Ian Lineberger offers Laser and 420 Clinics at Pensacola YC Junior Olympic Sailing Festival

Ian Lent (22237) of Easton CT heads upwind after rounding the leeward mark. He's the right-of-way Opti amid his competition still on their downwind leg in the 2018 Optimist National Championship sailed out of Pensacola Yacht Club © Talbot Wilson

Top US youth sailing coach Ian Lineberger of St. Petersburg, Florida will hold Laser and 420 clinics at Pensacola YC on Friday, June 28. This warm up for the annual Junior Olympic Regatta will be a perfect opportunity for sailors in these classes which will also be participating the 2020 US Sailing Youth Championship next July to get more sailing time on Pensacola Bay.

Clinic slots are limited. It's first come first serve, so sailors interested in improving their skills should register now.

Lineberger's Laser sailors have won the 2016 Midwinters East, 2016 US Youth Championships, 2017 Atlantic Coasts, 2018 Midwinters East, 2018 Midwinters West. He has qualified two of the last three boy sailors to the ISAF Youth Worlds.

His Plant High School 420 Sailing Team has won the SAISA regular season in 2016 and 2017. They won the 2016 and 2017 NIT Team Race Championships. They won the SAISA District Championship this year and finished 10th at the Mallory Cup National Double-handed Championships.

Pensacola YC will also host clinics for Opti Red/White /Blue and the Green fleet, too. The 29er class will have a clinic led by a top US Sailing Performance Development coach yet to be confirmed.

Young sailors are invited to come to Pensacola Yacht Club starting June 28 for the 2019 USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival presented by BBVA Compass. Sailing is scheduled for June 29-30 with registration, clinics and practice Friday June 28. Registration is now open through Regatta Network.

Sailors can also register for the clinic at the same time they register for their classes. The single-handed cost for class entry and the clinic is $135 and the double-handed class and clinic is $180.

Pensacola YC will offer racing in three Olympic performance development classes... the 29ers, Nacra15 and the Techno 293 windsurfer in addition to the traditional Opti Class (and green fleet), 420 and Laser classes. Five boats or more will constitute a class for the newcomers.

PYC fleet Captain Hal Smith, JO Chairman James Simkins and Sailing Director Cesar Travado have decided to open this summer's JO to all the 2020 Youth Championship classes and invite members of those classes working their way toward an invitation in 2020 to come catch the magic of Pensacola and Pensacola Bay.

"This is every young sailor's chance to get experience at the 2020 championship venue. Since we are hosting the top youth sailors in America for the 2020 US Sailing Youth National Championship," said Fleet Captain Hal Smith, "we decided to open our 2019 Junior Olympic regatta to the additional classes that will compete next summer for the national championship."

The 2020 Youth Nationals in Pensacola will be a qualifier for the Youth Worlds scheduled that December in Brazil.

JO Chairman James Simkins commented on the expansion of the event. "We are excited to be able to expand the 2019 Junior Olympics with the help of our new presenting sponsor BBVA Compass. They were a supporting sponsor in 2018 and supported the USODA nationals we hosted then. This additional support will help PYC to continue our tradition of regatta excellence both on and off the water. Thankfully, Subway is back again to feed the sailors on both race days."