Team Tres Equis

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Team members: Chad Wilson, Ken Wolfe, Bill Hardesty
Hometown: Dickinson, TX, USA
Race vessel: Corsair 880 Sport
LOA: 29′
Human propulsion: Flywheel
Connect: facebook, youtube

 

An insurance lawyer, a Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, and someone who is probably a dentist walk into the Race to Alaska… 

Honestly, we don’t know what happens next. We stopped listening to our own joke a while ago. There’s some punchline there somewhere, but given the set up we’re pretty sure that at least one of them is going to be named Chad. 

Stay with us: theoretically, if an insurance lawyer does a 750-mile adventure race from Port Townsend to Ketchikan, should the race host or his insurance company be concerned? 

Again, hypothetical here, if you had the 2011 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year on your boat, would you have them captain the boat, or would you choose the safety first insurance lawyer to be the captain? 

What if—just saying—the insurance lawyer, the Yachtsman of the Year, and some other guy had all served in the merchant marine as deck and engine officers, sailed ships around the world, and put in time in the U.S. Naval Reserve as officers assigned to the logistics fleet?  

And—play along with us here—they bought a brand new boat and packed it full of their trophies, medallions, and “You Qualified for the Olympics!” certificates and maybe did Race to Alaska an adventure race that may or may not be filled with bears?

We’re about to find out.

We sat down with Chad T. Wilson, head legal counsel and captain of Team Tres Equis over a tureen of creamed corn and two oversized spoons to talk about accidental death and dismemberment, “world championships,” and whether or not Bill’s decision to R2AK is more worthy of the “Casio Yachtsman of the Year” than what he’s currently sporting.

What are the necessary components of a good adventure?

Unfamiliar territory, unplugged, heightened level of risk, challenging, coffee.

What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?

Passports don’t come loaded with visas.

What’s your favorite kind of bracket?

Box bracket.

What’s your claim to fame?

3 talented kids who fall in the “good people” category; 3-time Olympic Team Trials qualifier in sailing.

It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?

Uplifting music, bad music, recorded sounds of whales, repetitive counting.

Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?

3 crew start, 3 crew FINISH and get home safely; no insurance claims [R2AK HQ: Classic lawyer talk].

Blank space, baby. Share some things:

I am looking forward to R2AK with two guys I haven’t sailed with since Kings Point in 1997.  I am proud that Bill said yes to R2AK and Ken’s wife said yes to R2AK for Ken.

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We’re not going to bother putting a tracker on these fellas. Not because they’ll be fast (though that’s likely), but because you’ll be able to locate them easily by the clanging of all the trophies they’re carrying with them.