Photo: Graeme Smith

From May 9th through 13th, Oliver Hazard Perry, the largest civilian Sailing School Vessel in the US, was host to 12,000 visitors during the Volvo Ocean Race Stopover in Newport, RI.  The contrast between the new tall ship and the carbon fiber racing sleds could not have been more stark.  Six high-tech Volvo Ocean racers were tied up on one side of the pier, at Fort Adams in Newport harbor, while on the other side of the dock, the three masted square rigged Sailing School Vessel Oliver Hazard Perry towered over then all.  The  Perry has a sparred length of close to 200′ and her masts soar 120′ from the deck.  The Volvo Ocean 65s are 72′ overall with single masts reaching 99 feet above the water. The contrast didn’t end with the difference between the Perry and the racing yachts. Visitors to the ship had the chance to walk through the ship and see our progress and the contrast of a traditional rig above deck and modern features below.