Volvo Ocean Race – Team Alvimedica heading home

by Team Alvimedica on 18 Apr 2015 Volvo Ocean Race – A young and inexperienced Team Alvimedica sailed out of Newport, RI, last July in a Transatlantic training run to Europe to prepare for the start of the race. Ten months later, skipper Charlie Enright, 30, of Bristol, RI, and his crew have logged more than 40,000 ocean miles and now have their sights set on winning the 5,000-mile leg to their homeport.

While the team is driven to win, there is nothing like family and friends waiting on the finish line to further motivate the young Americans to finish first into this storied sailing capital. “Sailing into our homeport with friends and family is a dream come true and I couldn’t ask for more,” said Enright. “If there ever were a leg where we could get some extra motivation and hit that next gear, it’s certainly this one. Coming into Newport will be special for a lot of reasons. It is where the journey began so many years ago just learning to sail on Narragansett Bay.”

Enright is joined onboard by fellow Rhode Islander Nick Dana, 29, of Newport who is the boat captain and bowman. The team’s Onboard Reporter is Amory Ross, 30, of Newport. Team co-founder and watch captain is Mark Towill, 26, of Kanehoe, HI, who after his years at Brown University with Enright, calls Rhode Island his second home.

Sentimental reasons aside, it is the taste of victory that will have Enright and crew pushing the limits to Newport. Team Alvimedica has been steadily improving since the race started in Alicante, Spain in October including leading the fleet at the treacherous Cape Horn enroute to Brazil. While no points were awarded for that milestone, combined with a podium finish in Itajai, the young crew is feeling confident as they prepare to start leg six on Sunday, April 19.

“We are due for a good result and I can’t think of a better leg to post it on,” Enright said. “No matter how complicated or straightforward these legs seem to be, the boats always tend to end up together – the competition is excruciatingly close and another leg crossing the Equator with tricky trades and doldrums, we have the Brazil Current, the Bermuda High, the Gulf Stream - a ton of different elements. I expect it to be tight, just as complicated as the rest of the legs. We will need to stay close and make some pretty good decisions towards the end.”

While in some ways the return to Newport completes an around-the-world passage, there are many points still at stake, says Mark Towill. “Only half the points in the race have been awarded. But it’s more like a halftime really there are still a lot of points left on the table and the legs aren’t weighted so a long way to go – we look forward to posting our best results on the second half of this race.”

Team Alvimedica race crew for leg six: Alberto Bolzan, 32, (ITA); Nick Dana, 29, (Newport, RI, USA); Charlie Enright, 30, (Bristol, RI, USA); Ryan Houston, 32, (NZL); Sebastien Marsset, 30, (FRA); Will Oxley, 49, (AUS); Dave Swete, 30, (NZL); Mark Towill, 26, (Kanehoe, HI, USA); and OnBoard Reporter Amory Ross, 30, (Newport, RI, USA).

In the United States, TV coverage continues on the NBC Sports Network on Sunday, April 19 at 2:30pm Eastern.