20 Sep Sail Newport & Discover Newport Recognized with Anchor Awards
Sail Newport and Discover Newport were honored at RIMTA’s Annual Industry Partnership Breakfast on September 19 as recipients of the annual Anchor Award
. This accolade is given to those who have had a significant impact on the state’s marine trades. Both organizations were selected for attracting and organizing the Newport stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race.
The Newport stopover, held this past May, drew some 131,000 people to Newport and its waters and made great strides in promoting boating, the beautiful coast of Rhode Island, and the importance of preserving our ocean environment.
At the award presentation, which was held during the Newport International Boat Show, Rhode Island Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed and Newport Mayor Jeanne-Marie Napolitano both spoke about the work Sail Newport and Discover Newport did to manage such a successful stopover. They both noted the determination of Sail Newport Executive Director Brad Read to successfully convince so many individuals that this event would be a huge win for Rhode Island.
Kathryn Farrington, vice president of marketing for Discover Newport, and Read accepted the award on their organizations’ behalves. According to both individuals, partnerships were key to the event’s success. Read also stated how he knew Rhode Island could host a stopover that would outshine other race stopovers in larger U.S. cities: “I had confidence in so many people in this room, that we could do this together:”
According to Read, the effort to win back a stopover for the next running of this global offshore marathon is already well under way. “There is still work to do,” said Read, “but we hope to get it back.”