Newport welcomes return of race

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) -- The America's Cup departed nearly 30 years ago, but sailing's pre-eminent race never really left this city of mansions and long memories.

America's Cup Avenue is a main downtown thoroughfare. A hotel and charter yacht company bear the name. Art galleries sell photos and paintings of the race. Up the road in Bristol is the America's Cup Hall of Fame. All serve as a reminder of the loss of sailing's crown jewel in 1983, when an Australian team wrested the cup away from the Americans and ended the longest winning streak in sports history.

But now America's Cup racing is returning to Newport -- albeit with a new event: the America's Cup World Series, a new sequence of regattas held around the world in the lead up to the 2013 Cup race in San Francisco. Mayor Stephen Waluk said the event is conjuring up old memories for many while reminding the world why Newport is considered one of sailing's best venues.

"Beyond the nostalgia, I'm looking at the benefit to Newport," said Waluk, who was 6 years old in 1983. "The hotels and restaurants will be busier. It's going to be on national television. This is our opportunity to really put our best foot forward, to show we can hold really big events like this and do it well."

The World Series will feature top international sailors competing in vessels built for speed and agility. The action will be based out of Fort Adams State Park, an historic seaside fortification that also hosts the Newport jazz and folk festivals.

Newport has always clung to its history and traditions. The oldest standing synagogue in America is here, as is the church where John and Jackie Kennedy wed and the festival where Bob Dylan went electric. The city's mansions evoke a gilded age of privilege, while the preserved colonial homes recall its days as one of America's earliest ports.

For more than 50 years the America's Cup was a source of pride, and the loss still smarts.

"Newport was never a one-race town, but there was a lot of romance behind it," said Bertram Lippincott III of the Newport Historical Society. "Ted Turner was here, all the skippers and the best sailors in the world."

Gov. Lincoln Chafee, a sailor himself, said he's optimistic the World Series could one day lead to the return of the cup race. Newport had hoped to win the right to host the cup next year but lost out to San Francisco. Chafee said the exposure from the World Series and improvements at Fort Adams should make Newport a better contender in the future. The state has upgraded parking and roads and utilities in advance of the event.

"We have one of the best natural harbors in the world," he said. "We have the best boat builders, the best sailing. It's a natural."

For hotels and restaurants still struggling in a down economy, the World Series is more about Newport's future than its past. The state estimates the event will attract 90,000 people and generate $70 million in economic activity.

"We're expecting good business, and the exposure, the word of mouth could really help," said Matt Plumb, owner of the Brick Alley Pub and Restaurant. Plumb said the timing of the event -- before the traditional start of the tourist season July 4 -- could help give the local economy a welcome kick-start.

Art gallery owner Bill Rommel brought out old prints, maps and photographs of past Cup races and gave them a prominent place in his storefront ahead of the World Series.

While Rommel hopes the event will boost business, he's not expecting anything like the years when Newport hosted the cup race.

"It was phenomenal," he recalls. "You could barely keep up with business."

Newport hasn't stood still since losing the cup. While sailing remains a big attraction, the city's tourism economy now focuses on attracting families and tourists on short-distance weekend getaways. The mansions, wedding venues, restaurants, spas and shops are as much a draw as the sparkling waters of Narragansett Bay.

David Stanfield, manager of the America's Cup Inn, said a few groups headed to the World Series have reserved rooms. He said he's not sure whether the World Series will prove to be any more profitable for Newport's business owners than any other summer event.

"The hype is stronger than the reality so far," he said.

The hotel changed its name to the America's Cup Inn seven years ago; while the new name recalls one of Newport's prized eras, it was picked for practical reasons, Stanfield said.

"I thought it should be something at the beginning of the alphabet," he said. "So it would be listed first."