Locals get connected to Team Alvimedica

The 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race starts October 4 and will take the fleet to 11 cities in 11 countries – Spain, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, China, New Zealand, Brazil, United States, Portugal, France, The Netherlands, and Sweden.

When the race arrives in Newport, RI in May 2015, the crowds will eagerly welcome Team Alvimedica, led by home town skipper Charlie Enright and general manager Mark Towill from Hawaii – both alumni of Brown University in Providence, RI.

The locals are getting an early look at the team, which arrived in Newport on June 9 after a transatlantic training run and remains in the region this month to continue their preparation. A boat naming ceremony and harborside celebration is scheduled at the Newport Shipyard on Saturday, June 28. Former U.S. Surgeon General, Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA is the guest of honor who will formally name the boat at its homeport.

“We are honored that Dr. Benjamin, who recently held one of the highest ranking healthcare positions in the United States, will name Team Alvimedica’s racing boat for our entry in the Volvo Ocean Race around the world,” said Alvimedica CEO, Dr. Cem Bozkurt. “For Alvimedica, the link to health and science is important in this global sporting competition.”

Alvimedica, a fast growing challenger in the global field of interventional cardiology, will work with American skipper Charlie Enright and the race crew to measure relevant cardiovascular changes throughout the 38,000-mile sailing competition. The race will provide a unique and physically demanding environment, allowing Alvimedica to study the health and fitness of the crew on this challenging adventure,” Dr. Bozkurt said.

“We are fortunate to have Dr. Benjamin, a recognized advocate of healthy lifestyle, nutrition and stress management, to honor the team and wish the courageous crew a safe voyage,” Dr. Bozkurt said.

In addition to being the 18th United States Surgeon General, Dr. Benjamin established herself as a leader at a young age. In 1995, she was the first physician under age 40 to be elected to the American Medical Association Board of Trustees. She later became the first African-American woman to be elected president of a state medical society in the US. Dr. Benjamin was the Founder, CEO, and solo family physician at the Bayou Clinic in the small fishing village of Bayou La Batre, Alabama. She rebuilt the clinic each time after several devastating disasters, including Hurricane Katrina. In 2013, she was ranked by Reader’s Digest as #22 of the 100 most trusted people in America.

“Dr. Benjamin is a role model and she characterizes the core attributes of the Alvimedica brand; being a young, agile, courageous challenger striving to become the trusted partner in our field of work, says Sehnaz Ogut Vartanyan, Chief Marketing Officer of Alvimedica.

As Former Vice Admiral of the U.S Public Health Service and America’s Doctor, it is fitting for Dr. Benjamin to ceremonially name the team’s racing boat. She will have the role of the boat’s Godmother, which is the sea-faring tradition of naming the boat and wishing the crew a safe voyage.

What: Team Alvimedica Boat Naming Ceremony
Who: Public invited
Where: Newport Shipyard, 1 Washington Street
When: Saturday, June 28 – 3:00pm (doors open 2:30pm)

In the week before the boat naming ceremony, Team Alvimedica sailed to Long Island Sound and New York City as part of promotional tour to the Oakcliff Sailing Center in Oyster Bay and New York Harbor. Skipper Charlie Enright and crew will depart The North Cove Marina in lower Manhattan Monday evening, June 23, returning to Newport Tuesday, June 24 to make final preparations for the public event on Saturday, June 28.

Team Alvimedica is the youngest entry in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015, which is the world’s toughest and longest sporting event. The crew is led by American skipper Charlie Enright, age 29. The team’s owner, Alvimedica, is a young European based medical devices company, which is committed to developing minimally-invasive technologies. Founded in 2007, Alvimedica is a fast growing challenger in the global field of interventional cardiology.

This is the team’s first entry in the extremely challenging 38,000-mile race that starts in Alicante, Spain.

Follow the Team on: www.facebook.com/TeamAlvimedica and on www.volvooceanrace.com

Source: Team media