Team Alvimedica Names Boat in Newport

Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, the former U.S. Surgeon General, formally named Team Alvimedica’s Volvo Ocean Race boat during a public ceremony at the team’s homeport today. 

Local supporters, friends and family attended the public festivities honoring skipper Charlie Enright of Bristol, RI and crew at the Newport Shipyard on a sparkling summer day here. The boat, named Alvimedica, will take the hometown team 38,000 miles in the 2014-2015 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, with the only USA stopover in Newport from May 5-17, 2015.

“Today marks an important milestone for Team Alvimedica as we prepare to cross the October start line of the Volvo Ocean Race,” said Alvimedica CEO Dr. Cem Bozkurt.

For Alvimedica, the link to health and science is important in this global sporting competition. “The race will provide a unique and physically demanding environment, allowing Alvimedica to study the health and fitness of the crew on this challenging adventure,” Dr. Bozkurt said. “We are fortunate to have Dr. Benjamin, a recognized advocate of healthy lifestyle, nutrition and stress management, to honor the team and wish the courageous crew a safe voyage.”

The Alvimedica company, a fast growing challenger in the global field of interventional cardiology, will work with American skipper Charlie Enright and the race crew to measure relevant cardiovascular changes throughout the sailing competition.

The Honorable Newport Mayor Harry Winthrop said he was honored that Newport with its rich sailing heritage has been named the team’s homeport for this global race, which has a stopover here May 5-17, 2015.

Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad noted the importance of Team Alvimedica as the youngest entry in the 2014-2015 edition as an inspiration for young sailors and future development of the race. 

The ceremony started with the National Anthem sung by 10-year-old Scarlett Keen-Conolle of Newport. The boat’s “Godmother”, Dr. Benjamin concluded the ceremony wishing the crew a healthy and safe voyage and breaking a bottle of champagne on the boat. 

The 18th United States Surgeon General, Dr. Benjamin established herself as a leader at a young age. In 1995, she was the first physician under age 40 to be elected to the American Medical Association Board of Trustees. She later became the first African-American woman to be elected president of a state medical society in the US. Dr. Benjamin was the Founder, CEO, and solo family physician at the Bayou Clinic in the small fishing village of Bayou La Batre, Alabama.  She rebuilt the clinic each time after several devastating disasters, including Hurricane Katrina.  In 2013, she was ranked by Reader’s Digest as #22 of the 100 most trusted people in America.

Team Alvimedica is the youngest entry in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015, which is the world's toughest and longest sporting event. The crew is led by American skipper Charlie Enright, age 29. The team’s owner, Alvimedica, is a young European based medical devices company, which is committed to developing minimally-invasive technologies.  Founded in 2007, Alvimedica is a fast growing challenger in the global field of interventional cardiology. 

This is the team’s first entry in the extremely challenging 38,000-mile race that starts in Alicante, Spain on October 4, 2014, stopping in 11 ports around the world.

Follow the Team on: www.facebook.com/TeamAlvimedica and on www.volvooceanrace.com