What’s New at LBC and How It Benefits Your Child
If you’ve seen our recent Facebook and Instagram posts, you may have noticed some exciting upgrades at LBC. For 2026, we’re investing in our fleet with new Optimist dinghies (Optis), Laser Radials (an Olympic-class boat), 420s (a double-handed boat used in high school and collegiate sailing), and a new RIB coach boat. These visible improvements enhance both comfort and performance, giving kids better tools to learn, grow, and enjoy their time on the water.
Although the changes you can see are important, the ones you cannot readily identify are the ones most likely to shape your child’s experience.
1. Safety First
Safety is LBC’s top priority. This means investing in mature, experienced sailing staff who can make sound, timely decisions – especially in high-pressure situations.
2. Teaching the Individual Child
Every child learns differently. Our instructors will recognize and adapt to different learning styles, helping each sailor feel comfortable, confident, and willing to try new things. LBC fosters a culture where mistakes are seen as essential steps toward success, not failures.
3. Building Character Through Challenge
Sailing is a complex sport – perfection is rare, and learning never stops. By encouraging resilience, humor, and grace, we help kids develop strong character, sportsmanship, and an open mindset.
4. A True Sailing Immersion
LBC is a sailing-centered educational program. We believe in learning by doing, with daily time on the water and access to professional coaching. Incremental successes build confidence in young sailors. It also teaches them how to build confidence elsewhere.
5. Learning Through Real-World Experience
Sailing is one of the few activities where kids can become part of the experiment. They experience firsthand how changes in wind, balance, sail trim, and steering affect performance. This creates a meaningful, lasting connection to science and the physical world.
6. Skill-Building Through Engaging Drills
We use proven training exercises from advanced racing programs to teach core boat-handling skills. These drills are not about competition – they’re about building confidence, control, and good judgment. These skills are valuable whether your child wants to engage in youth racing or simply have fun on the water with friends. Both will enjoy a fun, safe experience over which they have full control.
7. The Power of Consistency
Research shows that three weeks of sailing immersion significantly improves coordination, muscle memory, skill retention and neuroplacticity. To support this, LBC offers incentives for multi-week participation, helping students gain the most from their experience.
8. Developing Future Leaders
Sailing Instructor Apprentice/CIT Course: LBC’s US Sailing-aligned curriculum delivers safe, high-quality instruction while developing future LBC instructors from within the program. We’ve reconfigured the Instructor Apprentice/CIT course to build both leadership and advanced sailing skills among Apprentices – they will sail a lot while learning from professionals. Apprentices are expected to be strong ambassadors of LBC while supporting instructors and learning to teach a variety of learning styles under supervision. LBC subsidizes US Sailing certification for qualified Apprentices; A minimum three-week enrollment is required to ensure a quality learning experience as well as preserving program continuity for Apprentices, students and Instructors.
9. LBC Race Week
Sailed in Opti’s and 420’s, LBC Race Week will be an intensive learning opportunity with one-on-one instruction provided by several renown one-design sailing professionals. Rigging, rig tuning and evaluation, sail plan adjustments will be covered. Boat handling, sail trim and boat speed will be key elements while weather assessment and tactics will be daily activities. Videography and on-board GoPro’s will document the event and permit detailed debriefings for all. Practice starts and many short course races will occur with on-water coaching during and between races. Friday will conclude Race Week with a typical high school style short course race series. At its conclusion, boats will be derigged followed by dinner and an awards presentation at LBC. This event is offered at no cost by invitation to Instructor Apprentices as well as our Advanced, Intermediate and Intro to Racing sailors.
The Bottom Line
While new boats and equipment are exciting, the biggest impact comes from how we teach, how we support each child, and the environment we create. At LBC, your child won’t just learn to sail, they’ll gain confidence, resilience, problem-solving skills, and a deeper connection to the world around them.