Susan Maffei Plowden of Jamestown, RI was presented with the 2018 Anchor Award at the Rhode Island Marine Trade Association’s Industry Partnership Breakfast. The event was sponsored by Gowrie Group and held during the Newport International Boat Show last month.

With millions of people all around the world following on several media, the current edition of the Volvo Ocean Race is perhaps the most viewed event in the history of yacht racing. We spoke with the man charged with delivering that content to legions of eager fans.

The Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 is well underway, and this race around the world will make its only North American Stopover in Newport, Rhode Island in May. A Race Village is created in each of the 11 Host Cities (in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia, South America and North America) so that fans can watch the world’s best sailors in action, and to spread the event’s message of the importance of saving our oceans.

No sailors in this edition of the Volvo are hungrier for victory than Charlie Enright, a native of Bristol, RI, and Mark Towill of Kaneohe, HI. Charlie and Mark are, respectively, the Skipper and Team Director of Vestas 11th Hour Racing.

Vestas 11th Hour Racing will be led by the American duo of Charlie Enright and Mark Towill.

Unlike some sports there are very few sailing events, even at the elite professional level, offering prize money. The World Match Racing Tour and The Atlantic Cup are two that come to mind, but the VOR and even the America’s Cup are sailed for God, King and Country, but mainly mates. So, what is it about the Volvo Ocean Race that brings people back time and again?

The 13th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race starts in October in Alicante, Spain. At nearly 45,000 nautical miles, the route is the longest in the 44-year history of the event that was born as the Whitbread in 1973. And with many more miles in the Southern Ocean as the previous editions, this will likely be the toughest VOR yet.

The Volvo Ocean Race has announced that the next stopover in Newport, RI will take place May 8 -20, 2018. It was also announced that the boats will leave Newport for a first-time stopover in Cardiff, Wales.

The MudRatz ECSA Opti Race Team was created with the support of the Eastern Connecticut Sailing Association (ECSA) and the Mystic River Mudhead Sailing Association to help enthusiastic Optimist sailors in eastern Connecticut develop and improve their sailing and racing skills. In May, the team traveled to Newport, RI for the stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15.

The Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 has seen media and mobile age take center stage, as more people get their news and information via social networks and mobile-friendly smartphones and tablets.