Planet Hope Land and Sea

What Planet Hope Land and Sea does

Planet Hope Land and Sea (PHLAS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1998 by Captain Jeffrey Bowen, an ordained minister and professional yacht captain, operating from Deale, Maryland with a secondary base in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas. The organization's mission is to mentor young people and strengthen families through adventure-based sailing and character development, anchored in a non-denominational Christian framework. Core programs include Day Sailing experiences, Sailing Day Camps on 14-foot dinghies, week-long Cruising Liveaboard Camps on 30-40 foot sailboats, Family Sailing programs, and Teen Cruising Camps; international offerings include Bahamas Family Vacations aboard a 55-foot Hudson Force ($9,500 + airfare per week) and winter service trips to El Salvador via partner La Red.

PHLAS became an American Sailing Association affiliate school in 2002, with staff holding ASA Instructor Qualification Certifications; this institutional affiliation and a fleet of 25+ vessels (25'-40' yachts plus a restored Tayana 37) form its operational backbone. A Boat Donations Program accepts vessels from anywhere on the East Coast for instructional use, fleet membership, or resale to fund programs.

The business model is a hybrid of program fees (youth day camps, teen liveaboards, premium Bahamas family trips, mission trips), charitable donations (tax-deductible under 501(c)(3) status), and in-kind vessel contributions. Distribution relies on community partnerships — police departments, group homes, faith-based organizations, scouting groups, and youth service agencies — for scholarship-funded enrollment, supplemented by direct bookings via phone/email and the website. Outreach extends to underserved and at-risk populations in Washington DC and the Chesapeake Bay region, as well as children in the Bahamas Abacos and partners including Wounded Warriors and the Murtha Cancer Center.

Name

Planet Hope Land and Sea

Legal name

Planet Hope Land and Sea

Website

https://planet-hope.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Planet Hope Land and Sea (PHLAS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1998 that mentors youth and strengthens families through ASA-affiliated sailing camps, family cruising vacations, and outreach missions on the Chesapeake Bay, in the Bahamas, and in El Salvador.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sailing Education and Adventure-Based Mentoring

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sailing Experiences (Lessons, Regattas, Day Sails) (THAJAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water & Marine Guiding Services (Kayak, Canoe, Raft, SUP, Sailing) (THAAALAB), Educational Cruises & Shipboard Learning Programs (THAKAGAM)

Keywords

• Sailing instruction
• Youth mentoring programs
• Family sailing vacations
• Nonprofit adventure education
• Liveaboard sailing camps

Headquarters

HQ city

Deale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Revenue from sailing camp programs, family vacation packages, and teen cruising camps. Fees vary by program type - Bahamas family vacations at $9,500 + airfare, missions trips at $1,100 + airfare.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) charity, PHLAS receives tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations to support youth scholarships and program operations.
3. Boat Donations: Accepts donated vessels which may be used for programs, sold to fund programs, or used to support youth sailing initiatives. Donated boats are tax deductible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PHLAS delivers sailing-based youth mentoring and family adventure programs from a base in Deale, MD, operating day sailing, day camps, liveaboard cruising camps, teen cruises, family sailing, family adventure vacations, and Bahamas voyages. Programs combine ASA-certified sailing instruction with faith-based character development and life-skills mentoring, and are underwritten in part through donated boats that are resold to fund scholarships for underserved youth.

Product overview

Planet Hope Land and Sea (PHLAS) is a faith-based non-profit organization offering a portfolio of sailing programs for youth and families. The core offerings include Day Sailing experiences, Sailing Day Camps for youth learning on dinghies, and Cruising Liveaboard Camps where teens live aboard 30-40 foot sailboats. Family programs include Family Adventure Vacations (living aboard a 45-foot sailboat) and Bahamas Family Vacations (aboard a 55-foot Hudson Force). Teen Cruising Camps offer week-long liveaboard adventures in Chesapeake Bay or the Bahamas. The organization also operates a Boat Donations Program accepting vessel donations to support its youth sailing mission. All programs emphasize character development through sailing adventures and community outreach partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Day Sailing Single-day sailing experience for youth and beginners focused on building comfort and basic seamanship on Chesapeake Bay.
• Sailing Day Camps Multi-day onshore and on-water summer day camps for youth, staffed by head counselors and ASA instructors, focused on sailing skills and character development.
• Cruising Liveaboard Camps Multi-day overnight sailing camps where participants live aboard vessels and cruise along Chesapeake Bay, integrating sailing instruction with faith-based mentoring.
• Teen Cruising Camps Older-youth sailing cruises tailored to teens, combining advanced seamanship practice with mentorship and life-skills development on extended overnight passages.
• Family Sailing Family-oriented sailing sessions on Chesapeake Bay designed to introduce parents and children to sailing together in a supportive mentoring environment.
• Family Adventure Vacations Week-long family relationship-building sailing excursions on 45-foot vessels combining cruising, sightseeing, and family-focused mentoring activities.
• Bahamas Family Vacation Multi-day sailing voyage to the Bahamas for families, combining open-water sailing instruction with family enrichment and mentoring activities.
• Boat Donations Program Donation and resale channel for sailing vessels; donated boats are resold with proceeds underwriting scholarships for youth participants who cannot afford program fees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of children mentored over 25 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Sailing Association (ASA)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2002PHLAS became an ASA affiliate sailing school in 2002. Instructors go through Instructor Qualification Certification. Programs offer ASA sailing credentials to participants.
• Green Turtle Community Fellowship/ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBahamas-based church partnership. Pastor Nehemiah hosts sailing programs and provides church grounds for youth sailing camps in New Plymouth. Church had sailboat donated for community use. PHLAS helped rebuild church after Hurricane Dorian destruction.
• La Red (El Salvador)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinter outreach program in El Salvador. PHLAS brings teams to lead youth camps, distribute food to needy families, teach at Christian Surfers meetings, and assist with service projects. Partnership has continued for several winters.
• M/V Adventure (Captain Brad and Loraine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative hurricane relief partner. M/V Adventure is a Nordhaven powerboat that delivered relief supplies and helped establish 'The Adventure Café' feeding program. Jointly worked on Adopt-A-Home project for widows.
• The Sailing AcademyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliated sailing school. Contact [email protected] for additional sailing programs. Referrals between organizations.
• The Sailboat Club (Jacksonville, FL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder Capt. Jack Feeney helped organize PHLAS Chesapeake Bay fleet of 25'-40' yachts into a shared-boat sailing club with membership fees supporting youth programs.
• Dream Center, Washington DCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRegular partner receiving scholarships for youth sailing programs. Dream Center youth participate annually in PHLAS sailing camps.
• Anne Arundel County Police Community PartnershipcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPolice officers and youth sail together to build community trust. Officers learn alongside kids, participating in BBQs and sailing activities. Annual summer partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sail Newport: Non-profit community sailing organization offering youth sailing instruction, summer camps, and adult sailing programs. Highly comparable mission (sailing access for the broader community) and program mix (youth lessons, camps, family programming).
• Community Sailing Center (Burlington, VT): Non-profit sailing center focused on youth and adult instruction, summer camps, and adaptive sailing. Comparable non-profit structure, instructional focus, and community-partnership-driven delivery model.
• Sail Martha's Vineyard: Non-profit community sailing organization offering youth and adult lessons, summer camps, and accessible sailing. Comparable instructional mission, non-profit status, and youth-partnership model.
• The Sailing Academy: Listed as a channel/affiliate partner of PHLAS ([email protected] is PHLAS's own reservations contact) and referenced as 'The Sailing Academy' in their affiliation. Provides closely comparable sailing instruction and family vacation programming.
• Jubilee Sailing Trust: UK-based charity operating tall-ship sailing voyages for people of all abilities and disadvantaged youth. Comparable faith-adjacent, character-development-via-sailing non-profit operating adventure voyages.
• The Sailboat Club: Founded by Captain Jack Feeney, who organized PHLAS's Chesapeake Bay fleet of 25'–40' yachts into a shared-boat sailing club model. Operates a shared-boat membership sailing concept directly comparable to PHLAS's fleet operations.

Broad incumbents

• US Sailing: National governing body for sailing in the US; sets training standards and accredits sailing schools and instructors. Comparable only at the industry-institution level — PHLAS is ASA-affiliated, but US Sailing represents the alternative credentialing ecosystem.
• American Sailing Association: National certification body of which PHLAS is a 2002 affiliate school. Indirect peer — defines the credentialing framework PHLAS delivers and sets standards across the network of ~300+ ASA sailing schools.

Others

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth-mentorship non-profit. Comparable mission (one-to-one mentoring for at-risk youth) and overlapping partner universe with PHLAS, but uses traditional volunteer mentoring rather than adventure-based delivery.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development non-profit and recurring PHLAS scholarship partner. Comparable in mission (underserved-yout h mentorship and character development) but operates as a facility-based youth-services network rather than a sailing program; included because PHLAS sits within its partnership ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/phlas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planet-hope

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Planet Hope Land and Sea