Stephen Long, right, of Dos Pueblos High finished third in the Laser Full Rig fleet at the ISSA Singlehanded Nationals in Long Beach. Long stands on the podium with winner Mitchell Kiss of Holland, Mich. (center) and second-place Daniel DelBello, of Bedford, N.Y.
Two Dos Pueblos High sailors placed in the top 10 at the Interscholastic Sailing Association Singlehanded National Championships in Long Beach.
Brothers Stephen and Matt Long finished third and eighth, respectively, in the Laser Full Rig fleet, sailed off Belmont Veterans Pier.
The 18-boat fleet competed in 18 races over two days. Stephen Long was in third place after 10 races on the first day and Matt was right behind his older brother in fourth. They raced in 16- to 18-knot winds.
The winds decreased to 5 to 8 knots on the second day, which jumbled positions by the end of the regatta.
Stephen Long dropped to fourth after the first three races of the day and trailed the third spot by 10 points with two races to go. He sailed strong in those final two races, enabling him to nab a spot on the podium with Cressy Trophy winner Mitchell Kiss of Michigan and runner-up Daniel DelBello of New York.
Matt Long finished a respectable eighth place in his first high school national event.
The singlehanded nationals drew 36 of the top high school sailors from around the country. They raced in either Laser Full Rig or Laser Radials.
Matt and Stephen qualified by finishing first and third, respectively, at the West Coast regional qualifier.
Stephen is a senior and Matt at junior at Dos Pueblos. They are attempting to lead the school’s sailing team to the National Championships. They train locally with the Santa Barbara Youth Sailing Foundation, under the direction of Willie McBride, a San Marcos High and UCSB alum.
