Boats fill Newport Harbor, spectators clog shoreline as Ocean Race boats depart Newport
NEWPORT — Local sailing enthusiasts knew the Newport-based 11th Hour Racing Team was the first Ocean Race competitor to complete the fourth leg of the event and sail into Newport Harbor even if they weren’t present at Fort Adams State Park to welcome the crew.
“We heard all the horns going off on the boats,” Newport resident Heather Depinho said. “It was pretty nice for them to come into their home port and win.”
On Sunday, 11 days after first arrival, the four IMOCA 60-foot monohull sailing yachts departed to more horn blasts, water cannon salutes and rousing ovations from the thousands of spectators at Fort Adams to see them off on the fifth leg of the race to Aarhus in Denmark.
“This is our second time coming,” Chelsea, Michigan, resident Keith Prodin said. “I’m a little bit of a sailor but not like these guys. I really respect them, especially since the race ties in with the environment now. The ambiance of Newport combined with the race is wonderful.”
Crowds of spectators, boaters flock to Newport sendoff
Margaret Leary of Greenwich, Connecticut, arrived in Newport on Saturday for a weekend visit. She grew up sailing in her hometown but never had the chance to get to Newport the other two times it was an Ocean Race stopover host.
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“This was my first opportunity,” Leary said. “I love being able to get close to the boats. I study ocean engineering. I’m very into boat building. So I’m fascinated by design choices.”
Leary was able to see numerous types of spectator boats that clogged the harbor for the sendoff. Boats of all designs lined the perimeter of the in-port racecourse and were corralled like cattle by race official vessels.
Depinho said the short trip from her home to the sendoff took 20 minutes – plus parking. She made no qualms about why she and her husband were at Fort Adams.
“We came to see the boats take off today. I want to see them moving,” Depinho said.
The sun was shining but the light southwesterly breeze did not make for ideal sailing conditions. Some spectators – depending on location – may have been able to see the boats’ retractable foils lift the hull out of the water.
Local sailors reunite with families before beginning the next race leg
Two members of the 11th Hour Racing Team have Ocean State connections. On-board reporter Amory Ross calls Newport his home base while skipper Charlie Enright lives in Bristol. They enjoyed their short stay as much as possible with their family and friends before beginning the fifth leg of the race.
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“I can’t even imagine how difficult it is,” Leary said. “But at the same time, it’s a breath of fresh air to be able to come back and regroup before they head back out.”
Brad Read, the executive director of Sail Newport, which served as host of the North American Stopover of The Ocean Race, said although the two local sailors can be with family and friends, it is still a difficult stay for them.
“This is their hardest stopover because their time is not their own. People latch onto them,” Read said. “I’ve got them speaking at something. Herreshoff (Marine Museum) has them. They have to go to this place, that place and the other place.
“But they do get to sleep in their own bed. It’s a double-edged sword though. I’m sure when the Dutch get to the Hague they’re going to have the same issue. Their time is not going to be their own.”
11th Hour Racing Team in the mix to win Ocean Race
The 11th Hour Racing Team sailed into Newport Harbor as the winner of the fourth leg of the Ocean Race. After the Newport-to-Denmark leg, the boats travel to The Hague in the Netherlands for Leg 6, and from The Hague to Genoa, Italy, on the final leg.
The Newport-based team currently sits in second place and has a chance to win the six-month-long race.
“They’ve done great and shown improvement,” Leary said. “Each leg brings its own challenges so it’s all about how the team handles everything that comes with it.”
Prodin said, “I think the team that wins this leg pretty much has won it.”
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Ocean Race IMOCA 60-foot sailing yachts leave Newport, head to Denmark
