Sail Newport

What Sail Newport does

Sail Newport is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public sailing center founded in 1983 and headquartered at 72 Fort Adams Drive in Newport, Rhode Island. It operates as New England's largest public sailing facility, providing affordable sailing instruction, boat rentals, racing programs, and regatta hosting services at its Fort Adams State Park location, which includes two boat hoists, dry storage, event dockage, and a LEED-compliant facility with solar panels and rainwater harvesting.

The organization's core programs include adult sailing instruction (beginner to advanced), youth sailing programs for ages 5 and up, high school sailing teams, the Pell Elementary School Science and Sailing Program (a 16-week STEM-integrated program for all Newport 4th graders established in 2017), and the EOS Big Boat Program for sailors 17+. Its fleet comprises J/7 sailboats (newly launched in 2026), J/22 keelboats, scholastic 420s for high school sailors, and youth dinghies. The facility hosts local through world-championship regattas, including the annual Newport Regatta (now in its 42nd year) and major international events such as the Volvo Ocean Race (2015) and the America's Cup World Series (2012).

Sail Newport generates revenue through a diversified nonprofit model: individual/family/business membership subscriptions ($200–$5,000+ tiers), program fees for instruction and racing, usage-based sailboat rentals, dockage and storage services, regatta hosting fees, and tax-deductible donations supported by a General Endowment exceeding $2M and approximately $35,000 in annual financial aid distribution. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, employs 11–50 staff (plus seasonal hires), and operates with heavy reliance on volunteer engagement and community partnerships, including Newport Public Schools and over 50 business members.

Name

Sail Newport

Legal name

Sail Newport, Inc.

Website

https://sailnewport.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sail Newport is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public sailing center founded in 1983 at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island. It provides affordable sailing instruction, boat rentals, youth and adult racing programs, and hosts local through world-championship regattas for the New England community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recreational Sailing Center Services

NAICS

Marinas (713930), Marinas (71393)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Sailing instruction
• Sailboat rentals
• Recreational sailing
• Youth sailing programs
• Regatta hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

New Port Richey

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Individual, family, and business memberships at various tiers including Member, Supporter, Sponsor, Partner, and Premier levels
2. Program Fees: Fees for youth sailing instruction, youth racing programs, adult instruction and racing, weeknight racing, and specialty clinics
3. Sailboat Rentals: Public rental of J/7 sailboats; open 7 days per week
4. Dockage and Storage: Summer storage, winter storage, dockage, and boat hoist services at the sailing center
5. Regatta Hosting: Hosting fees for local, regional, national, North American, and world championship regattas
6. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible donations as 501(c)(3) nonprofit; includes annual fund, capital needs, endowment gifts, planned gifts, and financial aid fund of approximately $35,000/year

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sail Newport operates New England's largest public sailing center at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island, delivering recreational sailing instruction, sailboat rentals, youth and adult racing programs, and on-water regatta management. The organization provides J/7 and J/22 sailboat rentals, multi-level instructional programs for ages 5 and up, school-based STEM sailing programs, and facility services including dockage, storage, and event hosting.

Product overview

Sail Newport is Rhode Island's public sailing center and New England's largest public sailing facility, operated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Founded in 1983, it provides affordable public access to sailing through a portfolio of interconnected programs and services. The core offerings include the J/7 sailboat fleet and J22 sailboats for public rental, comprehensive youth sailing programs serving ages 5 and up (including the Pell School Science and Sailing Program established in 2017), adult instruction from beginner to advanced levels, and regatta management hosting local through world championship events. The facility at Fort Adams State Park provides equipment, storage, dockage, and event space. These programs work together to fulfill the organization's mission of promoting affordable public sailing instruction and creating opportunities to attract new sailors to the sport.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dr. Robin Wallace Youth Sailing Center: Headquarters for Sail Newport's Youth Sailing Program serving hundreds of children each season
• Pell Elementary School Science and Sailing Program
• Edward 'Tad' Oliver Sanchez III Big Boat Program

Products and services

• J/7 Sailboat Fleet Rental Brand-new J/7 sailboat fleet available for public self-skippered rental 7 days a week during the sailing season, bookable online, for adults with sailing experience.
• Sailboat Rentals (J/7 and J/22)

Quantifiable outcome

• Served over 1,000 students through Pell School program since 2017
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 11th Hour RacingcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 202311th Hour Racing representative participated in State House announcement of 2023 Ocean Race; this marked the third North American Stopover for the Ocean Race in Rhode Island
• Bill Belichick / New England PatriotsminorOthers · 1 January 2017Bill Belichick donated V-boats to Sail Newport to support youth sailing programs
• US SailingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with US Sailing as part of American Racing Challenger Team USA initiative to represent Challenging Yacht Club Sail Newport in the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup competition for 2027
• American MagicminorOthersAmerican Racing Challenger Team USA acquired key sailing assets from American Magic, including the AC75 yacht 'Patriot' and two AC40 platforms, to compete in the 2027 America's Cup
• Newport Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Newport Public School system for Pell Elementary School Science and Sailing Program serving all 4th graders; Community Waterfront Day for Newport Public Schools families
• Business Members (North Sails, Bank Newport, Hinckley, etc.)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOver 50 business members including North Sails, Bank Newport, Hinckley, Kirby Perkins Construction, American Cruise Lines, and others at various sponsorship tiers providing financial support and brand visibility

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• SailTime: Fractional sailing membership and boat club operator with multiple U.S. locations. Comparable in the membership-based sailing-access model but commercial; an adjacent/distribution peer rather than a direct sailing-center competitor.
• 11th Hour Racing: Sustainability-focused sailing foundation that has partnered with Sail Newport on Ocean Race activities. Adjacent ecosystem participant — a peer funder/partner in the competitive sailing and ocean-stewardship space.

Direct peers

• Community Boating Inc. Nonprofit public sailing center on the Charles River in Boston offering year-round sailing instruction, rentals, and memberships. Directly comparable to Sail Newport in mission (public access to sailing), member-based revenue model, and youth/adult instruction programs.
• Offshore Sailing School: Largest U.S. sailing school offering ASA-certified sailing instruction, vacation packages, and charter courses. Comparable to Sail Newport's adult instruction business but commercial (for-profit) rather than nonprofit.
• Annapolis Community Boating: Nonprofit community sailing center in Annapolis, MD providing affordable sailing lessons, rentals, and youth programs. Directly comparable as a community-led sailing center operating on a membership and program-fee model.
• Hudson River Community Sailing: NYC-based nonprofit sailing center providing on-water programming, youth STEM-sailing, and adaptive sailing. Closely comparable to Sail Newport as a public-access nonprofit sailing center with school partnerships and inclusive programming.
• Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation: Newport Beach, CA nonprofit sailing foundation offering youth and adult sailing instruction, racing, and scholarships. Comparable in scale and mission to Sail Newport's youth programming and Pell-style community education model.
• Sail Sand Point: Seattle-based nonprofit public sailing center offering youth and adult instruction, rentals, and racing programs. Operates a similar membership + program-fee revenue mix as Sail Newport and serves as a peer public-sailing-center nonprofit on the West Coast.

Broad incumbents

• American Sailing Association: National U.S. sailing instruction and certification body that sets curriculum standards used by sailing schools and centers including Sail Newport. Broad incumbent shaping the addressable market for sailing instruction and certification.

Regional players

• Lakewood Yacht Club: Large Texas-based private yacht club offering sailing instruction, racing, and youth programs. Regional peer with overlapping sailing-center programming but a private-club model and Gulf Coast geography vs. Sail Newport's public-center New England footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sailnewport
• Facebookfacebook.com/sailnewport
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sail-newport-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Sail Newport