Our coaches are professional sailors and boatbuilders who have extensive international and big boat experience. They have made extensive modifications to Desperado, the custom 40 we sail, and Peacemaker, a Ker 11.5.
Every aspect of the Webb sailing team has student involvement with proper guidance from our coaches and support staff. This prepares team members for lifelong success in sailing. Expectations are high for team members both on and off the water in terms of taking care of our boats, organizing our events, and running our yacht club.
Many teams can make you a great sailor, but Webb can teach you to be a great teammate, to take pride in the boats you sail, and even to run your own team.
For more information contact the Sailing Captain at ude.bbew@niatpacgnilias
Offshore Sailing
USA 326 Webb – Sleeper John Feleciano @webbsailing USA J 105 (mod) Clippers
2024 STORM TRYSAIL CLUB INTERCOLLEGIATE OFFSHORE REGATTA
The Webb Offshore Sailing team provides a rigorous training program for sailors of all levels. With a packed spring and fall season, there are plenty of opportunities to get out on the water. The team practices a few times a week and races or practices most weekends on boats provided by North East Keelboat Alliance (NEKA). The team regularly sails six boats, Peacemaker (Kerr 11.5), Desperado (Custom 40), Defender (8 meter), Victian (Figaro 2), Williwaw (Figaro 2), and Hoonigan (J105). The team competes in all the major races in Long Island as well as Newport to Bermuda, and Block Island Race Week.
Recent Results: 1st Overall Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta ’24, 5th Place McMillan Cup ’24, 4th Place Kennedy Cup ’23, 1st in Class 2019 Vineyard, 1st in Class 2019 Block Island Race Week, 2nd in Class 2019 Block Island Race, 1st Place YCC Cup, 3rd in Class 2018 Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta, 2nd in Class 2018 Vineyard Race, 3rd in Class 2018 Newport to Bermuda Race, 1st in Class 2018 Block Island Race, 1st in Class 2017 Vineyard Race, 1st in Class 2017 Block Island Race.
Yacht Club
Webb’s newly renovated Yacht Club.
All students at Webb are members of the Webb Yacht Club. The Webb Yacht Club offers free access to all of its boats to the students of Webb. Only a short two minute walk from the classrooms, the Yacht Club makes it easy for all Webb students to get out on the water. The Yacht Club has a fleet of 8 420s, 2 lasers, 2 whalers, 4 kayaks and a Hobbie 16. The Yacht Club also has communal water skis and tubes that are available for student use.
Student Leadership
Spencer Rankin ’27 – Offshore Team Co-Captain
“I grew up sailing on Lake Ontario on my family’s C&C41. Like many kids, I joined my local sailing program, building my skills sailing Optis and Lasers. When I was 13, I did my first 300 nm distance race and found my love for offshore sailing. Two years later, looking to do the next best race, I cold-emailed a TP52 in Michigan asking if I could join them for the Chicago-Mac race. To my surprise, they were a professionally crewed team competing on a summer-long circuit across the Great Lakes—and they graciously invited me to join for the season. That summer, I learned a ton, completed the Chicago Mac, and experienced the thrill of winning the Bayview Mac.
I ended up spending my next 3 summers working for the team and enjoying some tremendous sailing with some legendary sailors.
Sailing with Webb was my first experience in saltwater, and boy, was it quite the adjustment! Over the past two years, I’ve greatly enjoyed learning from our talented community and building meaningful friendships through sailing. I’m excited to help lead our team to our next adventures, while developing a culture of safety and comradery.”
Danika Staples ’27 – Offshore Team Co-Captain
Sean Harren ’28 – Offshore Team Co-Captain
My love for sailing began when I was less than a year old on my parents C&C 24. We later upgraded to a Peterson 34 around the same time as I started sailing lessons where I learned to sail Optis. For several years I raced Optis and on my family’s boat, but slowly shifted more toward keelboat racing. I have sailed numerous races between home and Webb ranging from Wednesday nights to overnight and distance races. While I was a competent sailor before coming to Webb, I have certainly learned a lot from the team and our coaches.
Jack Prior ’27 – Dinghy Team Co-Captain
Bio coming soon.
Marc Leyk ’28 – Dinghy Team Co-Captin
Bio coming soon.
Professor Royce – Faculty Advisor
Professor Royce began sailing keelboats on the Great Lakes in 1977 on his father’s C&C 35. Up until 1994, he focused on sailing Thistles and Tartan Tens. In 1995, he began sailing a Taylor 40 in New Orleans, successfully competing in many local regattas. Since moving to Long Island, he has sailed on a variety of high-performance boats. He owns a Tripp 33 that served as Webb’s “big boat” up until 2015. Currently, he is the team’s tactician for buoy races and a navigator/driver for distance races.
He is a member of the Storm Trysail Club, New York Yacht Club, Glen Cove Yacht Club, and the YRALIS PHRF committee.
Meet the Fleet
420
Webb has a fleet of 8 Club 420 which is the primary boat used for dinghy practices. One of the two common classes used for double-handed collegiate sailing, they place an emphasis on teamwork and coordination. During the fall and spring, the sailing team often holds practices on the 420’s each day where the weather permits.
Laser
Webb has several Lasers, a 14 foot singlehanded dinghy. Lasers offer high performance over a wide range of conditions, teaching finesse and patience in light wind, along with focus and resolve in heavy wind. They are sometimes used for dinghy team practices, but often taken out at others times for casual sailing. There are opportunities for collegiate Laser sailing for those who wish to sail the boats at a highly competitive level.
Hobbie 16
New to the Yacht Club, Webb has a Hobie 16 Turbo. A popular double-handed catamaran complete with jib and trapeze, the Hobie 16 is a fantastic boat for high speed but non-competitive sailing. It also provides a good platform for inexperienced crews to learn how to sail from a competent skipper.
Whalers
Webb has two Boston Whalers that get used for a variety of purposes. They are often taken out for watersports, such as water skiing and tubing. They are also used for coaching dinghy practices, and for general recreation.
Peacemaker, Ker 11.5
Peacemaker Webb’s inshore racing machine. This 37 foot high performance boat was relaunched in 2018 after an extensive refit by the Webb coaches and Webb students. With features like a custom spinnaker douse system designed by our coaches, Peacemaker is fully optimized for buoy racing. The refit was documented by a Webb student in a winter work blog Ben’s Blog.
Desperado
Desperado is Webb’s custom offshore racer. Desperado began life as J120 but has seen received a massive overhaul by the Webb coaches. The shape of the bow and stern was modified for better downwind performance. A bulb keel and an extra deep rudder were installed. The J120 mast was replaced with a Farr 40 rig and a custom bow spirit was fitted. Work on Desperado never stops, with new features being added every season to get the most performance out of the boat. With a massive sail inventory, Desperado is weapon in long distance races. She is sailed in distances races in The Sound and surrounding ocean, along with the biennial Newport to Bermuda Race.
Figaro 2
The Figaro 2 is one of the most popular shorthanded classes in the world. Many of the best offshore sailors in the world got their start on the Figaro 2. Webb sails them through the newly formed Collegiate Offshore Sailing Circuit, a program that gives college sailors valuable offshore experience in the one design class. COSC is bringing a revolutionary change to collegiate keelboat sailing, of which Webb is at the forefront. Webb has two Figaro 2s which allows us to gain a competitive edge practicing against each other. The 33 foot boats are designed with offshore reliability and safety in mind, providing an ideal learning platform for those who wish to get into competitive keelboat sailing.
Defender
Defender is a newly built classic 8 Meter, complete with classic style rigging and sails. Raced in Oyster Bay’s classics series against other wooden boats, she provides an opportunity for those who want to spend time on the water in a less competitive racing environment.
