Sail Newport announced January 9, 2015 that sailboat charter company Sunsail Vacations will sponsor the Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover. The sailing event, scheduled for May 5-17, 2015, is the only North American stopover during the Volvo Ocean Race’s nine-month circumnavigation of the globe. Sunsail will host a Global Experience Pavilion which will feature cultural experiences from its 26 different destinations.
“The Volvo Ocean Race is the world’s leading ocean race event. People all over the world will be inspired to go sailing and there’s no better way to enjoy a sail vacation then on a Sunsail charter,” says Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport and director of the Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover.
“Sunsail’s partnership with the Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover is an easy fit, our goal is to provide an adventure of a lifetime to our charterers. What better way to be inspired to live your life to the extreme than by experiencing the Volvo Ocean Race? Our charterers will be able to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in the comfort of our top of the line Jeanneau Monohulls and Leopard Catamarans in any of our global destinations,” says Brittany Weatherby, North and South American Marketing Manager for Sunsail.
Sunsail also donated a Sailing vacation in the British Virgin Island’s to Sail Newport as an auction item to raise funds for the non-profit sailing center’s community sailing programs. The on-line auction will be linked off of the Sail Newport website. The seven-day charter includes two round-trip airline tickets courtesy of British Virgin Islands Tourism. Also, the winning bidder will receive two VIP tickets to the Ocean Race Club to watch the Newport Pro-am races on Friday, May 15.
The Volvo Ocean Race boats are expected to arrive in the U.S. in the first week of May 2015. A 12-day public festival in the Race Village will celebrate the stopover, with the massive race boats on display at Sail Newport in Fort Adams State Park. A shore-side Race Village will be open to the public, free of charge, where visitors will be able to see the international team compounds and the operations of the shore teams in technical and sail loft areas. In addition, the Race Village will include interactive exhibits, sponsor pavilions, car and truck displays, entertainment, marine education activities, food and the Heineken House hospitality area.
During the Newport visit, all of the boats will also participate in training, pro-am and in-shore racing within yards of the shoreline for optimal spectator viewing during the festival at Fort Adams State Park. Also, experts will broadcast commentary for spectators in the Race Village during all sailing events.
The Race is currently on its third leg of competition. The boats left Abu Dhabi on January 3 and are expected to arrive in Sanya (China) in late January. On February 8, 2015, the fleet will leave China and race to Auckland (New Zealand). After a stop in Itajai (Brazil), the Volvo Ocean Race will head to Newport on April 19, 2015. After an approximate two-week stay in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, the fleet then races from Newport to Lisbon (Portugal) and from Portugal to Lorient (France). After Lorient, a 24-hour pit stop will be made in the Hague (Netherlands) and then the teams will make their final sprint to the finish line in Gothenburg (Sweden), the Swedish home of Volvo, in July of 2015.
