Conanicut Marine Services plans to expand the size of its ferry fleet for the America’s Cup World Series event in June, according to Bill Munger, owner of the marina. PHOTO BY JEFF MCDONOUGH Governor Lincoln Chafee recently announced the 38-member America’s Cup World Series Host Committee, and Town Administrator Bruce Keiser was named the Jamestown representative.

“I was very happy to hear that [I was appointed] because it provides a vehicle for asserting Jamestown’s interest in assisting with the crowd management, which we expect to be significant,” Keiser said. “As a sailor, I’m delighted to participate as well.”

The American’s Cup World Series event will be held on Narragansett Bay in June. Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport, will chair the committee that Keiser was named to.

“The America’s Cup World Series races have great potential to bring job creation and revenue to Rhode Island,” Chafee said. “This host committee will help to coordinate important preparation efforts to ensure that this exciting event is thoroughly successful. Its members have strong ties to the sailing world, marine trades, hospitality and tourism, and a number of other relevant fields. What they all share is an understanding of what it will take to make the America’s Cup World Series a success for Newport and the state of Rhode Island.”

Along with Jamestown, other Narragansett Bay municipalities will have their presence felt on the committee, including representatives from Bristol, Newport, Portsmouth and Middletown. Other committee members come from sailing, tourism, hospitality, commercial transportation and event management industries.

The committee will coordinate marketing, business outreach, public support, event logistics, traffic, public safety and public infrastructure preparations to ensure a seamless execution of the event.

According to Keiser, the committee will have a broad mission, including promotion and marketing, and logistical considerations regarding the large crowds that are expected to attend the event at Fort Adams. Crowds will also gather along the coastline adjacent to the racecourse, meaning that Newport won’t be the only place where onlookers will need to be controlled.

Keiser is hopeful that the America’s Cup World Series will have a positive impact on Jamestown’s economy. “The biggest benefit will be for the businesses downtown,” he said. “The restaurants and retail shops will draw substantial crowds.”

The America’s Cup World Series is something new for the America’s Cup. In order to maintain interest in the Cup, the America’s Cup Event Authority has set up a schedule of events that will serve as precursors to the Cup fi- nals, which will take place in San Francisco next year. So far the World Series has had successful stops in Portugal and England, with the next event scheduled for Italy in April.

Beginning on June 23, the traveling road show will set down in Newport, based at Fort Adams. The 45-foot catamarans will race in the bay and the action will be clearly visible to spectators at the fort as well as other locations like Fort Wetherill in Jamestown. Entrance to Fort Adams during the regatta will be ticketed, but prices have not yet been announced. Visitors to the fort will be treated to a wide variety of activities in addition to the actual racing.

The event will continue through July 1, and it is expected to have a major economic impact on the entire area. Hundreds of new jobs will be created, and more that $70 million is expected to be pumped into the state’s economy. Thousands of visitors are expected to descend on the area, and Jamestown businesses are expected to reap an economic windfall as a result.

Bill Munger of Conanicut Marine Services is planning to expand the size of his ferry fleet during the World Series in order to accommodate the additional visitors that the event is expected to attract. Munger is basing his traffic projections on the business he does during the annual Newport folk and jazz festivals. During those events, Munger employs two ferries – the Jamestown and the Katherine – to ferry people to Fort Adams from Jamestown and Perotti Park, and additional smaller boats to return people to Jamestown when the festivals end.

For the America’s Cup World Series, Munger plans to charter a third boat for his fleet to help ferry people to Fort Adams, and use two additional boats, Madam and Mistress, to get people home. Unlike the folk and jazz festivals, which draw close to 10,000 people per day, not all World Series spectators are expected to want to leave the attractions at Fort Adams at the same time.

“I think the economic impact on the village community will be positive,” Munger said. “There is no question that Fort Wetherill will be a desirable place to watch this event from land. Those people are going to want something to eat and to see what the rest of the village is about while they’re here.”

Munger also had some advice for his fellow Jamestown business owners. “Every shopkeeper needs to be prepared for this,” he said. “It will be a couple of weeks of folks in town who will need goods and services. I think it will be very positive for the community.”