for The Ocean Race, and that’s something we take pride in and want to return by bringing a great event to Fort Adams again in 2022,” he adds. 

“The Ocean Race is one of the three pillar events in the sport of sailing, alongside the Olympic Games and America’s Cup, and as such, it provides inspiration and motivation to sailors and sailing fans of all ages,” Brisius added.  

“Even beyond that, The Ocean Race, along with Newport-based partners like 11th Hour Racing, demonstrates that sport can have an impact beyond the playing field. With a comprehensive and innovative sustainability program, together, we are leading the way in making a positive difference in our community,” he says.

The 2015 stopover in Newport marked the birth of the sustainability program for the global Ocean Race, an initiative that subsequently expanded to all stopovers in the 2017-18 race.  

During the 2018 stop, for example, at the Newport Ocean Summit, Rhode Island became the first state to sign the UN Environment Clean Seas Pledge, leading to a Governor's task force on plastic pollution and a forthcoming state-wide ban on plastic bags.

Also, 14.8 tons of greenhouse gas emissions were avoided through the use of a biodiesel fuel blend for generators. At the same time, an alternative transportation campaign inspired 7,561 visitors to use bikes and water taxis instead of cars to visit the race village.