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
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
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
Harrison Weinberg ’26 – Offshore Team Co-Captain
“My sailing career started with my parents bringing me out on the family boat in a car seat. My parents began teaching me the basics on a Rhodes 19 before I joined the sailing program at my local marina. In this program I then began sailing Optis and Lasers. The program was terminated early on, and with that my focus shifted to swimming more. I sailed our Neptune 24 every year, but did not continue my competitive career until I attended Webb. I needed to compete in a sport now that I was not swimming. I always loved sailing, so I combined those two passions by joining Webb Sailing. As a freshman and sophomore I sailed dinghy and keelboat. I competed in a variety of local regattas, with notable accomplishments being part of the youngest team to win the Around Long Island Race ’23 and winning the NEKA 300 Challenge sophomore year. I also sailed many J105 class regattas these first two years.
I have advanced my sailing skills greatly at Webb. I now mainly sail the Figaro 3 and the modified Figaro 2 Groupe 5. Occasionally I sail J105 and Vipers as well. The summer of 2024 I went to France and sailed in the Tour Voile. This was the highest level of sailing I have competed in, and I learned many skills I brought back to now captain the Webb Sailing Offshore Team.”
John Feleciano ’25 – Offshore Team Co-Captain
Bio coming soon.
Everett Botwinick ’26 – Dinghy Team Captain
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.