The team for the 55th Annual World Duck Championship has been announced!
The 55th Annual World Duck Championship is this Friday, August 25th at the Mantoloking Yacht Club.
Long before fiberglass Opti’s became the training boat of choice, wooden duck boats were used in Junior Sailing programs up Bay. In 2000, philanthropist Peter Kellogg donated a duck boat to PBYC. Since it needed a complete restoration Mr. Ralph Bush, Rich Morgan and a group of our Junior Sailors did the work. Mr. Bush taught the children how to work on, and maintain, a wooden boat. When the ingredients of knowledge, enthusiasm and elbow grease were added, the boat was aptly named, Duck Soup.
As an incentive to preserve the history of the wooden boat era, boats were judged the night before the World Duck Championship and those kept in "bristol condition" were eligible to receive up to $1000, with the boat crowned "Queen of the Show" can now receive a "one-time" award of up to $10,000, up from the previous award of $5,000 during the early years of the World Duck Championship. Because of the work and effort of the crew helping the maintain these boats and participating in the World Duck Championship, Duck Soup named "Queen of the Show" in 2013, winning the "one-time" award of $10,000. To date our boats have generated nearly $30,000 for the PBYC Junior Sailing program!
Since 2000, the Pine Beach Yacht Club has maintained Duck Soup and sent a team of comprised of Junior Sailors to sail Duck Soup in the Annual World Duck Championship. In 2018, another boat, Mallard was generously donated to PBYC by Mike Benevito which allowed the Club to send an additional team from the Junior Sailing program to the sail in the Championship.
We are proud to announce that the Junior Sailing team members selected to represent PBYC in this year's regatta are: Owen Beneciuk, Ethan Beneciuk, Maggie Grafas and, Rex Stein.
Last year, our two Junior Sailing teams - Finn Keenan and JAK Krajewski on one team and Harper O’Leary and Mollie Smith on the other - coming in 8th and 13th place respectively in the Junior Division. This was the first year that PBYC brought home a trophy from the World Duck Championship!
Congratulations and good luck to Owen, Maggie, Ethan and, Rex! We're sure that you'll do PBYC proud. If you have an opportunity to watch the race and support our sailors, they'll be launching from Mantoloking Yacht Club Friday morning.
Friends of the Duck
Every year in preparation for the World Duck Championship, our volunteer "pit crew" comprised of: Steve Toal, Jack O'Hara, Ed Heffernan, Bob Mackey and, Dan Preece maintain, prep, transport and, store PBYC's two duck boats, Duck Soup and Mallard.
Owning a boat, let alone two boats is an endeavor of both time and money. In addition to volunteering to maintain these boats, the Friends of the Duck was created to help preserve this incredible piece of PBYC and Barnegat Bay history through donations. If you'd like to donate, there are three levels to choose from:
The Drake - $100
The Decoy - $50
Webbed Feet - $25
Please make checks payable to "PBYC - Duck Boat" and drop it in the box by the elevator at the club. If you'd like to volunteer your time and also learn more about maintaining these duck boats, please contact Steve Toal at
Read more about the history of PBYC's Duck Boats and the Friends of the Duck or watch this newly released documentary by Peter Slack.
