One of Washington’s greatest assets is its waterfront. The waterfront helps provide another of Washington’s great assets — the Little Washington Sailing School.

Aside from the aesthetic addition to the waterfront — the billowing sails of those 14-foot-long Vanguard sailboats look great on the river and against blue skies — the Little Washington Sailing School serves a practical purpose. It teaches children the basic fundamentals of sailing. And sailing has been an important commercial and recreational aspect of Washington and Beaufort County for years and years. Once, sailing ships brought to and took away goods from Washington. These days, recreational sailing is a part of the area’s economy.

By learning the fundamentals of sailing through the Little Washington Sailing School, children learn teamwork, self-reliance and how to enjoy the waterways in the region.

The city and county benefit because these students and their families come to the Washington waterfront and spend money in local restaurants and shops. That generates revenue for the merchants and sales-tax revenue for the local governments.

The sailing school uses local businesses for the services it needs. That means local business owners benefit from the sailing school. The sailing school serves as a good ambassador for the city and county.

The sailing school plans to serve at least 120 students in its 2014 sessions. Hopefully, that will happen. And when it does, lots of people benefit.

Hoist those sails, Little Washington Sailing School.