Honolulu Sailing Company

What Honolulu Sailing Company does

Honolulu Sailing Company LLC is a privately held Hawaii-based yacht charter and sailing education operator founded in 1973 and headquartered in Honolulu, Oahu. The company runs a 4-vessel fleet of luxury Beneteau sailing yachts and catamarans (43ft to 50ft) berthed at Kewalo Basin Harbor, offering private chartered sailing experiences to tourists and special-event clients. Core products include sunset cruises, snorkeling and Turtle Canyons tours, whale watching (seasonal December-April), Friday-night fireworks cruises, offshore sport fishing, romantic dinner cruises, and multi-day interisland overnight adventures spanning Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Lanai.

The company's secondary line of business is an American Sailing Association (ASA) certified sailing school, established in 1983, offering beginner through advanced certification courses (ASA 101, 103, 104, 105, 106) plus bareboat checkout and a 5-day Basic to Bareboat liveaboard program priced up to $4,200 per person. A third revenue stream is special event planning for weddings, anniversaries, corporate functions, memorials, and ash-scattering ceremonies aboard yachts. Underlying technology is standard maritime navigation and safety equipment on well-maintained Beneteau vessels, with booking, payment, and waiver workflows handled by integrated third-party platforms (Fareharbor, Smart Waiver, PayPal, and major credit cards).

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer model, taking bookings through the honsail.com website (Fareharbor embed) and phone reservations, with no intermediaries or resellers. Revenue is generated entirely through one-time per-booking payments across three streams: charter cruises (custom pricing, typically 2-3 hour durations), sailing school (range of $595-$4,200 per student), and special events (quote-based). The company has 6 employees and serves primarily Oahu visitors, Hawaiian residents (Kama'aina), and aspiring sailors pursuing certifications, with distribution limited to a single Hawaiian market.

Name

Honolulu Sailing Company

Legal name

Honolulu Sailing Company LLC

Website

https://honsail.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Honolulu Sailing Company is a 50-year-old private yacht charter and ASA-certified sailing school in Oahu, Hawaii, operating four luxury Beneteau vessels to serve tourists, special-event clients, and aspiring sailors through direct-to-consumer bookings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Tourism and Yacht Chartering Services

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Yacht & Luxury Boat Charters (With Crew) (THAJALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Charters & Yacht Experiences (Crewed, Bareboat, Day Charters) (THAJAJAB), Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA), Sailing Experiences (Lessons, Regattas, Day Sails) (THAJAJAG)

Keywords

• Luxury yacht charters
• Sailing cruises
• Snorkeling tours
• ASA sailing school
• Marine event charters

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charter Cruises: Private luxury yacht charters offering sunset sails, snorkel adventures, whale watching, offshore fishing, and special events. Revenue generated per booking with varying durations from 2-3 hour cruises to multi-day interisland adventures.
2. ASA Sailing School: American Sailing Association certified sailing courses ranging from basic sailing to bareboat certification. Courses offered at various price points from $595 to $1995 per person for multi-day certification programs.
3. Special Event Planning: Corporate events, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and memorial services hosted aboard luxury yachts. Custom event planning with preferred vendors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Honolulu Sailing Company charters a fleet of private luxury Beneteau sailing yachts and a catamaran out of Kewalo Basin Harbor in Honolulu for recreational cruises around Oahu, including sunset sails, snorkeling tours, whale watching, offshore fishing, Friday night fireworks cruises, and multi-day interisland adventures. The company also operates an ASA-certified sailing school offering courses from beginner to bareboat certification, and provides yacht-based event planning for weddings, corporate events, and ash-scattering ceremonies. Customers book directly online via the company's website or by phone.

Product overview

Honolulu Sailing Company operates a fleet of private luxury sailing yachts offering recreational sailing experiences around Oahu, Hawaii. The core offering consists of adventure cruise products (Waikiki Sail & Snorkel Adventure, Diamond Head Sunset Cruise, Turtle Canyons, Private Whale Watching, Friday Nite Fireworks Cruise, Offshore Fishing, and Private Sunset Dinner Cruise) plus interisland multi-day adventures. The company also provides ASA Certified Sailing School instruction and special event planning services. The charter fleet includes four vessel types: Luxury 43 Ft Sailing Yacht (Beneteau), Luxury 48 Ft Sailing Yacht (Beneteau Oceanis), Luxury 50 Ft Sailing Yacht (Beneteau Sense 50), and Luxury 50 Ft Sailing Catamaran, each available for bareboat or crewed charters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waikiki Sail & Snorkel Adventure

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 years serving Hawaii's visitors and locals
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Sailing Association (ASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial ASA certified sailing school offering courses from beginner to advanced bareboat certification. ASA 101, 103, 104, 105, 106 certifications available. Instructors are ASA certified and dedicated to teaching sailing skills. Partnership includes logbook, registration fees, certification fees, and 1-year ASA membership with each course.
• FareharborcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party booking platform integrated into company website for online reservations. Handles payment processing for all charter bookings. Customers book tours and classes through Fareharbor widgets embedded on honsail.com.
• Marine Life Conservation Districts (MLCDs)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompany supports the mission of MLCDs to rebuild fish stocks and maintain healthy fish, coral reefs and other marine life. Works within protected marine areas and educates customers about marine conservation.
• Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine SanctuaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership promoting responsible wildlife viewing and education. Company respects and promotes the sanctuary's mission to protect humpback whales and their habitat through education, research, and resource protection efforts.
• Hawaii Marine Animal Response (HMAR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOahu's first responder for sea turtle health and species recovery incidents. Company supports HMAR's work and follows their guidelines for marine wildlife encounters.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on sea turtle and marine wildlife protection. NOAA provides guidelines for wildlife viewing and first responder coordination for entangled or injured marine animals.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Makani Catamaran: Oahu-based sailing catamaran tour operator offering whale watching, snorkeling, and sunset cruises from Waikiki — direct overlap with Honolulu Sailing Company's product set and geography.
• Trilogy Excursions: Maui-based sailing and snorkeling tour company with a similar multi-island Hawaii footprint. Comparable in offering catamaran/sailing snorkel tours and sunset cruises to tourists.
• Captain Andy's Sailing Adventures: Big Island Hawaii sailing and snorkel tour operator. Comparable product mix of sailing excursions, snorkeling, and whale watching with similar vessel types.
• Hawaii Sailing Charters (Captain Beans): Oahu-based private sailing charters offering similar private yacht experiences, sunset sails, and snorkeling tours from the Honolulu area.
• Na Pali Catamaran: Hawaii-based sailing catamaran tour operator offering snorkeling and coastline cruises. Directly comparable to Honolulu Sailing Company's private charter and catamaran-based snorkel tours.

Broad incumbents

• Kualoa Ranch: Large Oahu activity operator offering tours, events, and adventure experiences. Competes for the same visitor activity budget with broader land-based offerings.
• Atlantis Adventures Hawaii: Submarine and cruise tour operator in Hawaii. Competes for the same tourist excursion wallet share around Waikiki with broader marine tour offerings.
• Star of Honolulu: Largest dinner cruise operator in Hawaii offering larger vessel sunset and dinner cruises from Honolulu. Overlaps on sunset/dinner cruise and special events segments but at much larger scale and capacity.

Others

• American Sailing Association (ASA): National sailing certification body that Honolulu Sailing Company is affiliated with as an ASA-certified school. Adjacent partner/enabler rather than a competitor — comparable schools operate under the same ASA framework.

Regional players

• Sail Maui: Maui-based sailing charter and whale watching operator with similar private charter and wildlife tour product, serving a different Hawaiian island but comparable operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Honolulu-Sailing-Company-124882307668598
• Instagraminstagram.com/honolulusailingcompany/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/honolulu-sailing-company

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Honolulu Sailing Company