Clarke Cooke House, Newport, RI

As the song goes, “What do you do with a drunken sailor?” The answer for the police in Newport, RI early last Tuesday morning, when a group of sailors associated with the Volvo Ocean Race got rowdy, was to arrest seven of them. 

Police arrived at the Clarke Cooke House, an inn, bar, and restaurant on Bannister’s wharf on the Newport waterfront, after a fire alarm went off just after 1 AM on Tuesday morning. According to police, several people refused orders to get out of the building and move away from fire trucks so firefighters could go inside to reset the alarm. NewportRI.com reports what happened next: 

According to police, several people refused orders to get out of the building and move away from fire trucks so firefighters could go inside to reset the alarm.

Then, police said, Andrew J. Cape, 55, of Lymington, England, pushed Patrol Officer Bradford Coyle in the chest and swore at him, saying he wasn’t going anywhere.

Police said Coyle tripped while trying to get control of Cape’s arm and fell on top of him onto a curb. According to police, Stefan Coppers, 36, of Amsterdam, Netherlands, then jumped on the officer’s back.

When Patrol Officer Brittany Foster stepped in to help Coyle, Coppers turned and came at her in a threatening manner, police said.

Cape was arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer and disorderly conduct. Coppers was arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer, obstructing police, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Andrew Cape is the navigator on the Volvo racer Team Brunel.  Five others associated with Volvo Race were also arrested on charges of variously resisting arrest, assault and/or disorderly conduct. Police said the full watch of Newport police — nine officers — was called to get control of the situation.

Later that day in court, the more serious charges were dropped and the miscreants plead no-contest to charges of disorderly conduct. Part of the plea deal included donations to the local Boys & Girls Club, which ended up $1,300 better off by Tuesday afternoon as a result of the mandatory donations made by the sailors.

“We apologize to the Newport community for any disturbance caused and we thank the authorities for their assistance,” race organizers said.

Whether a lesson was learned is unclear. NewportRI.com also reports that “the incident was the talk of several team members of Vestas 11th Hour Racing. During conversations among people wearing team jackets, several said it seemed police overreacted to the incident and things got out of hand unnecessarily.

“We’ve partied around the world and we’ve never had anything like this,” one team member said.”

My personal advice is to never get rowdy on Bannister’s Wharf in Newport. Head to the bars farther up Thames Street, where one is less likely to attract attention.

The Clarke Cooke House was built in 1780 by a wealthy Newport sea captain of the same name.