LSYA is a registered and dues paying member of US Sailing's RSA level Membership, which both supports US Sailing and offers opportunity for US Sailing to assist LSYA and it member’s community missions. A Regional Sailing Association is an umbrella organization of regional clubs, coordinating races, sailing classes, regattas, and handicapping. The Regional Sailing Association represents the area to US Sailing.
LSYA promotes and encourags inter-club sailing as a recreational sport through direction and organization of competitive activities across Lake Superior often in the form of Port to Port Offshore Racing that feed into local invitational racing events.
Richardson Cup
LSYA is an association of yacht clubs and sailors from around the Lake Superior, from the US and Canada, who work together to promote sailing events that bring sailors from many ports around Lake Superior to sail, race and celebrate together.
LSYA supports Yacht Clubs in the upper central Midwest for racing protest hearings that are appealed at the club level.
Barthel Trophy
The Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes, of which LSYA is a supporting member encourages Lake Superior Offshore racing yachts to participate in the Trans Superior, Chicago Mac, and the Port Huron to Mac and thus qualify for the Barthel Tri-Lakes Challenge.
LSYA is a dues paying member of the Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes (YRUGL).
LSYA promotes Match Racing by supporting sailors from LSYA member clubs who are interested in competing for match racing's the Great Lakes regional Richardson Cup Race.
LSYA was formed as an offshoot of the Trans Superior Yacht Race first run in 1966.
Founding Yacht Club members were:
Duluth Yacht Club (Duluth Keel Club at the time), Apostle Island Yacht Club, and Thunder Bay Yacht Club.