A Shout Out to the New England Nation

Two years ago, the Volvo Ocean Race organizers got it right when they selected Newport as the North American stopover. The passion for sailing, along with the industry influence, lives in this city. Kenny Read, who skippered teams in the 2008-9 and 2011-12 editions, is now eager to see his home region show the love to the race. Here he comments…

I have a little bit of experience with sailing in the Volvo Ocean Race and I can tell you firsthand how much all the sailors look forward to arriving back to shore after 20-ish days at sea. They are going to be tired, hungry, exhausted and missing their friends and family.

Approaching a leg finish, the adrenaline really starts pumping at the sign of the first escorts…the diehard fans who are miles and miles offshore to get the first glimpse at these crazy athletes putting everything on the line to win a race around the planet. I can tell you that it means more to the sailors than you could ever imagine.

With that said, this is a last minute shout out to anyone who lives within 100 miles of Newport… PLEASE COME HELP US WELCOME THE TEAMS WHEN THEY ARRIVE HERE ON THURSDAY (May 7)! These teams deserve our cheering and admiration. They have been busting their tails for nearly 7 months and no matter what the finish order, they all deserve a huge welcome from North America.

So, if you have a Dyer Dhow, a Mako, a Pearson 39 Yawl – or anything that floats – get a couple of miles off of Castle Hill and follow them in. If you don’t have a boat and can’t beg yourself onto one, then get out to Castle Hill or Fort Adams and the Volvo Village and cheer as the boats go through the finish line literally meters off the Volvo Village. Combine all the finishing celebrations with plenty of on-stage champagne spraying antics and it is quite an experience for all, as well as a sign of warmth and welcome.

The Volvo Ocean Race is really hard. You will see it in the sailor’s eyes first hand. Please come and join the party. Click here to sign up for live updates to your phone so you’ll have an accurate time of their arrival.