The media team from the Volvo Ocean Race headed down to Newport, RI last week to spend some time with hometown boys Ken Read and Jerry Kirby. Jerry showed them what he's been up to when he's not sailing. Here is a excerpt from an article they wrote on the experience:
It's around midday on Friday and the mist is making its way across the rich suburbs of Newport, Rhode Island. Through the grey it's hard to see from one end of a gigantic striped lawn to the other, tougher still to fully make out the mansions obscured on the far side. We're looking for Jerry Kirby.
Our car pulls up at the crossroads where Webster Street dissects Bellevue Avenue. Some of the enormous buildings here are five stories high and more, with upwards of 30 rooms, the surrounding grounds usually covering several acres. One stunning property is undergoing some kind of work. A sign on one of the wood panelled walls reads "Kirby Perkins Construction", but the house is empty.
We drive further down the street. It's the kind of place mere millionaires might find too expensive, though the moniker "Millionaires' Row" is applied to this and several other streets in Newport. There are tens of these stately manor-like buildings, many dating back to the 19th century and earlier when barons of industry thrived in the absence of an income tax. In today's world many of the properties are worth well in excess of $10 million.
Click here to read the entire story by Volvo writer Riath Al-Samarrai
