bluewater cruising

What bluewater cruising does

Bluewater Cruising is a privately held, founder-owned education and community company that teaches aspiring sailors how to plan, finance, and execute a transition to full-time bluewater cruising. Founded in 2016 by Chris Biasutti and Keith Whitaker, both of whom logged tens of thousands of nautical miles before launching the business, the company is registered as Bluewater Cruising LLC in Sheridan, Wyoming, and operates as a fully remote team distributed across the United States, Canada, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Its core product is the "Get Set To Sail" membership program (also referenced internally as the "Confused to Captain" curriculum), a 12-week structured curriculum covering cruiser mindset, financial blueprinting, boat buying, weather routing, safety, family integration, and passage planning, delivered through online coursework and Discord-based community support. The offering is supplemented by ticketed events (Bluewater Summit in-person events in the Florida Keys, the Cruising Life Intensive online series), free top-of-funnel assets (the Aspiring Bluewater Cruiser's Guide ebook, recurring live Bluewater Cruising Plan workshops), and consultative Compass Calls that convert prospects into either paid memberships or Bluewater Adventures, 7-10 day liveaboard experiences in the Caribbean and Pacific. The company also partners with NauticEd to add US Coast Guard and NASBLA-recognized sailing credentials, including an optional VR training platform, on top of the proprietary curriculum.

The business model is a freemium-to-membership DTC funnel anchored on founder-driven content distribution (podcast, YouTube, blog, Instagram, Facebook). Free ebook downloads and live workshops feed email capture, Compass Calls qualify prospects, and paid entry points consist of per-event ticket purchases ($97 for the online intensive, $670+ for the Summit) and an undisclosed recurring membership. The company reports a community of 1,000+ members with 100+ boats actively cruising and 4-5 new boats entering the lifestyle each month through the program. Revenue mechanics rely heavily on event-driven demand (Summits in January 2026 at Hawks Cay and January 2027 at Key West), with adventures priced bespoke and membership pricing not publicly disclosed. Distribution is concentrated in organic channels rather than paid acquisition, relying on the founders' YouTube reach (600K+ subscribers via Sailing Zatara) and word-of-mouth referrals from a tightly engaged member base, which constrains growth to organic creator-led cadence rather than venture-style acceleration.

Name

bluewater cruising

Legal name

Bluewater Cruising LLC

Website

https://bluewatercruising.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recreational Sailing Education

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Water & Marine Guiding Services (Kayak, Canoe, Raft, SUP, Sailing) (THAAALAB)

Keywords

• Bluewater sailing education
• Offshore cruising training
• Liveaboard sailing experiences
• Boat buying coaching
• Cruising community membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheridan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Tickets: Revenue from ticketed events including the Bluewater Summit (in-person 5-day event in Key West, $2,000-$2,400/person early bird to final pricing) and Bluewater Cruising Summit 2026 ($670+/person for 3-day Florida Keys event).
2. Online Intensive Events: The Cruising Life Intensive generates $97 per ticket for 3 evenings of live online content covering purpose, member panels, breakout sessions on various cruising topics, and practical boat/finance workshops.
3. Membership Program: Ongoing membership providing access to community, training programs, Discord support, and member resources. Mentioned as included benefit for event attendees. Members save on event pricing with discount codes.
4. Bluewater Adventures: 7-10 day liveaboard experiences across Caribbean and Pacific where participants live aboard and learn from experienced cruisers. Booked via Compass Call consultation.
5. Lead Magnets and Workshops: Free Bluewater Cruising Plan workshop and downloadable Aspiring Bluewater Cruiser's Guide serve as lead generation, with pricing for advanced programs revealed after engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Bluewater Cruising operates an online education and community platform that helps aspiring individuals and families transition into the bluewater sailing lifestyle. The core offering is the "Get Set To Sail" membership program covering boat buying, finances, weather, safety, and liveaboard lifestyle, supplemented by ticketed in-person Summits in Florida, live online Intensives, multi-day liveaboard Adventure experiences in the Caribbean and Pacific, and free lead-magnet workshops and ebooks.

Product overview

Bluewater Cruising operates as an interactive online training platform and membership community for aspiring and active bluewater cruisers. The core offering is the Get Set To Sail membership program, supplemented by the Bluewater Cruising Plan Workshop (live online workshop), Bluewater Cruising Adventures (liveaboard experiences), the Bluewater Summit (in-person events), and the Cruising Life Intensive (3-night virtual event). Free resources include The Aspiring Bluewater Cruiser's Guide eBook and Compass Call consultations. The company also partners with NauticEd for optional sailing credentialing. Together, these products form a holistic, start-to-finish educational pathway from dreaming about cruising to actually living the lifestyle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Get Set To Sail (Confused to Captain Curriculum) Bluewater Cruising's flagship online membership program covering boat buying, outfitting, finances, maintenance, weather, liveaboard lifestyle, and route planning for aspiring and active bluewater cruisers. Provides ongoing access to training programs, community support via Discord, member resources, and member-only discounts on events.
• Bluewater Cruising Plan Workshop A free live online workshop for aspiring bluewater cruisers that reveals how to start sailing the world, choose the right boat for goals and budget, and avoid common buying mistakes.
• Bluewater Summit An in-person live gathering for aspiring cruisers featuring sessions with real cruisers, on-water sailing experiences, and community building, held at Florida Keys and Key West venues. Tickets start at $670 for the 2026 Summit (50 public seats).
• Bluewater Cruising Adventures Hands-on liveaboard experiences in the Caribbean and Pacific offering practical training and lifestyle immersion alongside experienced BWC hosts. Booked via Compass Call consultation.
• Cruising Life Intensive A 3-night live online event covering purpose, member panels, breakout sessions on topics like medical at sea, boat systems, and financing, culminating in a finale and awards.
• The Aspiring Bluewater Cruiser's Guide (eBook) A free downloadable eBook covering topics such as decision-making, overcoming fear, boat buying, seasickness management, and the bluewater cruiser lifestyle.
• Compass Call A free 1-on-1 consultation call where Bluewater Cruising team members help prospective members identify their top three challenges and provide direction for getting started.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members report buying boats for significantly less than planned budget and launching faster (e.g., $1M boats vs. $5M plans, 6 months vs. 3 year timelines)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NauticEdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNauticEd is a U.S. Coast Guard and NASBLA-recognized sailing education body that provides credential paths including Qualified Crew, Coastal Skipper, and Offshore Captain. Through this partnership, Bluewater Cruising Adventures can include NauticEd's interactive online courses, self-paced study, and optional Virtual Reality platform. This adds recognized certification credentials to the hands-on liveaboard experience.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NauticEd: NauticEd is a US Coast Guard-recognized online sailing education and certification platform — BWC's actual strategic partner. It is directly comparable because both deliver structured online sailing curricula to aspiring cruisers, and BWC bundles NauticEd credentials into its Adventures program.
• Offshore Sailing School: Founded by Steve Colgate, Offshore Sailing School is one of the largest US sailing schools offering liveaboard cruising courses. It is comparable to BWC because both sell premium hands-on sailing instruction and liveaboard experiences targeting aspiring cruisers.
• J World Annapolis: J World is a performance and cruising sailing school offering liveaboard courses in the US and Caribbean. It is comparable to BWC's Adventures because both sell premium, hands-on sailing instruction experiences for adult learners aiming at cruising competence.
• Annapolis Sailing School: Annapolis Sailing School offers ASA-certified liveaboard cruising courses in the Chesapeake and Caribbean. It competes in the same premium liveaboard instruction category as BWC's Bluewater Adventures.
• Mahina Expeditions: Mahina Expeditions runs offshore sailing seminars and passagemaking training led by experienced cruisers. It is comparable to BWC because it sells expert-led bluewater cruising education with a similar target buyer.
• John Kretschmer Sailing: John Kretschmer is a well-known sailing author and passagemaking instructor offering offshore sailing seminars. He is comparable to BWC because both sell expert-led bluewater sailing education to aspirational cruisers.

Broad incumbents

• American Sailing Association: ASA is the largest US sailing certification body with a network of affiliate schools. It is comparable as the incumbent credentialing and standards organization in the same sailing-education market BWC addresses through its NauticEd partnership.
• Dream Yacht Charter: Dream Yacht Charter is the world's largest yacht charter company with bareboat and crewed charter vacations in major cruising destinations. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in the same bluewater cruising experience market BWC serves, though it sells charters rather than education.

Emerging players

• SV Delos: SV Delos is a YouTube-native sailing brand that has monetized its audience through merchandise, Patreon, and brand deals. It is comparable to BWC because both convert cruising content audiences into paying community/customers, though SV Delos relies primarily on video rather than structured education.
• The Boat Galley: The Boat Galley is a long-running cruising resource site with recipes, provisioning, and liveaboard lifestyle content. It is comparable as an adjacent content and community resource serving the same aspirational cruiser audience BWC targets through its free ebook and blog.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bluewatercruising
• Facebookfacebook.com/OfficialBluewaterCruising
• Instagraminstagram.com/bluewatercruising_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 bluewater cruising