Volvo Ocean Race Village opens Tuesday in Newport

May 4, 2015 5:59 pm

By: Melissa Randall
mrandall@abc6.com
@MRandallABC6

In the Volvo Ocean Race around the world teams are less than 900 nautical miles away from Newport. The sailboats are expected to start arriving in Rhode Island on Thursday and the race village at Fort Adams will open to the public Tuesday. Crews worked feverishly all day Monday putting the finishing touches on the village ahead of the highly anticipated opening.

“I just arrived yesterday and I when I came here I was pleasantly surprised to see the shape the race village is in. It’s of course a gorgeous site– its one of the most iconic sites actually in the race,” said tom Touber, C.O.O of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Event organizers stress that visitors don’t have to be a sailing enthusiast to enjoy the village. There are plenty of fun things to do and to see.

“We want people to bring out their grandparents, their family, their grand kids and everybody to come down and enjoy the food, the fun, the music. Enjoy the color, the pageantry,” said Evan smith, C.E.O. of Discover Newport.

One of the neatest exhibits is a replica sailboat. The public will be able to see exactly how the teams have been living and working during their journey.

The sailors are currently on their way to Newport from Brazil and are expecting a large crowd to be cheering them on when they arrive in Rhode Island waters!

“We need to do it in style. We need to do it with energy. And so there are going to be people there regardless of the time of day,” said Smith.

During the nearly 2 week stop over tens of thousands of people from around the world are expected to visit the race village. The event is expected to be a huge economic boost to the city and the state. Smith says the venue will be ready.

“When the curtain goes up and the play starts we’re going to be ready and it’s going to be a hell of a good show!”

The village is free and so is the parking through Friday. Then it bumps up to ten or twenty dollars. Volvo drivers park for free regardless of the date.

For more information visit: http://www.volvooceanracenewport.com/en/home.html