Ontario Sailing Association

What Ontario Sailing Association does

Ontario Sailing Association is a Canadian nonprofit founded in 1988 that serves as the governing body for sailing in Ontario, Canada, and operates LOCCA (Lake Ontario Club Cruising Association) as a core program. LOCCA is a web-based reciprocal yacht-club network connecting more than 50 member clubs and representing over 1,000 active cruisers across both the Canadian and U.S. shores of Lake Ontario, spanning from Brockville in the east to Hamilton in the west. The platform's primary deliverables are (1) a centralized digital Reciprocal Repository that replaces the prior ~60-letters-per-year paper exchange between clubs, (2) an interactive map of member clubs, (3) club web pages with amenities and contact details, and (4) cruising news, water-level updates, and seasonal advisories. Technology is a standard WordPress deployment with a member login system; there is no public API, SDK, or AI/ML component.

Name

Ontario Sailing Association

Legal name

Ontario Sailing Association

Website

https://locca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ontario Sailing Association is a Canadian nonprofit founded in 1988 that operates LOCCA, a web-based reciprocal network of more than 50 Lake Ontario yacht clubs providing docking privileges, a club policy repository, and cruising coordination to 1,000+ active boaters across Canadian and U.S. shores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sailing Association Services

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Sailing & Water Sports Teams/Clubs (Sailing, Rowing, Surfing) (MPAKABAH)

Keywords

• Yacht club network
• Reciprocal docking
• Sailing association
• Cruising coordination
• Boating membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Ontario

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Club Membership Fees: Ontario Sailing generates revenue through annual membership fees charged to yacht clubs that participate in the LOCCA network. The 2026-2027 fee is $65.00 CAD per club. This membership provides access to the reciprocal docking program, centralized club information repository, and coordination services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ontario Sailing Association operates LOCCA (Lake Ontario Club Cruising Association), a reciprocal yacht club network connecting 50+ member yacht clubs and 1000+ active cruisers across Lake Ontario. The organization sells annual club memberships that grant reciprocal docking privileges, access to a centralized reciprocal policy repository, interactive member map, cruising news and advisories, and coordinated club-to-club communication. It functions as the governing body for sailing in Ontario and advocates for boating interests.

Product overview

Ontario Sailing Association operates LOCCA (Lake Ontario Club Cruising Association) as a platform consisting of a reciprocal club network, an interactive map of 50+ member yacht clubs, a centralized reciprocal repository database, cruising news and alerts, and individual club web pages. The organization connects over 1000 active cruisers with member clubs across Lake Ontario, providing coordinated cruising programs, shared resources, and club-to-club communication. The platform is a web-based virtual organization that enables yacht clubs and individual boaters to coordinate reciprocal privileges, access seasonal advisories, and participate in collaborative events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LOCCA (Lake Ontario Club Cruising Association) A reciprocal yacht club network and cruising coordination platform connecting 50+ member yacht clubs and 1000+ active cruisers across Lake Ontario, enabling reciprocal docking privileges and shared cruising resources between member clubs.
• LOCCA Reciprocal Repository A centralized digital database of reciprocal policies, docking fees, club amenities, and contact information for visiting boaters across 60+ yacht clubs.
• Interactive Member Map A geographic map showing the locations of member yacht clubs across Lake Ontario's Canadian and U.S. shores, enabling cruisers to plan their routes.
• Cruising News & Alerts An information service providing updates on water levels, marina conditions, seasonal advisories, and club announcements for the sailing community.
• Member Club Web Pages Dedicated web pages for member clubs containing contact information, facilities, reciprocal policies, key phone numbers, and links to yacht club websites.
• Ontario Sailing Newsletter An electronic newsletter distributed to members covering sailing community news, club updates, and seasonal advisories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately $500 per year savings in materials and labor per club from eliminated reciprocal letter process

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ontario SailingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOntario Sailing is the parent organization that operates LOCCA (Lake Ontario Club Cruising Association) as one of its programs. Ontario Sailing sets up information pages dedicated to educating members on issues affecting the sailing community, such as COVID-19 updates.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Wild Apricot: Wild Apricot is an established SaaS platform for membership management, websites, and events for clubs and associations. It provides the underlying tooling that organizations like LOCCA often rely on, and competes for the same admin and engagement dollars.
• ClubExpress: ClubExpress is a club management SaaS provider that supports memberships, events, and websites for hundreds of clubs across North America. It is comparable as an enabler/competitor in the digital tooling layer beneath sailing and recreation clubs like LOCCA's member clubs.

Direct peers

• Cruising Club of America: CCA is a US-based membership sailing organization for experienced cruisers, running its own reciprocal network and station program across multiple geographies. It is the closest analogue to LOCCA at a larger national scale, organized around similar cruising privileges and member reciprocity.
• Sail Canada: Sail Canada is the national governing body for the sport of sailing in Canada, sitting organizationally above provincial associations like Ontario Sailing. Both share the mission of serving sailing clubs, organizing events, and advocating for boaters nationwide.
• Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons (CPS): CPS is a Canadian boating member organization offering education, charting, and recreational boating services across Canada. It serves individual boaters and clubs with a member services model directly comparable to Ontario Sailing's offering on Lake Ontario.
• Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS): BoatUS is a US-based recreational boating membership organization providing towing, insurance, and member benefits to boat owners. Like LOCCA, it monetizes a community of boaters through recurring membership fees, though at a much larger scale.
• US Sailing Association: US Sailing is the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the United States and serves affiliated yacht clubs across the country. It parallels Ontario Sailing as a provincial/state-level body and supports reciprocal membership and club services.
• Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA): SSCA is an international association of cruising sailors offering reciprocal privileges and a Bulletin Board / online community. It is comparable in mission (cruiser coordination, reciprocal access) and in its reliance on a digital community platform.

Emerging players

• Dockwa: Dockwa is a digital boating platform that helps boaters find and book slips at marinas across North America. It overlaps with LOCCA's reciprocal docking and marina coordination thesis but approaches it from a commercial booking rather than club-reciprocal perspective.

Regional players

• Royal Yachting Association (RYA): RYA is the UK national body for sailing, powerboating, and cruising, providing member services, training, and club affiliations in a different geography. Comparable in function to Ontario Sailing but operating under a different national framework.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ontario-sailing-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Ontario Sailing Association