Sail Newport and The Ocean Race announced 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 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.
“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 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.
For the first time, Newport will be hosting two fleets, the IMOCA 60s, foiling boats which push the limits of technology, as well as the one-design VO65 class, which produced the closest race in history in the 2017-18 edition.