11th Hour Racing is co-hosting The Ocean Race Newport Stopover with Sail Newport and the State of Rhode Island. 11th Hour Racing is funding the expansion of Sail Newport’s educational programming, starting with the recent addition of a new Thompson Middle School Marine Exploration Program.
Newport hosted the stopover twice in 2015 and 2018, with more than 247,000 people visiting during the past stopovers, including nearly 6,500 students through the field trip program.
Sail Newport was founded in 1983 on the day the longest running winning streak in the history of sports was ended with the loss of the America’s Cup to Australia. Founders envisioned a nonprofit organization to recruit sailing events to the Ocean state to further Newport as the sailing capital. Forty years later, Sail Newport is a thriving community sailing center providing public access to sailing as the core of its mission. The Sailing Center is located in Fort Adams State Park and offers affordable access to sailboat rentals, instruction for people beginning at age five, racing programs, family sailing opportunities, storage, special events and programs for public schools, municipalities and civic groups. Also, Sail Newport hosts regattas on the local, national and world-class level.
