Matt Layden Wizard finishes 2007 Everglades Challenge in 8' pram Sand Flea

Article By Matt Layden

How did it go for each leg of the course?
Well!
Leg 1: wind ne 18-20kt. Tampa bay was kicking up a little but seen it worse. Boat handled it great with a small reef rolled in, dry decks. Rest of day inside on icw, easy sailing.

Leg 2: wind n 10-15 shifting to nw 15-20 in evening. Easy sailing off the wind all day. A little rough running gordon pass after dark, also some gusty winds getting through marco, but nothing daunting.

Leg 3: wind nne 12-18, lighter in afternoon. Easy fast sailing in lee of islands. Extra low tide in chokoloskee bay slowed me down but no trouble. Good fast run in nne 20 kts & chop down whitewater bay tuesday morning.

Leg 4: wind veered ene 10 becoming e 18-20 kt, beat then rowed against it thru narrow shoal channels of florida bay to dump keys. Waited there till midnight by which wind had backed to nne 10-12, much easier sailing & rowing in passes. Morning brought wind back to e 15-18 for finish.

At no time was the boat challenged by conditions, sail was reefed maybe 50% of the time, but never deeply- always plenty of reserve capacity.

How many hours a day did you sail, row, and sleep?
Under way 18-20 hours each day, not very much rowing. Rowed into & out of cp1, maybe a mile total; rowed an hour or so in calm between wind systems on sunday afternoon, an hour down buttonwood canal tuesday morning and several hours crossing florida bay tuesday & wed. Morning. Also some 'motor sailing' to keep speed up in light winds at various times, a few hours in all. Averaged 4 hours per night sleep, at anchor in protected spots, more quality sleep than I'm used to in these events.

What were your major motivating factors for using an 8' boat in the EC ?
Who can tell, pretty silly huh? Just it was the boat I was working on and I wanted to try it out against the ec's usual mixed bag of all kinds of boats expertly handled, to get an honest idea of its capabilities. Obviously it's not advantageous in any way for an open, non-handicapped race, nor was expected to be.

What do you think is the biggest innovation for this boat above your previous boats?
I don't think there's anything innovative in this boat though as a whole she seems unique as far as I know. It's definitely more of a dinghy than, say, enigma: wider, shallower, unballasted; more powerful, more maneuverable, but capsizeable. The main goal was a more portable and beachable boat than my ballasted coastal cruisers.

Hindsight being 20/20, what do you wish you would have done differently or changed about the boat for this race?
She needs a better cut sail and a stiffer yard to maximize power and weatherliness. Would like a spray dodger or a raised sliding hatch with windows, for shelter from rain & spray.

Do you plan to make / use smaller boats for future EC's or UFC?
Doubt it. 8' is practical but I see no advantage in less unless there's a particular length limit, e.g. storage space on deck of a big boat or getting it in the elevator to an apartment.