U.S.-champion youth sailors Dane, left, and Quinn Wilson, right, are coached by Willie McBride of the Santa Barbara Youth Sailing Foundation. The Wilson brothers qualified for the World Youth Sailing Championships in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Tracy Hulett)
The two-man sailing team of brothers Dane and Quinn Wilson of Ojai pulled off an amazing comeback victory at the Youth World Championships qualifying regatta in Long Beach last month.
The Wilsons, dubbed “Team DQ” by their coach Willie McBride, of the Santa Barbara Youth Sailing Foundation, overcame a disqualification on the first day of compeition, roared back from fourth place in the final race and overtook leaders Christopher Willford and Kai Friesecke of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to win the 29er Class and earn a berth on the U.S. team that will compete at the ISAF Youth World Championships in Dubln,Ireland in July.
The qualifying regatta is the most coveted event of the year for U.S. youth sailors age 19 and under, as it draws the best teams from around the country. Dane is 16 and Quinn is 14.
The Wilsons were in first place after the first day of races, but a protest was filed against them and they were subsequently DQ’d from the fourth race. Up to that point, they placed second in the first race and won the next two.
Under regatta rules, they were able to toss out the 14-point penalty and remained competitive, placing 1-8-2-6-1 over the next five races. In the final count, they edged the Florida team 23-24.
The final race was full of drama. The Wilsons were tied in second place with San Diego’s Zach Downing and Andrew Cate and trailed Willford and Friesecke by one point. With some very bold tactics and their signature downwind speed, Team DQ rallied and nipped the Florida team at the finish to earn one of the seven coveted spots on the U.S. World Team.
Quinn Wilson credited a lot of practice with coach McBride and his brother’s efforts for the win.
“We’ve been working towards this for five months and practiced almost every day in December and the week leading up to the event,” Quinn said. “Our coach helped us a ton and my brother was awesome.”
McBride is no stranger to racing. As a youth sailor, he competed in several international and national regattas in the 420 and 29er classes. After graduating from San Marcos, he received a scholarship to Cal and competed on its sailing team.
The 29er is a two-man skiff that requires nimbleness and very refined technique. The “high performance dingy” is fast and tough to keep upright while racing.
“We practice a lot so we can make quick maneuvers in any tactical situation because the slightest mistake can result in flipping, which can ruin your race and potentially your regatta,” said Dane Wilson.
The brothers have been sailing since they were 8 years old and have been training with the Santa Barbara Youth Sailing Foundation since 2007.
Quinn and Dane will begin their training with the U.S. Olympic Development Team in the coming weeks in preparation for the World Championships.
