Little Traverse Sailors

What Little Traverse Sailors does

Little Traverse Sailors is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit charitable educational organization (tax ID #38-1982686) founded in 1965 and based in Harbor Springs, Michigan. It delivers a community youth sailing program from the waterfront on Little Traverse Bay, operating approximately 9 weeks per summer (June 15 to August 14). Programs serve children and teens ages 8-18, with a separate Race Team for ages 13-20, and the organization is staffed by 11 sailing instructors and a volunteer Board of Directors.

The core product is a graduated Learn to Sail curriculum organized into Green Fleet (beginners), Blue Fleet (intermediate), and Red Fleet (advanced), supported by a 53+ boat fleet that includes a J/70, 14 Club 420s, 10 Optimist dinghies (Meade's Fleet), 5 Lasers, 10 World Wide Sailors, 3 RS Fevas, and 10 outboard coaching powerboats. Adjacent offerings include a Race Team, Laser dinghy racing on Monday evenings, free Pram racing on Wednesdays, and a summer regatta series (Tomahawk, Collaboration, Traveller, Teddy Brown). Instructors are certified under US Sailing standards, and program quality is supported by partnerships with the Little Traverse Yacht Club, Irish Boat Shop, Petoskey Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation, and Sailors for the Sea.

The business model combines fee-for-service revenue with donations. Tuition is set at $325 per weekly session for Learn to Sail, J/70 Adventure Sailing, and Race Team, with a $200 Local Rate for Northern Michigan residents (north of the 45th parallel) and need-based scholarships. Registration is handled through the Ultracamp platform. The organization supplements program fees with cash and in-kind donations — over $175,000 from 200+ families and organizations since October 2014 — and volunteer labor, with the board explicitly stating an operational goal to break even on a programmatic basis while using philanthropy to expand access.

Name

Little Traverse Sailors

Legal name

Little Traverse Sailors

Website

https://littletraversesailors.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Little Traverse Sailors is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit founded in 1965 that provides youth sailing instruction and racing programs for ages 8-18 on Little Traverse Bay in Harbor Springs, Michigan, using a 53+ boat fleet and US Sailing-certified instructors over a nine-week summer season.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sailing Education

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Youth sailing instruction
• Community sailing programs
• Sailing education
• Junior sailing
• Learn to sail

Headquarters

HQ city

Harbor Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Program Tuition: Weekly sailing instruction fees for Learn to Sail programs (AM/PM sessions), Youth J/70 Adventure Sailing, and Race Team. Classes run Monday-Friday, June through August.
2. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals, families, and organizations. Since October 2014, received cash and in-kind donations surpassing $175,000 from more than 200 families, individuals, and organizations.
3. Laser Racing Season Pass: Season pass fees for Laser dinghy racing on Monday evenings, $150 for youth and $225 for adults.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Little Traverse Sailors is a nonprofit 501(C)(3) charitable educational organization that delivers community-based learn-to-sail instruction for youth ages 8 to 18 on the waterfront in Harbor Springs, Michigan. It runs weekly group lessons, a competitive Race Team, J/70 adventure sailing, and host community regattas and dinghy racing events during the summer season. The program is funded by tuition, donations, and scholarships, and operates with a fleet of 53+ boats.

Product overview

Little Traverse Sailors is a nonprofit 501(C)(3) community sailing organization offering a comprehensive Learn to Sail program for youth ages 8-18 on the waterfront in Harbor Springs, Michigan. The program uses a three-fleet progression system (Green, Blue, Red) to develop sailors from beginner to advanced levels. The organization also runs a Race Team for ages 13-20, hosts youth regattas (Traveller, Collaboration, Tomahawk, Teddy Brown), and offers Laser dinghy racing, Pram racing, Open Sailing, and J/70 Adventure Sailing. The fleet includes J/70s, Club 420s, Lasers, World Wide Sailors, Optimist Dinghies, and RS Fevas, along with scholarships and local rate discounts to improve program access. Programs run from June 15 to August 14 annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Learn to Sail Program

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supportive and minor.

• Irish Marine / Irish Boat ShopcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLTS operates from the Irish Boat Shop location in Harbor Springs. The organization uses the Irish Boat Shop lawn for drop-offs and operates in partnership with the boat shop for waterfront access. Irish Marine logo appears as a sponsor on the LTS website.
• Little Traverse Yacht Club (LTYC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLTYC is a key community partner. The organization co-hosts regattas including the LTYC Ugotta Regatta. LTS uses LTYC facilities and collaborates on racing programs.
• Petoskey Harbor Springs Area Community FoundationsupportiveGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity foundation partner that supports LTS through grants and community development programs. Logo appears as sponsor on LTS website.
• US SailingcoreTechnology or IntegrationNational sailing organization that provides instructor certification standards. LTS instructors are US-Sailing Level I certified, with senior staff holding Level 1, 2, 3, Keelboat Instructor, and Program Manager certifications.
• Sailors for the SeaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOcean conservation organization. Logo appears as sponsor on LTS website indicating environmental stewardship partnership.
• Gretchen Dorian PhotographyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPhotography sponsor for LTS events and programs.
• Kate HeadleyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPhotographer sponsor whose logo appears on the LTS website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sail Newport: Nonprofit community sailing center in Newport, RI providing youth learn-to-sail, racing, and fleet access programs; comparable in mission and operating model to LTS as a regional community sailing school.
• Sheboygan Youth Sailing Center: Wisconsin-based nonprofit dedicated specifically to youth sailing instruction and racing on Lake Michigan, with a similar fleet-and-instructor model and comparable Great Lakes seasonal programming.
• Milwaukee Community Sailing Center: Great Lakes-region nonprofit sailing center offering youth and adult lessons, racing, and scholarships from a single waterfront site, directly comparable to LTS in climate, geography, and community-sailing model.
• Community Boating: Boston-area nonprofit community sailing center that offers learn-to-sail instruction on a public-waterfront model very similar to LTS, including youth programs, fleet access, and scholarships; one of the most well-known community sailing programs in the U.S.
• Chicago Yacht Club Sailing School: Midwest yacht-club-affiliated sailing school that runs youth and adult instruction and where LTS Executive Director David Gerber previously served as Sailing School Director; comparable in curriculum and certification approach but hosted by a private club.
• Treasure Island Sailing Center: San Francisco Bay nonprofit sailing school providing youth learn-to-sail, racing, and scholarships with a similar community-access mission, but at a much larger scale and different geography.
• Detroit Yacht Club Sailing School: Michigan yacht-club-based sailing school offering youth and adult instruction on the Great Lakes; comparable Great Lakes setting and instructional model, with multiple board members of LTS having ties to DYC.
• Sail Buffalo: Buffalo, NY community sailing nonprofit offering youth and adult lessons on Lake Erie; very similar in scale, mission, and seasonal Great Lakes operating model to LTS.

Others

• US Sailing: National governing body for sailing in the U.S. and LTS's certification partner; not a competitor but the standards-setting organization whose instructor certifications and regatta framework LTS operates within.

Regional players

• Little Traverse Yacht Club (LTYC): Local yacht club that co-hosts regattas with LTS and shares waterfront facilities in Harbor Springs; operates in the same geography and customer base but as a member club rather than a public community sailing school.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LittleTraverseSail
• Instagraminstagram.com/lts_sailing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/little-traverse-sailors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Little Traverse Sailors