The Economic Value of Sailboat Races in the UP: Escanaba and Gladstone

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The Escanaba Yacht Club hosted this race as part of its active summer sailing schedule. Along with the Gladstone Yacht Club, it helps make the area a great destination for recreational and competitive sailing. Both clubs contribute to the local economy by attracting sailors, spectators, and visitors throughout the season.

For those on the West Coast, San Diego also has an outstanding sailing community, including the Silvergate Yacht Club on Shelter Island. Yacht clubs like these serve as more than places to sail—they help promote tourism, strengthen community engagement, and showcase their regions.

The collegiate sailing report below highlights an important concept: sailing events bring visitors who spend money on hotels, restaurants, shopping, and recreation. As races grow in visibility and prestige, their economic value to the host community also increases.

The Escanaba area is well positioned to benefit from tourism and growing sailing interest (They are doing an art event this weekend which is another great idea.). With quality hotels, excellent outdoor recreation, a vibrant waterfront, and a growing number of summer vacationers, the region has many of the ingredients needed to host successful sailing events. By combining sailing competitions with tourism, community branding, and local attractions, communities can increase visitor spending while raising the profile of both the sport and the region (I looked around on some regional racing calendars and it looks like you can submit races for free so that can help races get more public notice and greater search engine exposure.).

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SAISA Collegiate Sailing Generates $6.4 Million in Direct Visitor Spending

• SAISA-hosted collegiate sailing events generated an estimated $6.4 million in direct visitor spending from 2011–2026 across 449 events.
• Florida hosted the most events, while South Carolina generated the highest visitor spending because of larger championship events.
• The study measured only direct local spending, excluding multipliers and indirect economic effects.
• The findings provide schools and communities with evidence of collegiate sailing's economic value.
• The report recommends using the results to support tourism, partnerships, and future investment in collegiate sailing. 

South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association. (2026). SAISA collegiate sailing economic impact research, 2011–2026. https://saisasailing.com/2026/08/01/new-saisa-study-finds-collegiate-sailing-brought-an-estimated-6-4-million-to-host-communities/