New Bedford Yacht Club

What New Bedford Yacht Club does

New Bedford Yacht Club (NBYC) is a private, member-owned nonprofit yacht club founded in 1877 and incorporated in Massachusetts in 1878, headquartered on historic Padanaram Harbor in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, immediately adjacent to Buzzards Bay. It is one of the oldest yacht clubs in America, the second oldest in continuous operation on Buzzards Bay, and the tenth oldest in New England. The club serves boating enthusiasts of all ages — including members, guests, and visiting boaters — through five core product lines: Racing Programs (weekly series, pursuit races, distance races, and signature regattas such as the Whalers Race and NBYC Annual Regatta), a Sailing School for youth ages 5-18 operating across ten tiered programs from Tiller Tots to Opti Race and 420 collegiate sailing, Dining Services led by Executive Chef Lisa Shriver, Docks and Moorings (visitor slips, moorings, launch service, fuel, ice, and pump-out), and a Cruising program.

NBYC operates on a multi-stream membership and fee-based revenue model. Recurring membership dues are supplemented by transactional revenue from visiting boaters — a $100/night club use fee plus $5.00/ft/night peak-season and $3.50/ft/night off-peak slip rentals — and from Sailing School tuition ranging from $381 for an Extended Day afternoon session to $1,766 for a four-week Opti Green Fleet/Race program. The club uses Dockwa as the exclusive reservation platform for visitor slips and moorings, and TheClubSpot for race and sailing school registrations, with the website (nbyc.com) hosted on ClubEssential.

The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, supported by the NBYC Foundation (which funds the Sailing School), and operates with 31 employees. Marketing is driven by organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram), member referrals, and community engagement through sailing and racing events. The club maintains an active social media presence and partners regionally through co-sponsored regattas, such as the Buzzards Bay Regatta with Beverly Yacht Club established in 1972.

Name

New Bedford Yacht Club

Legal name

New Bedford Yacht Club

Website

https://nbyc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1877

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

New Bedford Yacht Club is a private, member-owned nonprofit yacht club founded in 1877 on Padanaram Harbor in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, serving boating enthusiasts through racing, youth sailing school, dining, and docks/moorings amenities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Yacht Club Services

NAICS

Marinas (713930)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Charters & Yacht Experiences (Crewed, Bareboat, Day Charters) (THAJAJAB)

Keywords

• Yacht club services
• Sailing instruction
• Recreational boating
• Maritime hospitality
• Competitive sailing

Headquarters

HQ city

South Dartmouth

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 and Club Use Fees: Private yacht club generating revenue through membership dues, visitor club use fees ($100/night), and mooring/slip rental fees ($5.00/ft per night peak season, $3.50/ft off-peak)

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

New Bedford Yacht Club is a private, nonprofit yacht club offering members and visiting boaters access to waterfront facilities including docks and moorings, a dining facility, an organized racing program, a sailing school for instruction, and a cruising program. Revenue is generated through membership dues, visitor fees, slip/mooring rentals, and sailing school fees.

Product overview

New Bedford Yacht Club is a traditional yacht club offering a unified set of boating and hospitality services centered around its waterfront facilities in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. The core offerings include racing programs (weekly series and signature regattas), a comprehensive sailing school for youth ages 5-18, dining services with harbor-view dining room and deck bar, and visitor services including docks, moorings, and launch services. The club operates primarily as a member-based organization with facilities for both sailing and cruising activities, with no modular product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NBYC Sailing School: The sailing school program operated by the club for youth ages 5-18, offering instruction from beginner to competitive racing levels.
• Whalers Race
• Earle's Place

Products and services

• Yacht Club Membership Annual membership granting individuals and households access to the New Bedford Yacht Club's waterfront amenities, social activities, racing, and sailing school programs. Targeted at recreational boaters and sailing enthusiasts in the SouthCoast Massachusetts region.
• Dock and Mooring Rentals Slip and mooring rentals provided to members and transient/visiting boaters at the club's South Dartmouth, MA waterfront. Supports short-term visitor stays and longer-term member moorage.
• Sailing School Formal sailing instruction program offered for a fee to members and prospective sailors. Targeted at adults and youth learning to sail, supporting skill development and certification of recreational sailors.
• Organized Racing Program Organized competitive sailing program that hosts races and regattas for club members. Targeted at members interested in amateur competitive sailing.
• Cruising Program Coordinated cruising program organizing group cruising activities and trips for members. Targeted at members who own cruising sailboats and wish to travel together with the club.
• Club Dining Services On-site dining facility and food service offered to members and visitors. Targeted at members and guests visiting the club for meals, events, and social gatherings.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DockwacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDockwa is the reservation platform used for booking visitor slip rentals and moorings at NBYC. Visitors can make reservations only through Dockwa.
• NBYC FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe New Bedford Yacht Club Foundation was founded primarily to promote and develop education and instructional activities related to sailing at NBYC. The Foundation operates the Sailing School with generous support.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Eastern Yacht Club: Founded 1870 in Marblehead, MA; one of New England's oldest yacht clubs offering racing, cruising, dining, and youth sailing programs in a comparable New England waterfront setting.
• Ida Lewis Yacht Club: Founded 1882 in Newport, RI; historic New England yacht club with active racing, junior sailing, and member amenities similar to NBYC's structure and offerings.
• Conanicut Yacht Club: Founded 1889 in Jamestown, RI; New England yacht club with comparable racing programs, junior sailing, dining, and member-based mooring operations.
• Beverly Yacht Club: Founded 1872 in Marion, MA, also on Buzzards Bay; historically co-sponsored the Buzzards Bay Regatta with NBYC. Directly comparable as a New England yacht club with similar racing, sailing school, and member amenities.

Broad incumbents

• Safe Harbor Marinas: Large marina operator with multiple New England locations offering dockage, fuel, and amenities; represents the alternative model of marina services outside traditional yacht club membership.
• New York Yacht Club: Founded 1844, one of America's most prestigious yacht clubs with multiple stations, extensive racing tradition (America's Cup history), and full member amenities. Larger-scale incumbent in the same category.

Emerging players

• Padanaram Packett's Wharf Marina: Local marina in Padanaram village adjacent to NBYC offering transient dockage and moorings; competes with NBYC for visiting boater business in the same harbor.

Regional players

• Mattapoisett Yacht Club: Located in Mattapoisett, MA on Buzzards Bay; regional yacht club with similar sailing, racing, and member amenities serving the same geographic boating community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/newbedfordyachtclub
• Instagraminstagram.com/newbedfordyachtclub/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-bedford-yacht-club

Compliance1 record

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 New Bedford Yacht Club