Heineken the world’s leading international premium beer brand, will sponsor the Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover May 8 to 20. The sponsorship renews the partnership with Sail Newport for the first Stopover event held in May 2015.

“We are thrilled to be joining with one of the most well-known brands and successful partnerships in the sport. This is an exciting event and the Heineken sponsorship will provide an opportunity for adults to celebrate this international race in the beautiful waterfront location of the Race Village at Fort Adams State Park,” Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport and the Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover said in a release.

The ‘round-the-world sailing race will make its only North American stop in Newport. At the Race Village in Fort Adams State Park, Heineken is the official beer sponsor during the 13-day event. Over 130,000 visitors enjoyed the Race Village during the previous Stopover. The sponsorship will also include integration at promotional events leading up to the May event.

The Volvo Ocean Race is a 45,000-nautical-mile sailing race that takes its teams around the world, across four oceans, touching six continents and 12 host cities. The competition is fierce, the conditions are grueling and the adventure of life onboard 24 hours a day is the ultimate challenge for the men and women athletes on each team.

The fleet is currently racing on the leg from Hong Kong to Auckland. The seven teams have completed over 20,000 nautical miles, which is nearly halfway around on the global course.

The Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover will be a rare opportunity for visitors to view the world’s top sailors and race boats during an exciting and entertaining 13-day event in Newport. The Race Village will be open to the public for free and will include up-close viewing of the race boats and narrated racing events off the shoreline of Fort Adams State Park, tours of the working Boatyard, a “pit row” of team compounds, sponsor pavilions, a One Ocean Exploration Zone educational exhibit, experiential activities, food, music and the beer garden.