Photo by Dan Nerney/Sail Newport

Organizers from Sail Newport, the State of Rhode Island, the RI Dept. of Environmental Management, Discover Newport, and the City of Newport have announced that Newport will once again be a North American Stopover during the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race.

2015 Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover

The 2015 Newport Stopover had been so successful that Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad changed protocol and announced during the stopover that Newport has been awarded an exclusive two-month negotiating period to secure the North American stopover in the next race.

In all of his remarks back in May Frostad commended the enthusiasm of the visitors, their knowledge of the race and sailing in general, and the support of state and local governments as key reasons why the race could return.

The final visitor count of approximately 131,000 at the Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover exceeded all expectations for the 12-day celebration. Frostad said that it was the most visitors since the race started visiting North America in 1989-’90, and he noted the enthusiasm of local residents.

Of the 11 ports in the last race, Newport had the smallest population of approximately 24,000. The next smallest is Lorient, France, with approximately 57,000. The largest population is in Cape Town, with approximately 3.7 million. The Newport stopover drew visitors from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii, Canada and Europe.

2017-’18 Volvo Ocean Race

Already six ports have been confirmed for the 2017-’18 race: Alicante, Spain (which will host the race start for the fourth consecutive edition), Cape Town, South Africa, Auckland, New Zealand, Lisbon, Portugal, Cardiff, Wales, and Gothenburg, Sweden.

The final route is expected to be announced in January 2016.

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Ryan Belmore is the Owner and Publisher of What'sUpNewp. Although not the founder or original owner, Belmore has been with What'sUpNewp since its early beginnings in 2012.

Belmore was born in Providence, Rhode Island; grew up and graduated high school in Coventry, Rhode Island; and lived in Newport, Rhode Island for more than ten years. He currently serves as Vice President of the Board Of Directors for Fort Adams Trust and on the Board of Directors for Potter League For Animals.

He and his wife, Jen, as well as their two dogs (Aero and June), recently moved to Alexandria, Virginia. Belmore travels back and forth to Newport every couple of weeks to cover events, work on story ideas, to meet with What'sUpNewp's on-the-ground contributors, to visit friends, and to eat as much seafood as possible.

Belmore is a member of Local Independent Online News Publishers, Society of Professional Journalists, and the North American Snowsports Journalists Association.

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