2015 -- H 5302

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

CELEBRATING THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE AND THE DECISION TO COME TO

NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, IN 2015 AS A STOPOVER ON ITS 2014-2015 OCEAN RACE

     Introduced By: Representatives Carson, Ruggiero, Abney, Reilly, and Morin

     Date Introduced: February 04, 2015

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, The Volvo Ocean Race is a prestigious around-the-world race held every

three years. It covers a distance of close to 40,000 nautical miles and the routes used in the race

are changed for every competition. The City of Newport and the State of Rhode Island are

extremely proud to have been selected as the only North American port for this prestigious global

event; and

     WHEREAS, The City of Newport, known and admired worldwide for its beauty and

status as one of the elite boat racing ports on the globe, was a logical choice to serve as a port of

call for this premier race. The "City by the Sea" is home to breathtaking views, a knowledgeable

and passionate boat racing populace, and a bustling waterfront with world class restaurants and

wonderful art galleries and boutiques; and

     WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island and the Department of Environmental

Management have invested millions of dollars in facility upgrades to prepare Fort Adams State

Park as a world class sailing venue, and national and international visitors will invest millions of

dollars in restaurants, stores, attractions, and transportation; and

     WHEREAS, The Race Village for the Volvo Ocean Race will open in Newport on May

5, 2015, with the competing boats expected to arrive on or before May 9, 2015. The Race Village

will have a sail loft and boatyard, interactive exhibits, a variety of marine educational programs,

numerous other family activities and entertainment programming, and delectable international

cuisine. There will also be many on-the-water activities and competitions including a youth

challenge, a "Try Sailing" event, a pro-am race, and a Combat Wounded Veterans Challenge; and

     WHEREAS, Hosting the Volvo Ocean Race will be very beneficial to the economic well-

being of both the State of Rhode Island and the City of Newport. Nearly 100,000 people are

expected to visit the Volvo Village throughout the twelve days that the event village will be at

Fort Adams State Park; and

     WHEREAS, The race will not only generate thousands of hotel rooms throughout Rhode

Island, but will also provide an outstanding opportunity to showcase the many marine trade

businesses throughout the state, and the international media coverage of this event will showcase

the beauty of Rhode Island globally; and

     WHEREAS, When compared to the America's World Cup Series, the Volvo Ocean Race

North American Stopover in Newport could generate over $40 million in direct economic impact

to the state and will link Rhode Island to other major maritime centers around the world including

Gothenburg Sweden, and resort areas in France, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, the United Arab

Emirates, China, New Zealand, and Brazil; and

     WHEREAS, The central themes of the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Newport is ocean

awareness and conservation, and environmental sustainability. There will be numerous

educational programs at the Race Village emphasizing the principles of "Reduce, Reuse and

Recycle." All Rhode Islanders, in our daily lives, can do small and large things to sustain our

planet and our living space through recycling and not using products that harm the environment.

The Volvo Ocean Race Education Initiative, with the support of the Newport community, plans to

showcase the environmental lessons learned at sea with the intent of positively impacting the

daily lives of everyday citizens and also to encourage people to discover boating through Sail

Newport; and

     WHEREAS, A further goal of the Volvo Ocean Race and its Newport hosts is to link

sailors to students. To help accomplish this goal, an educational program has been launched by

Sail Newport that will enable students from kindergarten through 12th grade to follow this

exciting race through class projects, various online learning opportunities, and direct contact with

the sailors onboard Team Alvimedica. This program is part of a national educational program that

Newport school teacher Donna Kelly and R. Mark Davis, President of Sailors for the Sea, will co-

chair at the Newport Stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race; and

     WHEREAS, Many Rhode Islanders are actively participating in this global event both

onboard competing boats, as part of the on-shore support teams, as part of local planning

committees, and as visitors to the events, and all Rhode Islanders and our state will greatly benefit

from being selected to host this amazing event; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby enthusiastically welcomes the Volvo Ocean Race to the City of

Newport, Rhode Island, and wishes good luck to all of the competitors and a fun-filled learning

experience for all of the attendees and spectators; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mr. Allan Megarry, Chief Operating Officer of

Sail Newport.

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