Newport Added as World Match Racing Tour Stop

NEWPORT, RI—The world’s top match racing sailors will be coming to Newport in 2016 to compete in the World Match Racing Tour.

Organizers for the event announced that Newport has been chosen to be the last stop in the world tour before finals are decided in Marstrand, Sweden, in July.

“There is probably no place in the world with a sailboat racing history like Newport, RI and it is with great pride that we welcome the American sailing hot spot to the WMRT 2016,” organizers announced Wednesday.

From its founding, Newport is synonymous with sailing. Today, it is increasingly asserting its place as the top sailing destination in the United States. The city hosted the Volvo Ocean Race this year as the lone North American stopover and it was a smashing success by many accounts, drawing thousands of spectators to Fort Adams State Park to watch racing in local waters and enjoy exhibits, food and events in a bustling race village.

Organizers for Volvo Ocean Race wasted no time in announcing that Newport would be a stopover in 2018.

“Since the Volvo Ocean Race Newport and the worldwide press about the enhanced facilities at Fort Adams State Park, major sailing event organizers are increasingly setting their sights on Newport and Rhode Island as the premiere sailing venue in the United States,” said Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport, which announced the selection of Newport as part of the World Match Racing Tour on Wednesday.

A new 200-foot deep water pier was completed in May to host large marine events. That means Fort Adams offers world-class facilities in addition to a stunning setting overlooking Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic.

The WMRT events will be similar to the America’s Cup World Series held in 2012. Racers will compete in a course set “within yards” of the shore for excellent viewing. The start and finish is right in front of the public and live narration follows the action.

The event will be open to the public and admission is free.

Racers use Swedish-built Marstrom 32s. A local fleet of these high-speed catamarans sail out of Sail Newport with local skippers and crews who race during the season.

“The races will be extraordinary close and action-packed as the best pro teams duel one-on-one in several laps of maneuvering,” Read said. The event will be thrilling for the public to watch because it will be like NASCAR racing-only on the water. The high speed carbon fiber futuristic boats fly around at 40-50 knot speeds - all within feet of each other and with the best athletes found in the sport today. A true spectacle!” he said.

Prior to Newport, the event will have visited Fremantle, Perth Australia (March 2-7) Long Beach, CA (April 5-10) and Copenhagen, Denmark (May 9-14). One other stop on the tour is as yet unannounced.