Last month Ty Olsen from Zig Sailing Insider caught up with Santa Barbara native Willie McBride to discuss sailing, coaching, and his hometown.
For those of you who don’t know Willie, he coached the US 49erFX team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janiero and was named US Sailing’s Developmental Coach of the Year in 2016. Recently, Willie has published several online books about high performance sailing and racing.
My City: Santa Barbara with Willie McBride
How Did This Sailing Thing Start??
TCO: Willie, tell us a bit about your sailing background and how it became to be such a big part of your life.
WM: Sure: I was born and raised here in Santa Barbara – in fact, I came home from the hospital to life aboard the Oso Bueno, the Panda 42 that my parents lived on in Santa Barbara harbor! My dad was a commercial fisherman, and my mom was a teacher. We moved off the boat after a couple of years, but it’s safe to say that sailing is in my blood.
In elementary school, my family joined a sailing club called the Santa Barbara Seashell Association, where a group of families would meet up on the beach every Sunday. The parents would run races from a mast in the sand on the beach. We raced little wooden prams called “Sea Shells” which people built in their garages from plywood. My first official boat was a Seashell hull #219! It was an awesome introduction to sailing that really focused on community and fun! The group still runs races off the beach in Santa Barbara every Sunday during the summer, but now I think that they mostly race RS Tera’s.
TCO: So, it’s safe to say that you grew up in a sailing family?
WM: Definitely. My parents both loved to sail, and my granny was a Snipe National Champion from Watertown, New York. Growing up on the boat, we would sail out to the Channel Islands all the time to explore. Just around Santa Cruz Island, there are so many anchorages to check out. You could head out every weekend of the year and not see it all. The islands are a great place for fishing, snorkeling and lobster diving.
THe College Years
TCO: You graduated from UCSB, majoring in Geographic Remote Sensing. Can you tell us a bit about your major and its relationship to sailing?
WM: I did go to UCSB and graduated in 2012. My major Geographic Remote Sensing is a bit hard to explain in a few words. In a nutshell though, it is data interpretation from satellites or anything that you can measure remotely. UCSB has one of the strongest programs in the nation. The process is used in everything from city planning to hydrology, or really anything with the need to measure variables.
TCO: How do you tie that into sailing?
WM: At UCSB, a significant aspect of the program focused on meteorology and the tools used to measure the surrounding weather, aiming to improve weather modeling, which is highly relevant to sailing. As a coach, being able to utilize GPS tracks and translate all the data we receive into sailing terminology is incredibly advantageous. My time at UCSB had a definite impact on the way that I think about coaching and different variables in sailing, especially how I interact with the tools and technology used in sailing to help make decisions on the race course, or in training plans with the teams that I coach.
Sharing The Knowledge
TCO: While I was snooping around, I did see that you had some publications for sale online. Is this a new phase in your career?
WM: Yep, I’ve written two books at this point. The next is set to be published soon. Both books really started out as ways of organizing my own thoughts. As a coach and a competitor, I wanted to simplify complex ideas into more understandable frameworks.
The tactical game of skiff racing and asymmetric boats is super interesting to me. In 2007 I competed in the Youth Worlds in the 29er. Ever since then I‘ve been on this path of learning about how to sail faster and smarter. My senior year in college, I started coaching full time and dabbling in professional sailing. To assist the teams I was coaching, I compiled a playbook of strategies. I wanted to catalogue the different scenarios encountered on the racecourse and organize them in a way which could easily be learned and incorporated into decision making on the race course.
When I was coaching 29ers, the California team had a streak that lasted several years, and they became the benchmark team here in the US. Every year we would document different scenarios that played out on the racecourse. I would write them down and create these “case studies” to analyze. I realized that the same situations kept coming up and repeating themselves. This was the genesis of my first book called McBride Racing Tactical Playbook.
Most recently I wrote something that was pertinent for me leading into the 2016 Olympics and through the 2020 quad. I started by asking several high caliber, world class coaches things like: What are you saying to your sailors on different types of sailing days? When you ask 10 coaches 10 questions, you get 10 completely different responses. Reflecting on the answers though, there are generally 5 main strategies that people are teaching their sailors. So, I dug into the intricacies of these strategies and their impact on decision-making across various types of race days. Putting these ideas and scenarios together has been a great learning experience for me and fruitful for the teams whom I have coached the last few years. The writing process has been super fun, but as I said earlier, the books really started as a way for me to organize my own thoughts.
Willie's Current Focus
TCO: What boats are you currently focusing on?
WM: Well, I have been hitting the Melges 24 pretty hard lately. This winter I had the chance to sail in the entire Bacardi Series, calling tactics for Geoff Fargo’s Sentinel team. The Melges is such a great boat to race, and the design is so far ahead of its time. Our Melges team is focused on the worlds coming up this summer in San Francisco, so there is a lot of prep work going into that which takes up a lot of my time. The rest of my time, you can usually find me out on the water in a coach boat.
TCO: How are things going with coaching? That keeping you pretty busy year around?
WM: Definitely. Though right now I’m focused on supporting some of the Olympic teams with analytics rather than on the water support. When I’m on the water, I’m really focused on 49ers at the moment, but I have a few youth clinics that I support throughout the year. I am really fortunate to be working with some super talented and dedicated sailors right now.
The In’s and Out’s of Santa Barbara
TCO: Getting to the actual city of Santa Barbara, what local advice would you give to a first time visitor to Santa Barbara, whether it is on or off the water?
WM: Santa Barbara definitely has that small town feel to it. It’s kind of its own little ecosystem. The area is unique in the sense that there is not much infrastructure when it comes to boats, especially when it comes to boat building resources, sail making resources, etc. So, the first little piece of advice that I would have is when you show up, come prepared to be self-sufficient. There is a West Marine in town. There are a couple of people you can take your sails to for repairs, but generally you are going to need to take your equipment to Ventura for anything big. So, it’s not as simple as sailing in bigger areas like Los Angeles, San Francisco, or San Diego. A great piece of advice for not just Santa Barbara, but for most places you are going to sail, is to make sure that you have spares of anything that you think that you might need. Don’t get me wrong, there are some resources around, but it’s better to plan on being as self-sufficient, and be prepared as possible.
Another thing, perhaps the first thing I should have mentioned more generally, is that Santa Barbara is awesome! It is one of the coolest places on the west coast. If you come race here, you really must make the most out of your trip. Santa Barbara is such a beautiful spot. There is so much to do and see. Apart from sailing, there’s just so much more to enjoy when you’re in town.
Sailing in Santa Barbara
TCO: Going back to sailing for a bit, you mentioned that there are limited resources in the area for boat repairs. Do you have any recommendations for any sailmakers, riggers, etc.?
WM: Yeah, both Kevin Miller and KJ Paradise are really well known in the area, and I see them almost daily in the harbor. Both work for the North Sails loft down in Ventura. When it’s an emergency, they understand that you need a quick turnaround. They work really hard to make sure that you get your stuff done in a timely manner and make sure that you have what you need to go racing the next day.
Another is Tucker Atterbury. He is a really good resource for rigging and fiberglass work. He is currently working with Daniella Moroz on her Olympic kiting campaign, so he is pretty busy at the moment. He will likely be in France when the Melges 24 Nationals are in Santa Barbara. If Tucker is not around, then he can almost always shoot you in the right direction to someone who can help.
TCO: Sticking with sailing in Santa Barbara, what local advice would you give to the first timers racing in the area? Anything about tides, currents, wind conditions, obstacles that they should know about?
WM: I know a lot of people think that California has no seasons, but Santa Barbara has 2: the foggy season, and then the rest of the season! The foggy season usually occurs in April, May, and June. So from April to June just expect overcast skies throughout the days. The closer to June you get, you will notice the days start clearing up earlier and you have great afternoon sailing days. Once you hit July, it is just basically beautiful all the time.
Typically, we get a thermal sea breeze in Santa Barbara, so we usually don’t get any racing off until about 1pm at the earliest. Sometimes it may not pick up until around 2pm or 3pm. You know when you start to see that light sea breeze hit the water, it’s time to go sailing!
All in all, the typical day sailing in Santa Barbara is about 15kts of breeze with flat water — Absolutely perfect for sailing! Unlike some of the other west coast sailing venues, we get tons of flat-water sailing. That’s because we are protected with a south facing coastline and not a lot of waves make it inside the Islands.
You mentioned obstacles. Kelp can certainly be right off the coastline. Normally we set up races a good 2 -3 miles offshore, so you can pretty easily miss the kelp. The Wednesday evening races, however, do not go as far offshore, so it’s all about which side of the kelp forest are you going to sail on! To put it simply, you better get good at cutting kelp!
One great thing about sailing in Santa Barbara, is that we rarely have any issues with vessel traffic. Most of the commercial boats that go out, head out early in the morning, before we are out. They tend to stay way off from any courses we have set. They are all just small local fishing boats, nothing too big.
TCO: Well, with Santa Barbara weather being what it is, what is the most accurate weather station that you guys use for the area?
WM: Well, SailFlow has a weather station at Santa Barbara Yacht Club. One of the things that we check are the mid channel buoys. You can get the best wind reading at those buoys out in the channel. They provide the best insight into what’s happening outside, which is a really effective way to anticipate what’s coming and to understand the big picture weather for the day.
One of the windiest spots off the coast of California is Point Conception where the state takes a turn just north of Santa Barbara. Sometimes when it really windy up there, it won’t curve around the bend and head south. When that happens, you’ll likely get a southerly eddy that will come in. Down in the LA coastal area its like the Catalina eddy.
Around the Town
TCO: So now tell us about some of the fun stuff off the water. Santa Barbara is such a cool town to visit, what are some recommendations from the locals as far as restaurants or a place to relax when you get off the water?
WM: Santa Barbara has so many great restaurants to choose from that it’s hard to narrow it down. For me personally, I am traveling so much that when I come home, I feel like I am on vacation!
Honestly, I love eating at SBYC. They seriously have the best view in town. It’s right on the beach, and the food is awesome and reasonably priced. For me, the Yacht Club is the top spot you need to eat at when in Santa Barbara! Beyond the Yacht Club, there are a lot of classics that you will hear people talk about like Brophy Brothers, which is right here in the harbor. Brophy’s is a good place, but expect a wait. They don’t take reservations and it’s super popular with both tourists and locals. If you do decide to go to Brophy’s check in early at the restaurant, then head next door to the Yacht Club for a drink at the bar while you wait. Other than those two, there are so many places downtown and along Stearns Wharf, all within walking distance from the harbor.
There is a cool little spot downtown called the Funk Zone. This little neighborhood has really been revitalized over the past few years. There are tons of local wineries, microbreweries, and great restaurants. In the Funk Zone, it doesn’t really matter what type of food or drink that you are looking for, they have something that everyone will love. If a group is looking to meet up after a day on the water, there is Figueroa Mountain Brewery, which is fun and casual. Close to that is another place called the SB Biergarten. This place always has a fun crowd and is good for bigger groups of friends getting together because of all the outdoor patio seating.
State Street is also “the place to be”. it is within walking distance from the harbor and has so many different types of restaurants and bars.
State Street is also “the place to be.” Again, it is within walking distance from the harbor and has so many different types of restaurants and bars. Joe’s Café is a classic, old-school bar and restaurant on State Street. The cool thing is that State Street ends right where Stearns Wharf starts, so you can just walk down State and right to the Wharf. It’s incredible to see how many new changes have happened over the past 5 or so years. State Street also has a lot of local owned shops up and down the street, so great shopping.
One place that my wife and I like to go is called Convivo. It’s a great little Italian place that is right on the beach. Another place we like is called Zaytoon. If you like Middle Eastern, you need to try this place. It is a little off the beaten path, but so worth it. They have a neat setting where you sit around these fire pits while you eat on the patio. We try to get there as often as possible. Again, if you have a car, or don’t mind grabbing an UBER, head into Montecito. It’s only about a 10-minute drive and Montecito is a cool little town. Coast Village Road is the main street and is lined with great places to eat, a few bars, and tons of local galleries and boutique shops.
TCO: Now that you have pretty much given the lay of the area for food and drinks, what would you recommend for lay days? What are some fun things to do in Santa Barbara?
WM: Like I said before, there is so much to do and so many options in Santa Barbara, but I personally really like to be outside and do something active. It is fun to rent a bike and just take a cruise around. There is also a bike path that starts down in Montecito by the Bird Sanctuary. The path is right where the Santa Barbara Zoo is located, which is also pretty cool to visit, but the bike path goes all along the beach into downtown. If you are feeling up to it, you can actually ride it all the way to the UCSB campus. It is a pretty mellow ride and there are lots of restaurants and places to stop for a drink along the way. There are plenty of places to rent bikes for the day, and most hotels in town have bikes for guests to use.
Another cool place to hang out is East Beach, which is fun to just relax and swim, but there are also a bunch of volleyball courts on the beach if you want to grab a pickup game.
You can also rent a surfboard and hit the water. The Beach House is a great spot that has all types of surfboard rentals and is super conveniently located at the end of State Street right at the beach. The only challenge with surfing in the summer in Santa Barbara is that it may be the best weather, but the worst time surf! So, if you are looking for surf in Santa Barbara during the summer, you are likely going to be heading down to Ventura.
The Santa Barbara Sailing Center, right in the harbor, has all kinds of rentals. You can get anything from jet skis, kayaks, SUP’s and even sailboats. Sometimes it’s fun to just go out and rent a sailboat for the day and just cruise the coastline. They have tons of equipment.
TCO: What is something that you and your wife enjoy doing when you are not on the road for sailing?
WM: We do quite a bit of hiking in the mountains. There are so many trails to choose from for all levels. We enjoy doing some of the trails that you can hike to and get to waterfalls or a ridgeline that has amazing views of the valley and the ocean. There is a super fun hike that we like to do if we only have a few hours called Inspiration Point. It probably has the best place to oversee the entire city with full ocean views and you can see the Channel Islands on a clear day.
I love to garden, so don’t be surprised if you see me working out in our yard if I have some free time. The sailors that I coach love to give me a hard time about that.
Into the Future
TCO: Before we wrap up here, just one last question. What is next for the future? What’s on the horizon?
WM: I have been thinking a lot about what this next Olympic cycle looks like. My life has seemed to run in 4-year cycles, at least for the last two decades. With the Paris Games coming up and then the next Games being in Los Angeles, there are a lot of things happening. It’s been pretty exciting to see everything come together. With that being said, I don’t really have a definitive answer. I think that what I would like to be working on over the next couple of years is building a bigger infrastructure with the skiff’s here in the US. That’s been a main focus of mine for at least the past couple of years. The pro sailing that I have done in the Melges has also been a big focus and we will see where that goes. Mainly, I just want to keep learning and keep the learning curve steep, while taking advantage of the fact that we have an Olympic Games coming up in LA.
I have grown up here in Santa Barbara and been here my entire life, so I know the lay of the land. I think that gives me a bit of a hometown advantage. As the world converges on Los Angeles and Long Beach for the next games, I believe it’s essential to consider and leverage these strengths.
I will definitely be doing a lot of coaching moving towards the 2028 Olympics, that will be a huge focus for me. I’ve been super lucky with the groups I’ve coached. I’ve found individuals and teams whom I truly believe in, who are easy to work with and highly motivated. I have always looked forward to being out on the water with each of them. Building strong relationships with such remarkable athletes has been incredibly rewarding for me. As we approach this next quad, I’m excited to work with passionate sailors who are dedicated and fired up for the upcoming 2028 time frame. I’m thrilled to be a part of their future.
Interested in Willie's Books?
McBride Racing Tactical Playbook
Sport boats, skiff racing, and high performance sailing in general is exploding worldwide, and if you’re looking to make the jump, it’s time to update your tactical library! The McBride Racing Tactical Playbook is a simple to understand, hierarchical approach to tactics and strategy in high performance racing.
Race Course Decision Making
In Race Course Decision Making, Olympic Coach Willie McBride takes a deep dive into the process of tactical and strategic decision making in sailboat racing. By breaking down decision making into a detailed process and then using the pieces to rebuild a hierarchical process for decision making, the material in this book offers a thought provoking evolution into the realm of race strategy.
We will be keeping an eye out for Willie on the racecourse, either on a coach boat or as a competitor. Good luck to you and all your sailors this summer season!
-Ty Christopher Olsen, April 25, 2024
