ABOUT

History

For over 60 years, Little Traverse Sailors has offered a community learn to sail program for youth from ages eight to eighteen on the waterfront in Harbor Springs, Michigan. Our widely- known program is designed to build skills and a lifelong interest in the sport of sailing in a fun, safe, and supportive environment. Everything we do at LTS is geared towards making our learn to sail program a place where high-quality teaching, personal achievement, individual satisfaction, and boundless enjoyment make memories that will last a lifetime.

Mission

The mission of Little Traverse Sailors is to build lifelong sailors, by providing a safe and fun learning environment for youth and adults.

 

  • We strive to provide the highest quality instruction at all levels of ability and interest in sailing.
  • We are committed to improving access to our programs to all regardless of ability to pay.
  • We conduct ourselves with transparency, openness, and fiscal responsibility, especially by wisely using the resources so generously donated to us.
  • We work closely with our community partners to enhance the sport of sailing in the Little Traverse Bay area.
  • We are stewards of the environment, helping to protect and preserve the beautiful venue in which we sail every day.

Leadership

The LTS Board of Directors

The LTS Board of Directors is composed of seven members, each of whom serve up to two three-year terms. Service on the LTS Board is entirely voluntary, and involves monthly board meetings, dozens of phone calls and emails per month, and many hours of on and off-the-water work to support the program. The LTS Board oversees and directs the LTS program, including:

 

  • Selecting and managing the senior staff
  • Long and short-term planning
  • Setting pricing and policies
  • Budgeting and financial oversight
  • Running the scholarship program
  • Evaluating and approving capital purchases
  • Fundraising
  • And more

Current Board of Directors

Merritt Palm Keffer

President (term ends 12/2025)

Merritt grew up sailing on Lake St. Clair and participated in the Junior Sailing Program at Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. Her family has been summering on Burt Lake since the early 1900s and more recently in Harbor Springs. Her love of sailing has taken her all over the world in dinghies and keel boats. Merritt was a member of the 1995 America3 Women’s America’s Cup team. She is passionate about coaching sailing and has directed sailing programs in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Ram Island, CT, and Detroit MI. Merritt and her husband Chris enjoy sailing their J70 with their two children who love the LTS sailing program.

Tim Johnson

Vice-President (term ends 12/2027)

An avid sailor, and local to Harbor Springs, Tim joins the LTS Board for the second time. He has an associates degree in computer programming and spent most of his working career in sales and marketing.  Tim worked for Hood sailmakers and Offshore Spars as a project manager.  The last five years Tim worked at Irish boat shop running the crane and rigging sail boats.  Now “retired” you can sometimes find him tuning skis at Nubs Nob in the winter.  Tim has over 40 years of sailing experience, racing and offshore sailing.  He is a member of North Cape Yacht Club on Lake Erie where Tim was chairman of the Membership committee, Safety boat purchases and Junior sailing program.  

Owen Beckley

Member (term ends 12/2025)

Owen has been sailing on Little Traverse Bay and the Great Lakes since childhood and is an active crew in the various LTYC fleets. Owen has experienced LTS as an instructor during his college years, as parent, and currently as parent of an instructor. Owen, and his wife Tracy, have recently become year-round residents of Harbor Springs.

Beth Kost

Member (term ends 12/2025)

Beth is a summer resident of Harbor Springs. She lives in Nashville the rest of the year and brings a variety of volunteer experiences with nonprofit organizations to our board. Beth is a huge fan of the LTS program and has one son who has been part of the LTS program for the past eight years. Though Beth is admittedly not an avid sailor herself, she has seen first-hand how sailing has brought joy to her son and husband and how sailing enriches their lives. On many summer days, you can find Beth on the LTYC porch watching the LTS activity and seeing the older instructors mentoring the youngest sailors.

David Lamarche

Treasurer (term ends 12/2028)

Though not a sailor, David has an appreciation for the sailing culture and how it sets the tone for summertime in Harbor Springs. His daughter has been participating in LTS for years, and David hopes to take lessons himself. He and his family have been fulltime residents of Harbor Springs since 2014. David was one of the original volunteers for the Northmen Den Youth Pantry (NDYP) and is now the board treasurer. NDYP serves every school district in Emmet County and provides food to over 425 students on a weekly basis. NDYP also provides mentoring, tutoring and experiences to students who might not otherwise have the opportunity. He was instrumental in connecting NDYP and LTS to provide scholarships for students to attend LTS. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, being outdoors and by the water.

Sarah Savage

Member (term ends 12/2028)

Originally from Connecticut, Sarah Savage now resides in Dublin, Ohio with her husband, Brian, and their three children, Sadie, Macy and Maxwell. The Savage family are summer residents of Harbor Springs, where their favorite evenings are spent on the water, watching their children sail. While Sarah herself is not a sailor, she grew up a part of the sailing community as a member of Pequot Yacht Club in Southport, CT. For the past four years, all three of her children have participated in the Little Traverse Sailors (LTS) program, with two graduating to the LTS Race Team. The program has made a lasting impact on her family, inspiring her daughter, Macy, to pursue competitive sailing year-round, with aspirations to sail in college.
Outside of supporting her children’s activities, Sarah has spent the last six years starting and volunteering as the co-director of a non-profit, connecting families in need with resources and support from other local families, organizations, and businesses. She also serves as PTO President at each of her children’s schools. Sarah is excited for the opportunity to give back to the LTS community, as she has witnessed firsthand how the program fosters confidence, character, and maturity in young sailors like her own children.

Mara Lowry

Secretary (term ends 12/2026)

Mara Lowry is a life-long sailor who has had the privilege of teaching and racing on Little Traverse Bay since 1995. As a child Mara’s interest in boating was driven by a desire for a great tan, but she quickly learned to love dinghy racing after meeting her skipper (now husband) on the Stanford Sailing Team. Mara currently sails on NM 6 and any other boat that will have her. She brings her professional background in marketing and entrepreneurship, as well as experience on the boards of the Bay Area Discovery Museum and local PTA. Mara, her husband, Adam, and their two daughters are summer residents of Harbor Springs and live in Mill Valley, California the rest of the year. Her girls, Kenning & Ryan, are LTS students. Recently Mara and her family completed their first Trans Atlantic crossing via sailboat.  They are on a year long sailing adventure aboard a catamaran and are due to return just in time for the start of LTS!

Jennifer Romano

Member (term ends 12/2027)

Jennifer Romano is a Michigan native who grew up in the Kalamazoo area.  The Romano family has been coming to Harbor Springs for 5 years and enjoy year round activities on the water and on the slopes.  She is new to the world of sailing as she indulges her husband Matthew’s passion for competitively sailing his J70, Narwhal.  She also has two small children, Maximilian 8 and Allegra 6.  Max spent his first summer with LTS last year and had a blast!  Hoping to get Allegra involved soon. They love hanging out on the boat and learning to drive.  When she is not in Harbor Springs, she is busy as a Pediatric Heart Surgeon who is also trying to keep up with the fast paced lives of young kids.

Jack Deegan

Member (term ends 12/2029)

Jack Deegan grew up in Northern Michigan in Leelanau County and moved to Harbor Springs in 1999 and works as the managing partner of the Plunkett Cooney law firm’s Petoskey office. He is married to Judge Jennifer Deegan and has 3 kids- Ella (21); Jackson (18) and Teddy (14) who all have spent many years in the LTS program. Jack and Jenny Deegan moved to the Harbor Springs community as they wanted their kids to grow up in an area that is close to the water and skiing. The area has more than exceeded their expectations in not only outdoor recreation aspects, but also by way of the great community that is Harbor Springs. Jack Deegan is an enthusiastic skier, sailer (sailing on NM 8 with the Tom and Nick Post), triathlete, runner and lover of all things outdoors. Mr. Deegan is an avid supporter of the Harbor Springs Public School system and athletics and is proud to serve on the board of directors of LTS. 

Tom Post

Member (term ends 12/2029)

Tom Post is a lifelong sailor who grew up sailing on Barnegat Bay in New Jersey. He moved to Michigan in 1986 and immediately fell in love with Little Traverse Bay and the indigenous NM Fleet.  He has been a member of the Little Traverse Yacht Club since 1987 and served as the NM Fleet Captain for 11 years and was Commodore of the LTYC in 2002.   Both of Tom’s now adult children went through the LTS program when they were younger.  When he is not sailing his NM, or cruising on his powerboat, or skiing at Nubs Nob, he works as a financial planner in Bloomfield Hills helping guide people through their retirement years and stay financially secure.  He also serves on the board of a non-profit in Detroit called Racquet Up Detroit which helps underprivileged kids achieve their full potential through a long term, demanding, and inspiring mentoring program of squash, academics, and community service.   Lastly, Tom has two grandsons who will soon be enrolling in the Little Traverse Sailor program.

Liz Doornbos

Member (term ends 12/2028)

 Liz Doornbos had her first sailing experience after graduating from Northern Michigan University aboard the 50’ gaff-rigged schooner Hjordis.  For five summers she helped crew Hjordis for day sails and week-long Lake Superior adventures to the Apostle Islands and Isle Royale.  Liz also lived aboard a Beneteau 411 in the Virgin Islands with her Husband, Ben, running a charter operation in the winter. In the spring of 2020 Liz and Ben purchased a small cruising sailboat, Chickadee.  Each season since, Liz and Ben and their two boys, Noah and Jacob, have taken extended sailing trips exploring Lake Michigan. During a recent home renovation Liz and family spent an entire summer living aboard Chickadee. Liz’s experience with Little Traverse Sailors began when her oldest son, Noah, enrolled for his first week of sailing at 8 years old in 2019.  Since then, LTS has become a huge part of the Doornbos family summer with both boys now enrolled in many weeks of sailing camp and participating in weekly regattas. Noah and Jacob’s skill, knowledge and love of sailing are growing exponentially, thanks to the amazing LTS coaching staff.  As the Lead Coach for both Nub’s Nob XC Ski Academy and the Norte Mountain Bike Club, Liz has come to appreciate and be inspired by the model set forth by LTS for offering a safe, fun and valuable experience for young athletes as they engage with the beautiful outdoor recreation that Northern Michigan has to offer.

Fleet

LTS is proud of our growing fleet of well maintained boats. All boats are checked prior to each season and maintained to the highest safety standards. This fleet is made possible by many generous donations over the years.

Collegiate 420s (6 in the LTS Fleet)

These two to three person boats are used by the Learn-to-Sail Program, Race Team, Adult and Private Lessons, and Thursday night Dinghy Racing.

420s are the scaled-down version of the 470 which is used in the Olympics. 420s are fast, stable, responsive, and versatile.  They are the most used double-handed training boat in the world, and are the core of virtually all junior sailing programs in the United States. 420s are also the most-used boat in High School and Collegiate sailing.

Club 420s (14 in the LTS fleet)

Used by the Junior Race Team and Race Team. We take these boats when the Race Team travels to away regattas.

Club 420s are identical to the Collegiate 420 except that they are lighter, have spinnaker and trapeze setups, and are designed to race.

Lasers (5 in the LTS fleet)

One-person boat used by the Race Team and Red Fleet.

Lasers are the biggest one-design sailboat class in the world (over 200,000 Lasers have been built!), and are used everywhere from beginning sailing programs to the Olympics.  Our Lasers have a variety of rig/sail sizes so that sailors from about 100 lbs and up can sail them successfully.  There is also a very active Laser fleet in Harbor Springs, racing in the Monday night Dinghy Races.

World Wide Sailor (10 in the LTS fleet)

One-person boat (sometimes two very small people!) used by the Learn-to-Sail Program and for Pram Racing on Wednesday nights.

World Wide Sailors are an 8′ singlehanded dingy intended for smaller sailors and beginners. Though many programs have Optimists as their entry-level training boat, we think the stability, higher performance, and self-bailing features of the World Wide Sailors make them better for our purposes.

Bug (10 in the LTS fleet)

Bugs are an 8′ singlehanded dingy intended for smaller sailors and beginners.  With the recent addition of the World Wide Sailor Prams, the smaller sailors in Blue Fleet have been able to utilize the Bug in order to perfect maneuvers and sail more comfortably in heavier winds.

29er (1 in the LTS fleet)

High-performance two person skiff used by race team.

Ideal for youth sailors, the 29er combines a hydrodynamic hull and an incredibly light overall weight to maximize speed. The 29er is highly responsive and often times exceeds the wind speed while planing. At 14 feet, this boat offers a great introduction into modern skiff sailing.

J/70 (1 in the LTS fleet)

Four to six person boat used by the Race Team, Adult and Private Lessons, Thursday Night Learn-to-Race Program

The J/70 is a modern (introduced in 2013) high-performance keelboat, typically sailed by four to six sailors. The J/70 is fast and responsive like a dinghy, and also features a lifting keel and large asymmetric spinnaker. The boat is easily trailerable, and J/70 regattas worldwide attract 50 or more entrants routinely.

8 Outboard power boats used for coaching

Our coaches and staff are well equiped to provide constant supervision and coaching to our sailors.