Laura Damon / Newport Daily News

NEWPORT — As soon as the blue ribbon dropped in the threshold of the historic municipal Armory building on lower Thames Street, a large crowd of people funneled inside to be among the first to see The Sailing Museum ahead of its official opening.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to welcome you to our new home,” Gus Carlson, president of the National Sailing Hall of Fame, said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday.

Carlson guaranteed an “extraordinary experience” for sailors and non-sailors alike who visit the new museum at 365 Thames St. He called it “the most precious new jewel in Newport’s crown.”

The museum is strategically illuminated, featuring interactive exhibits, videos and artifacts. It features, too, the National Sailing Hall of Fame and America’s Cup Hall of Fame.