US Sailing Moving to Roger Williams University

National governing body for sport of sailing relocates to waterfront Bristol campus Sept. 15

BRISTOL, R.I., August 9, 2017 ­­– Roger Williams University will become the new home for US Sailing on Sept. 15.

The national governing body for the sport of sailing will move from its current location in Portsmouth, R.I., to RWU’s Bristol campus.

“This is a national organization that oversees many sailing competitions, so to have them on our campus is a feather in our cap,” RWU President Donald J. Farish said. “It is a perfect complement to RWU’s national powerhouse sailing team and to the Richard L. Bready Mount Hope Bay Sailing and Education Center, which opened on the campus waterfront in 2015.”

US Sailing will collaborate with the university to develop programs at the sailing center in the summer months and will be able to sponsor regattas there, Farish said. “It is the kind of thing that can bring a lot of people to the area – to local restaurants and places to stay,” he said. “And if high school kids come to the regattas and see the sailing center, some will say, ‘Why not come to school here?’ ”

Jack Gierhart, CEO of US Sailing, said, “The new office space provides us with the opportunity to drive innovation and creativity in our core areas of focus – access, education and competitive excellence. US Sailing will have access to a state-of-the-art sailing center, modern classrooms and meeting spaces, and additional online learning capabilities.”

The move culminates a four-year project involving state officials, RWU leaders and partners, the US Sailing Board of Directors, staff and volunteers, Gierhart said. “We thank the university and its leadership for welcoming us to their beautiful 140-acre waterfront campus.”

US Sailing is moving into the former James L. Maher Center on the north end of the Bristol campus.