Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Paradox ‘Minnow’ re-advertised at Ebay









Here’s the new description of what is being offered for sale. To see the actual advertisement plus photographs, please visit Ebay.co.uk and enter the following number into the search box:

161437876632. Please note that this advertisement has expired!!

Description

This is a unique opportunity to acquire a super Matt Layden Paradox Sailboat.

I am asking £2,900 for the complete package, i.e., the boat, with all her gear and her road trailer, including 2 portable GPS units, a ship’s compass, an Autohelm 800 and a Honda 4 stroke 2 HP outboard. The boat will have absolutely everything for cruising.

In addition to the aforementioned, she will be equipped with her yuloh, a gimbal cooker, 2 galvanised anchors, chains and warps, 3 fenders, a fixed solar panel, a 12 volt ship’s battery, mooring lines, and an assortment of ropes. She will also have 3 plastic jerrycans with fuel for the outboard, a filtered funnel, and a spare plug and plug spanner.

If I receive offers for less than £2,900 I shall consider them, but gear included in the sale will be negotiable.

 ‘Minnow’s’ De Graaff road trailer is virtually new, and it has only been used twice. I am prepared to let the boat go without her trailer at a reduced price. Incidentally, ‘Minnow’ will be happy on a mooring, even a drying one if it is soft mud or fine sand.

Further information may be obtained by telephoning 07588288060 or by contacting me via the Ebay messaging system.

Note

Payment will be by cash or cashed cheque in UK £s. A 10% deposit will secure the boat, providing full payment is made within 14 days. My advice is for the purchaser to see ‘Minnow’ before agreeing to buy her.

If you are not a resident of the UK, please think very carefully before making an offer, because of the expense entailed in getting ‘Minnow’ to your home country, and the practicalities. I will in no way become involved, or be obliged or liable to assist. My responsibilities will cease on change of ownership. I have a no returns policy.

Specification and Inventory at the asking price of £2,900

Monday, September 29, 2014

Paradox ‘For Sale’ Advertisement at Ebay £2,900









The advertisement for the sale of ‘Minnow’ at Ebay.co.uk runs out tomorrow, Tuesday, 30th September, 2014 at 16.47. The description of the boat and what’s on offer is as follows:

Type:
Coastal and estuary sailing cruiser
Hull Material:
Composite - Epoxy sheathed plywood
Model:
Paradox Sailboat
Rigging:
Furling Lugsail with unstayed mast
Year:
2006
Keel:
Chine runners
Length (feet):
14
Trailer:
Included
Beam (feet):
4

 This is a rare opportunity to acquire a Matt Layden Paradox Sailboat in the UK.

Full details may be obtained by telephoning or emailing the seller.

At the above asking price she comes complete with a comprehensive inventory including two GPS units, compass, an Autohelm 800 and a Honda 4 stroke 2 HP outboard. She is ready to go. No work required.

Her virtually brand new De Graff road trailer has only been used twice.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I can be contacted by phone at 07588288060 or by email to barnacleid at yahoo dot co dot uk.

Note

If I re-list the advertisement I may change what is included in the sale.

Links

Here are links for more information:

Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 2


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 3


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay - Inventory

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Paradoxical Paradise


An inanimate creature, but with latent life, she lies frigidly frozen under winter’s shroud. Then come spring’s sunbeams and sun’s warmth to stir her sleeping heart. Feebly it beats and stronger still, until breathing deeply, she savours sweet blossoms' scent.

Vibrant, alert and alive, she hears surf’s call, “Unfurl your wings. Stretch out your limbs, and come dance with me.”

At sea’s edge she slides into the cool, cool blue.

 Blissfully, almost imperceptibly, she drifts towards yon horizon while mesmerized by her rippling image, and entranced by the shimmering sea. Thus transfixed, unwittingly she inhales the ozone breath of Aeolus. Fully livened she senses adventure. She feels the pulse of the ocean.

She dances her best before great billows boom their foaming crests into the deep, deep, deep.

The sun shines, but clouds gather as the sea nymph play. She frolics with white fillies upon the sparkling surge. Surreptitiously, wave after wave of viridian, violet and azure hue, with glint of light and rainbow spray, grow into aqueous mountains. They rise and fall with awesome power.

In foul mood, Aeolus scowls and howls and shrieks! His brow is like a ploughman’s field, and his cheeks are like a smelter’s bellows. His eyes beam with murderous intent. Dark, thunderous masses unleash their wrath. Black Heaven is split by a blinding light. Fearsome thunderbolts vent their spleen upon this restless scene, and our tiny speck bravely cleaves her way through fangs of roaring waves. She lifts her head, throws back her mane and snorting, charges into the fray.

The Wind God is unrelenting. He stirs the murky deep, and blasts the upper chambers until he runs out of steam, totters and falls. Deflated and defeated, he gasps, and lies motionless, formless on an almost placid sea, but our ‘speck’ bobs triumphantly upon the ocean blue, more adventures to pursue. Dolphins gambol, guillemots dive; whales their fountains blow. Beyond yonder horizon our heroine goes - no more to die, but live eternally under heaven’s azure sky.

Please Note:

The above is Copyright material with all rights to me, Bill Serjeant. You may reproduce it, but not for financial gain.

The ode tells of a Paradox Sailboat caught in the ultimate storm. She awakes from winter hibernation, is launched and taken to sea. Distracted by the beauty of it, she is unaware of an approaching storm that engulfs her. She valiantly fights for her life and triumphs over the Wind God and gains an eternal life of adventures for evermore.

For Sale

I can be contacted by phone at 07588288060 or by email to barnacleid at yahoo dot co dot uk.

Here are links for more information:

Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 2


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 3


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay - Inventory

 

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Cruising Paradox and Other Small Boats


 
A West Wight Potter similar to 'Sandpiper'

 
The same Potter on the South Woodham side of the River

 
'Sandpiper' on her trailer

 
'Sandpiper' at a pontoon

 
'Sandpiper' moored alongside another yacht

 
'Minnow' on my driveway

 
'Minnow' at Hullbridge Car Park

 
'Minnow' at Burnham Yacht Harbour

This afternoon I took a stroll beside the River Crouch at Hullbridge, and to my surprise I saw a West Wight Potter that resembled ‘Sandpiper’. She was on the opposite side of the River by the South Woodham Ferrers Yacht Club, and she was on one of their moorings. ‘Sandpiper’ was the ‘C’ Type West Wight Potter I sailed last year from Burnham-on-Crouch to Falmouth. Without binoculars I could not establish if this Potter was ‘Sandpiper’. If she was, she has been equipped with a far larger outboard than when I had her, and she has been given a sail cover for her mainsail.

Seeing her caused me to reflect on the adventurous ‘voyage’ of last year. I was fortunate not to run into serious difficulties. There were two occasions when things could have gone badly wrong, the most dangerous being off St Albans Head when she was caught in a fierce race with breaking seas, any one of which could have swamped her, had it broken into her cockpit. The other incident was off Bournemouth Pier when she was caught in a squall that nearly capsized her. Having an open cockpit and not being self-draining, she was vulnerable to being flooded.
 
'Faith' at St Just, Falmouth Harbour

By contrast, ‘Faith’, my old Paradox was virtually unsinkable. Her enclosed cabin and no cockpit made her watertight when the hatch was closed. Even with the hatch open it would have taken a big curler to have had any chance of getting into the boat. ‘Faith’ was a hundred times stronger, and she was designed for drying out on beaches.

For a flavour of what it is like to cruise small sailing boats you may like to read one or two of my logs. Links to them can be found below. If you fancy trying it yourself, and you are looking for a suitable micro-cruiser, you need look no further, for ‘Minnow’ - my Matt Layden Paradox is for sale as at 27th October, 2014.*

Links

Cruising Logs



Poole Harbour with ‘Sandpiper’ – Part 1


Pottering – Part 1 - A South Coast Cruise with 'Sandpiper', my West Wight Potter


The Cruise Part 1 ‘Faith’ to the Scilly Isles


*I can be contacted by phone at 07588288060 or by email to barnacleid at yahoo dot co dot uk.

Here are a few related Links

Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 2


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 3


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay - Inventory

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Selling Paradox ‘Minnow’



‘Minnow’ is a Matt Layden Paradox, shallow draught, sailing beach cruiser designed for one person. The original ‘Paradox’ was sailed for thousands of miles by her designer, many of them while exploring the Bahamas and the Everglades. Several Paradoxes have been built and sailed by enthusiasts in various parts of the world. Here in the UK there are 4, one of which is for sale, namely ‘Minnow’. She is a standard Paradox, except for the upper structure of her cabin above deck which has separate side windows, and at the rear there is a removable washboard to facilitate easy access for her solo crew.

I placed a ‘For Sale’ advert* at Ebay.co.uk which immediately brought a favourable response with several enquiries. Since then there have been 1,238 viewings of the advert, and Ebay watchers have grown in number to 40! There are 7 days left for the advertisement to run. In addition to the interest shown via Ebay, there’s been an exchange of emails between me and other parties amounting in total to 56. There are 7 people who have shown a persistent interest in ‘Minnow’, out of whom 3 are devising means of acquiring sufficient money to buy her. Two people have actually looked at her, and both liked what they saw; one is trying to find funds for acquiring her.

The above seems to sum up the situation. There are many dreamers who would become doers if they had the money. People are feeling the pinch because of the high cost of living. Until the economy improves, boats will be advertised for sale, but few will be sold, even at bargain prices. ‘Minnow’ is going for a song! All it needs is for one person who has the dosh to acquire her. Are you that person? Procrastinate, and your chance could be lost.

*Enter the following number into the ‘Search Box’ at Ebay.co.uk: 161437876632 (Now expired)

I can be contacted by phone at 07588288060 or by email at barnacleid at yahoo dot co dot uk.

Links

Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 2


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 3


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay - Inventory

Monday, September 22, 2014

UK Matt Layden Paradoxes


 
'Faith', 'Johanna' and 'Little Jim' at Poole Harbour
 
 
'Little Jim' and 'Faith' at the Scillies


To the best of my knowledge, there are four Matt Layden Paradoxes in the UK. They are in age order from the oldest to the newest: ‘Little Jim’, ‘Minnow’, ‘Faith’ and ‘Johanna’.

‘Little Jim’

 
'Little Jim' at the Beale Boat Show
 
 
'Little Jim' at Poole Harbour
 
Had it not been for Al’s Paradox, I doubt I would have built ‘Faith’. Twice, Al made me welcome at his home to see his boat. Each time I was impressed with her attributes, particularly her ergonomics; that’s to say, the way in which everything comes to hand for working and a living aboard. She was a user-friendly package, including her one-off trailer designed by Al. This was the sort of minimal sailing cruiser for which I was looking; a boat cheap to maintain, a trailer sailer for solo cruising. I could keep her in my garage when not in use. Al gave me a trial sail at Plymouth and I became fully convinced she was the boat for me.  ‘Faith’ was conceived, and the rest is history.

Al’s very useful website for new builders of Paradoxes:


‘Minnow’

 
'Minnow' at Home
 
 
'Minnow' at Burnham-on-Crouch
 
This Paradox, which I own, was the second to be built in the UK.  She was built by Derek Clark. Once again, Al played a part by assisting Derek when he first sailed ‘Minnow’ at Poole Harbour. For health reasons Derek had to give up sailing. The boat was taken to Norway where she remained for several years until I acquired her.  Incidentally, when she was sold by Derek, I bought her road trailer for ‘Faith’. ‘Minnow’ is currently for sale as at 27th October, 2014.*

‘Faith’
 
'Faith' at St Just, Falmouth Harbour
 
 
'Faith' at Worthing

The only way of obtaining a Paradox was to build her yourself; therefore I got hold of the plans and spent one-and-a-half years building her. I had enormous fun bringing her into the world, and she rewarded me by sharing the first few years of her life. We sailed whenever we could. We explored local rives, including the Blackwater where she had a drying mooring at the Marconi Sailing Club. We had many adventures, including an unforgettable and wonderful cruise along the South Coast of England from Burnham-on-Crouch to the Scillies and back to Plymouth. Al joined me at Plymouth with ‘Little Jim’, and we sailed to the Scillies and back.

‘Faith’ is now owned by Jim (not ‘Little Jim’) who makes good use of her. She’s recently had a repaint.

‘Johanna’
 
'Johanna' at Poole Harbour

This splendid Paradox, beautifully built by Pete and owned by him, is based on the South Coast. Pete helped me decide what trailer to obtain for ‘Minnow’. He said he was satisfied with the one he had from De Graaff Trailers, but if doing it again he would change the rollers to flat ones. Pete has an excellent website where there’s loads of information about ‘Johanna’ and other Paradoxes – this is highly recommended.  He also has a Flickr Page with excellent photos.



Other UK Paradoxes

There may be more Paradoxes in the UK. If so, perhaps their owners or anyone who knows could drop me a line in the Comments Section.

*Note

I can be contacted by phone at 07588288060 or by email at barnacleid at yahoo dot co dot uk.

Here are a few related Links:

 Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 2


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 3


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay - Inventory

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Videos of ‘Faith’ - a Paradox Sailboat



In the summer of 2007 Al Law and I sailed our Paradoxes from Plymouth to Falmouth and back*. We had a great time. Al made a number of video clips showing ‘Faith’ under sail, and I published them at my Small Sailboats website and at YouTube. When I closed the website I also removed the videos from YouTube. On reflection, I think I should not have given up the website; neither should I have closed my YouTube account.

By way of rekindled interest in Paradox, although I am selling mine**, I thought it would be good to make the videos available again for public viewing; hence I have opened a new YouTube Channel to which I may post more videos.

Meanwhile, by clicking this link, you should be able to see Al’s video clips of ‘Faith’:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9dfEPaTV4f5ltRL33W3OV3u_opeIYYnd

*My memory has played tricks; we actually sailed from Falmouth to Exmouth in company.

Links

The Cruise (An account of my cruise a year later with ‘Faith’ in 2008)


**Note: This listing has expired!!!!

‘Minnow’, my UK Paradox is for Sale at Ebay.co.uk

The Ebay item number is: 161437876632.

I can be contacted by phone at 07588288060 or by email at barnacleid at yahoo dot co dot uk.

Here are a few related Links:

 Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 2


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 3


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay - Inventory

Friday, September 19, 2014

Why Build a 'Paradox'?


 
 
Just imagine you are lounging in a comfortable bed while trillions of stars twinkle in the night sky above. You are, in fact, sailing Paradox as she glides over a glassy sea. She's being propelled by an almost imperceptible zephyr. You sip a coffee and replace your mug on its purpose-built gimballed tray. From within the cocoon of your immensely strong, compact ply and glass boat, you scan the horizon through 360 degrees - an easy task that can be done without moving from your bed, since you can conveniently see all around through the toughened Perspex cabin windows. There's no sign of life, apart from the triple loom of the lighthouse which you observed half-an-hour before, the one that matches the waypoint programmed into your GPS. This marvellous navigational aid is conveniently set at eye level, being attached to the window on the port side by its vacuum sucker, and, like the echo sounder, the light for the grid compass and the Ipaq PDA, it is powered from the mains battery, which, during daylight is charged by an efficient solar panel. A chart is spread on the transverse table above your lap, and routinely every hour you mark your position as determined by the GPS. The red LED lamp that's plugged into a cigar lighter, illuminates the chart. There's only another 12 miles to go, but at 2 knots you'll not arrive before daybreak. Comforted by this fact, you relax and enjoy the only audible sound, a satisfying musical gurgling from the stem as it cleaves the water, while astern there's a magical phosphorescent wake resembling millions of sparks showering from a Guy Fawkes rocket. Paradox holds her course for many minutes at a time; only now and then does your hand rest on the steering line to make the slightest tweak to realign the luminous North pointing arrow of the compass so that it is central to the grid.

As you look around your boat that you so carefully built according to the wonderfully detailed drawings of Matt Layden, you realize your deep contentment cannot be measured; no other yacht, no matter how expensive, luxurious or prestigious could bring such joy. When the going gets tough her overhead hatch can be pulled to, and being watertight, the interior is kept snug and warm, while fresh air enters the cabin through an ingenious ventilation system, i.e., a 'vent box', that also supports the mast. Should your miniature, but rugged coastal cruiser get caught in the ultimate storm, she most probably would survive because of her strength. Even if she were to turn turtle (a most unlikely event, because of her well above average ballast ratio), she would definitely right herself. Her arched deck and the buoyancy of her cabin top would make her unstable in the inverted position. What if somehow she became flooded? Her fixed buoyancy in the form of foam insulation should keep her from sinking. Perhaps the feature you love most about your treasured possession is the ease with which her sail can be hoisted, lowered or reefed from within the cabin. There's no need to venture on deck, even in the roughest conditions, which means you can avoid exposure and the dangers of being outside the boat. For these reasons you admire the ingenious, but simple system Matt devised that allows the single lug sail to be furled around the boom. This procedure is hardly more difficult than rolling a window blind around its roller, except you need to use two hands and have a little practice at synchronizing the movement of the halyard and the furling line. When there's no wind, out comes your yuloh that is stowed on the starboard side deck, and the sail, yard and boom are lowered, before being secured on the port side deck where they are retained by a metal loop.

While you remind yourself of the fine characteristics of Paradox, you note that a swell has started to make itself felt from the south west, and the masthead light is gyrating accordingly. The wind suddenly freshens and there's a pitter-pattering as waves slap the side of the hull. Your little ship begins to heel and her inclinometer shows 6 degrees. You adjust the sail and secure the sheet in the jam cleat while you make a mental calculation of your new ETA. You are thankful that Paradox is now sailing at her average cruising speed of 3 knots, which should mean you'll be able to find shelter by entering the creek at sunrise, where you'll beach her on the sand just after high water. Her flat bottom and chine runners will enable her to creep right up to the water's edge, where she'll find the best lee behind the cliff from the freshening wind as it backs to the south east. You'll drop your small Fisherman anchor astern as you approach the beach and when the stem nudges the sand shortly after high water you'll lay out your 7 kilo Danforth from the bow mooring cleats. That'll be the conclusion of another fine sail at night, and you'll wonder why so few yachtsmen take advantage of the generally more stable winds to be found during the hours of darkness.

When the water ebbs, leaving the boat high and dry on the gently sloping sand, there's a welcome lack of movement; the sound of wavelets against the hull can be heard no more, but there's just the faintest rustling of trees above the cliff, and through the open hatchway you hear the soothing, rhythmical sigh of breakers as they discharge their energy on the distant dunes. You bring out the eggs and bacon from their plastic boxes in the food storage locker below the cabin floor and you light the stove. Three thick rashers of bacon are first placed in the frying pan, and when they are partially cooked, two large eggs are broken into the pan to accompany them. As the smoke flavoured bacon sizzles, the fried eggs assume their familiar, irregular form - a mixture of white and yellow. You heartily gobble down your choice cereal, lubricated with fresh milk. Your kettle is partially filled in readiness for a cup of tea and for washing up after breakfast. To your mind there's nothing more pleasurable you could possibly be doing. After a morning nap, you will spend the rest of the day exploring the area, even if it means wearing waterproofs, which you never wear when at sea, because your are protected from the elements by your cleverly designed boat. Matt even thought about how to make it an easy task to get in or out of the boat when she's beached by providing a permanent step attached to the rudder stock. This step would be useful for boarding the boat after enjoying a swim at some idyllic anchorage. The kick-up rudder can be fully raised in the vertical position and it is unusually large, because to a degree it acts as a keel by preventing leeway in conjunction with the boat's unique, but efficient chine runners.

As you ponder these attributes you also wonder what adventures tomorrow will bring, and you further conjecture what you may be doing next weekend. Perhaps you'll take the boat on her trailer to one of the East Coast Rivers and you may invite your grandson to share the experience? After all, although your boat is small, there's enough room for both of you, even over night. You know you can afford the costs of taking the boat by road, because you are not lumbered with paying for a mooring or hard-standing during the winter, neither do you have to fork out for having the mast lifted by a crane when laying the boat up; indeed you can easily do any maintenance with little expenditure, since your micro boat is so undemanding.

You clap your hands with glee, because you know you are the most fortunate of sailors. Your characterful little ship has so many excellent features, and you don't pay any visitor's fees at most marinas, if you can bear to visit them! You simply tie up to the dinghy pontoon. You can't believe your good fortune and credit yourself with great wisdom. You're the happiest of mariners.

Bill. 24.10.06

Note: This listing has expired.

‘Minnow’, my UK Paradox is for Sale at Ebay.co.uk

The Ebay item number is: 161437876632.

I can be contacted by phone at 07588288060 or by email at barnacleid at yahoo dot co dot uk.

Here are a few related Links:

 Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 2


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 3


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay - Inventory

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Paradox Sailboat Trial Cruise


 

Here’s an article written by Glen Maxwell, the builder and first owner of ZoĆ«. With Glen’s blessing I first published his account at my old Small Sailboats website. Copyright is still Glen’s; therefore please do not republish it for financial gain. This blog is entirely non-commercial. I make no profit from advertising or by any other means from what is published here.

ZoĆ«’s Sea Trial by Glen Maxwell

It was my view that in order to really get to know ZoĆ« and learn her quirks I would need to spend a few days, at the very least, just sailing and living aboard her. I decided to sail from Cedar Key on the Gulf of Mexico south to my brother Gary’s home in Port Richey, where if need arose, I could effect repairs or modifications at his dock. From there I would continue to Ancolote Key and then to Honeymoon Island just north of Clearwater. Rather then striking straight out across the gulf the 57 nautical miles to Port Richey my track would lead me along the coastline and afford the opportunity to explore grounds new to me.

I arrived in Cedar key on December 3rd, accompanied by my wife Nancy and my mom, just before noon at low tide and with a dieing breeze. By the time Zoƫ was in the water and I had her sail up there was no wind at all. After good byes all around I shipped the yuloh and headed out to the channel where a light breeze left a wind line, it was 12:40 Dec. 3rd 2001.

Mr. Yuloh and I were still not great friends at this juncture and after about twenty minuets of trying to get it to stay on it’s bronze ball I decided I would either have to come up with a way to keep it there or replace it with a sculling notch upon my return home. Shortly I hit on the idea of securing a line to the base of the pivot in such a way as to leave a long tail on both sides. The yuloh was then mounted and the line tied around its shaft such that it was captive to the ball but allowed to move all around. Finally, off we went sculling down channel.

Off and on for the next hour the breeze would fill in from behind only to die away after a while and I would alternately scull and sail. The good news was that in these zephyrs of about 5 mph Zoƫ would accelerate rapidly to between 2.5 and 3kts as reported by the GPS.

While I was launching ZoĆ« two men were in the process of loading their sea kayaks with camping gear and it wasn’t long before I could see them paddling past and along the shoreline. I elected to get away from the shore a little in hopes of finding some wind and about 2:30 the breeze filled in from behind and held. The wind, though light was sufficient to get ZoĆ« up to a whopping 4kts, the fastest she had sailed yet. At this speed she was only ¾ knot away from her calculated hull speed. The wind could not have been more then 8kts at this time and the sea was very smooth.

By 3:30 I had picked out a likely anchorage in the mouth of Deep Creek and set my course for it. I caught sight of the sea kayakers, also at this time, far back and along the shore, I had regained the lead. Around 4:30 the wind veered into the northeast and forced me to come up hard on the wind for a forty-five minute beat to an anchorage in the west pass to Deep Creek. While beating, the kayakers caught up to me and headed into the west pass where there appeared to be a small hammock suitable for camping. I elected to give them some privacy and altered course for the east pass.

After getting my anchor down and while setting about the evening chores I noted the kayakers underway behind me paddling to the east. It was now 5:30 and the sun was setting. With only about 30 minutes of day light left and no camping areas in sight their plight was grim indeed and I could only imagine how they would have to search for a suitable campsite in the dark. I, on the other hand, reveled in the fact that my habitat was secured to the bottom and I need only prepare my evening meal and turn down my bed, a warm and dry place to sleep having previously been assured.

For a mattress I had on board one of the inflatable type of twin size and cheaply procured from Wal-Mart prior to departure. I found that it was easily inflated with a 12 volt pump designed for the purpose but that it took all of seven minutes to accomplish the task and once the pump was removed and the mattress dropped into place it was a pain to pull it up and add more air should it be needed. However, the fit was perfect for the interior of Zoƫ and once in place and properly inflated it was grand indeed to lay under the open hatch, wrapped in my sleeping bag, and watch the stars dance through the window of the hatch frame.

5:45 the morning of 4 Dec. found me up and about and while it took seven minutes to inflate my mattress it deflates in less then one and is easily folded in thirds and rolled up to be stowed in the “forward stateroom” along with my pillow and sleeping bag thus clearing the main cabin in as little as 5 minutes, less if I don’t take the time to bag the sleeping bag. All the while my coffee has been brewing on the little gimbaled stove, which resides in the port aft locker. When brewed, the coffee is transferred into a thermos and the pot cleaned to receive more water, which is brought to a boil and poured into a large mouth thermos containing Ramen or instant rice. Once capped a hot lunch is assured with no cooking hassles. Before I was able to put my lunch water on I noticed that the tide was ebbing at such a rate as to leave me high and dry if I did not get myself into deeper water quickly. I darted forward, weighed anchor and sculled/drifted out the mouth of Deep Creek where I once again anchored until I was ready to leave.

I finished my pre-underway chores while enjoying a first cup of coffee and listening to a pair of loons paddling nearby. I was not aware until this time that loons frequented this area on their migrations.

By 7:10 I was underway, having stowed the ground tackle in the aft starboard locker. You may wonder what it is like walking around on deck of such a small boat. Well, it is initially like walking around on the gunwale of a canoe with the exception that, properly ballasted, the Paradox stops short (about 8”) of putting her rail under. It takes awhile to get your confidence up that she won’t get you wet, but by the end of my trip I was walking down her side deck with a retrieved anchor, chain and rode in a canvas bag with out a worry whereas at the beginning of the trip I was hunched over the cabin gripping the mast for fear of a capsize as I went for and aft.

I left the anchorage in a 10kt breeze from the NE that allowed me to broad reach on a course that would take me out to sea about 5 miles which I allowed as enough of a clearance around the nuclear power plant at Crystal River to be safe from their security zone should one be in place. A 7:30 entry in my log records that we were doing speeds of 4.8 to 5kts and as the winds increased during the morning our speed did likewise. By midmorning in a 12 to 15kt wind the GPS indicated a sustained speed of 5.5kts with bursts to 5.9. Later I was to note that the max speed recorded by the GPS was 6.3 but I never actually saw it that high.

With the sea state up to about three feet and occasionally rolling into our starboard stern quarter, sending spray up to and over the hatch, I decided it would be a good time to try out the below decks helm station. Folding the seat into its stowed position, I arranged my seat cushion, which has a built in back rest, to port and closed the hatch. It was simply delightful; here I was completely protected from the elements, a cup of hot coffee in one hand and the tiller line in the other as we boiled along at a steady 5.5kts. The only thing I want to add is a port in the hatch so that I can see the sail in order to properly trim while steering from below. I have left room between the end of the hatch and the solar panel for this eventuality.

The helm, while very light, had enough weather helm in it that I decided to play with getting Zoƫ to steer herself. To this end I tied a short section of line to the aft bulkhead thru the tiller line exit hole in such a way as to allow me to put a rolling hitch around the tiller line with the other end. In this way I could add or subtract tension on the tiller line by sliding the rolling hitch back and forth. After some fiddling a degree of success was attained and I was allowed the freedom of a few minutes away from the helm to attend to such matters as reading the chart and fixing my position, pouring another cup of coffee or later in the evening fixing myself a drink. The success was limited in that any gust of wind would send her up to windward and while I was often able to bring her back by just a quick pull in the weather direction, often as not I would be required to start the fiddling all over. I deemed it unsatisfactory on a broad reach to the extent that I will fit an Autohelm 800 from my spares locker at home for the next trip so that I will be allowed to read while in transit. Later in the trip I had the opportunity to use the same setup while beating to windward and found that Zoƫ self-steered to windward very satisfactory as do most sailboats.

My log also records that at 9:20 the first fish of the trip was caught and landed. Of it’s type I am uncertain but think it was a scorpion fish, at any rate it looked unsavory enough that I returned it to the sea, four others were eventually caught during the trip and likewise released. I will go on record that I am not a sport fisherman, lacking the patience to sit and soak a worm so to speak, but I do love a fresh fish dinner. To this end my tackle box is very rudimentary, consisting of a very heavy line, that some have referred to as weed whacker line, with a heavy steel leader on one end and a bungee cord on the other which I affix to one of the stern cleats. I’m more often then not attending to more pressing matters such as reading when a fish takes a liking to my bait which is usually just a piece of white or red rag on a suitable hook. I’m generally made aware that “I have one on” when I look aft and see the fish skipping across the surface having long since drowned in the case of a small/slow one or a bow string tight bungee cord in the case of a big/fast one. For this trip I substituted a Johnson Silver Minnow for bait and light line and leader, which later would prove a mistake as I approached my brothers the following day. Another “must have” for the truly indolent fisherman is a squirt bottle filled with denatured alcohol. A fellow cruiser in Venezuela introduced this item to me years ago. Once landed a fish will often as not want to make good his escape and even if you should want this for him as well, as in the case of a barracuda, you will probably want to retain your lure. Enter the alcohol, a quick squirt down the trashing beasts mouth and over his gills will instantly transform him into a hunk of peaceful flesh, allowing you to retrieve your lure and dispose of him in the way of your choice. Lacking denatured alcohol any alcohol will do, although a doctor friend has warned me that isopropyl should not be used as it is not good for our systems, and many are the times I have had to blow a mouthful of good rum down a fish’s mouth for want of denatured alcohol. Such was to be the case the following day as I approached my brother’s canal when I landed a Spanish mackerel of about eight pounds. While fumbling with the rum bottle and dangling the mackerel from the leader he succeeded in breaking the leader and making off with my lure. This was especially painful as

Later in the day there was some excitement while sailing thru the channel leading into the cross Florida barge canal. I was steering to go midway between two spoil islands and traveling at around 5kts when I saw waves breaking directly ahead of me, I might add that it is very hard to see breaking waves from the back side, realizing it was a shallow spoil area I quickly headed up and was able to clear it, barely. Zoƫ almost had her first high speed grounding, an item not on the sea trial check list.

By 1:00 pm the winds had fallen off and we were off the Bird Keys and the ST. Martin Keys. I had hoped to stop here and do some exploring but found the tide down so far that it was dry out about a mile from the keys so I fell off and continued SE. A 2:00 pm log entry reports: “ for the last few hours we have been sailing over water so shallow that you can occasionally hear the grass scraping on the bottom. The water is very clear and it is amazing that we are still sailing at 2.8 to 3.2kts. This is so much FUN!”

Around 5:00 pm I was able to get an anchor down behind a very small key about a mile and a half offshore amongst the Chassahowitzka Reefs. We had made good a distance of a little more then 33 nautical miles, in first moderate and then light airs, certainly a better showing then the previous days 11.8 nautical miles. I could see Crawl Key to the south about a half-mile away but decided to stay put because I was afraid if I went any farther I might not find any better anchorage and it might be worse. As it turned out the next day the choice was a good one. I had hoped to get out and stretch my legs but the tide was so high that there was nothing but saw grass and scrub to walk around in. Having only about an hour of daylight left I decided to get dinner out of the way and then catch up on my log (I record the day’s events on a micro recorder and then transcribe into my logbook). After preparing a one-pot meal in my pressure cooker I wolfed it down surprising myself at how hungry I was. One of the great things about the Paradox design is that when it comes time to do the dishes, one only needs to lean over and the boat rolls down enough that you can wash up in the sea water without the need to bring water aboard in a bucket. If you do need to use a bucket, because of very shallow water or if you are dried out it is handy to stand at the back of the hatch with the bucket on the after deck while you take care of your chores.

Just as I had finished my meal the wind veered enough so as to take away the protection once offered by the small key to windward and a chop began developing. I went forward and weighed anchor, returned aft and shipped the yuloh and sculled my way into quieter waters and anchored anew. This was accomplished without tying down the shaft so the training device was working. By this time I was also much more comfortable walking up and down the side deck.


That night as I lay upon my poorly inflated mattress and contemplated the stars overhead I began to question the virtues of my bed. The air chambers were long tubes like the ones popular for floating on in pools and as such it was not as comfortable as it had been the previous night when I was so tired I had fallen asleep within minutes of laying my head down. I considered how annoying it was to inflate it while listening to the howling blower motor for an unseeingly long seven minutes, only to find that after I had put the inflator away that I would now need to get back up and add some more air. Would a good quality self-inflating camping pad be the answer? I would have to wait until I got to Gary’s to get one. Other then that I dosed off feeling very fortunate to be micro-cruising in such splendid comfort aboard a little vessel of my own building and one which was so well appointed thanks to the attention Matt Layden had given her when he designed the Paradox.

The morning of the 5th found me lounging in bed as the sunlit up the sky thru a light fog. A pair of loons communed in the distance and the sound of fish breaking the surface drifted over the glass smooth water to where I lay thinking of what the day would bring. The distance to Gary’s channel entrance was approximately 22 miles so there was no need to hurry with breakfast and the morning chores. I reached up and slid back the hatch and peered into what little sky broke thru the low fog. Switching on the VHF weather channel I was informed that the day promised to be a nice one with winds forecast from the northeast at 8 to 12kts veering into the east as the day wore on.

After stowing my sleeping gear I put on a pot of coffee and fixed myself a light breakfast, prepared a lunch of Ramen in my thermos and made ready to get underway by washing and stowing all lose gear. The anchor was aboard by 0735 and after raising sail I settled on a port tack course that would clear all hazards and take us to the entrance channel to Gary’s house. What a wonderful morning sail we were having as ZoĆ« skipped along at 4.6 kts over a smooth sea who’s surface was broken every now and again by startled mullet who happened to stray into our path. As we passed Crawl Key I could see that there was no better anchorage then the one we enjoyed the previous evening and it too was not very interesting at close range. I was disappointed at the lack of interesting keys for a shoal water sailor to explore along this stretch of coast.

The morning wind was steady and our point of sail sufficient that ZoĆ« would sail herself without the need for attention long enough that I was allowed to read and watch the sea roll by. I streamed the fishing tackle from the starboard stern cleat and settled in with a copy of Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”, occasionally glancing at the compass or scanning the sea in all directions to insure our own survival. This was the type of sailing I loved.

About 10:30 I glanced at the fishing line and noticed we had a fish on. It turned out to be the large Spanish mackerel I mentioned earlier. After resetting the tackle and streaming it once again I went back to my “watch keeping”.

12:40 found us off the entrance to Gary’s house but the tide was so far out that even ZoĆ« with her 9” draft could not get closer then about ½ mile. I dropped and stowed sail and attempted to scull and pole my way in but was soon aground. No problem, I set out the anchor and made up my bunk for a little nap while awaiting the tide. What a rough life!

By 2:00 the tide was up enough that I could start the scull to windward and this I did but I first tied down the yuloh with the “training device” knowing that I would be at it for a while. Along the way I passed some gentlemen fishing from a pontoon boat. We haled each other and many kind words were spoken of ZoĆ« and I beamed with pride as we sculled on. It took a little over an hour to cover the 1.6-mile trek up the channel to Gary’s dock. As I rounded the corner of their channel I found Gary and his wife Sue waiting and waving, having been alerted to my arrival by a cell phone call just before weighing anchor. It wasn’t long before ZoĆ« was tied to their dock and all was made secure. A glance at the GPS showed a distance of 25.1 nautical miles made good for the day.

I spent the 6th of Dec. tied up to Gary’s dock while I took care of some minor problems, which had developed. One problem was the tang on the end of the boom was not stiff enough and would bend inward and occasionally bind while rolling the main up. This would cause the main sheet to be furled around the sail and lock every thing up. Of course this would happen while I was looking forward so by the time I discovered the problem I would have a mess on my hands and have to hoist the main and untangle everything. Also I found that the sail was not as easy to furl as I had hoped because as the main halyard was slacked the sail would fall making it difficult to haul in the furling line. Every thing seemed to work fine if I supported the boom while furling. The only way to do this and free up both hands to control the halyard and furling line was to let the boom rest on the coach roof while furling. I felt a topping lift would solve the problem so I rigged a temporary one to try on the remainder of the trip. At a craft store close to Gary’s house I acquired some leather scraps and used them to make holsters for pens, pencils, flashlight and knife by nailing the leather to appropriate places on the bulkheads and uprights, thus ensuring they would fall easily to hand when needed.

The 7th dawned clear with a light offshore breeze and after a cup of coffee with my host and hugs all around I walked down to Zoƫ and cast off. A pull on the new topping lift and the furled sail came up ready to be hoisted. The Paradox is lug rigged thereby requiring the topping lift to lie on one side or the other of the sail. I had rigged it to lie on the starboard side and attention was needed for the first few feet to insure the yard did not get on the wrong side during rising. The sail went up with out a problem and we were away at 08:30. The sail down the channel and into the Gulf were uneventful and took only 15 minuets, having the wind and current with me.

Once into the Gulf I decided to sail around and explore a few of the many stilt homes that have been built about a quarter mile offshore. After picking out an interesting looking one I hardened up on the port tack and Zoƫ and I sailed over for a closer look. As we approached I had fantasies of living out here in the gulf on just such a home built up above the water about 12 ft. As I got closer the attractiveness began to tarnish, the home, while in good repair seemed lonely and sad, the stench of seabird guano grew more appalling with every foot we approached until when we were actually down wind the stench made my stomach churn. I quickly jibed over onto the starboard tack and made haste to depart the offensive area, so much for fantasies of stilt homes.

Once I had cleared the area enough to jibe back over onto the port tack I did so and set a course for the northern end of Ancolote Key. The idea being to approach from up wind and then fall off and sail down the coast as close as I could get to do some exploring. In this fashion, should some thing interesting ashore catch my eye, it would be a simple matter to round up and beach Zoƫ.

With well over an hour to arrival I figured I might as well get out the fishing gear and try my luck. In short order I had a line over and had settled down for a delightful morning sail. This was the first time that I had been running free on the trip and shortly it dawned on me that we were not rolling. I had been concerned during the building of Zoƫ that because there was no boom vang she would have a tendency to roll her guts out when off the wind. I was sailing along at 4.3 kts downwind with only a very slight and by no means uncomfortable oscillation about the roll axis. After thinking about it for a little while I can only surmise that the chine runners were acting as roll dampers or perhaps the balanced lug rig is not prone to inducing roll off the wind. Whatever the case, it was a very pleasant surprise and endeared the little Paradox design to me even more.

By the time we reached the north end of Ancolote Key the wind had died to almost nothing and we ghosted along the Eastern Shore at about a knot and a half. I did manage to catch another small scorpion fish and release him. At this speed the fishing line is more trouble then it is worth so I stowed it away.

Ahead of me, a steel cutter of about 30 feet lay to her anchor and my track would take me down her port side for a closer look. As I approached a weather-beaten old man appeared from the hatch and spoke of his overnight passage from Pensacola. He was very proud of the fact that his old rusty girl had averaged 5 kts for the passage and having just arrived was getting ready to retire to his berth for a well-earned sleep. I bid him pleasant dreams and continued on my way.

My destination was an attractive beach near the south end and upon arrival I sailed Zoƫ right up onto the beach. Taking my anchor bag in hand I stepped overboard and waded ashore where I set the anchor and then walked back and made the line fast to the bow cleat. An abandoned lighthouse stands guard over this end of the key and I gathered my camera to go and have a look. I walked along the beach marveling at the absence of people. It being a Saturday I had anticipated a fleet of boats and their crews enjoying the beautiful beaches here.


Once at the lighthouse I climbed to the top and surveyed the island. Zoƫ lay peacefully at anchor to the west with her bow touching the beach just as I had left her. Around the south end of the island a creek opened up and led into a beautiful and protected anchorage. Across the sand spit guarding the anchorage a clean white sandy beach stretch for miles to the northwest end of the island. A fishing boat of about 30 or forty feet appeared shipwrecked up the coast a half a mile or so. On the northeastern side another anchorage surrounded by mangrove was accessible from the south and a character type cabin cruiser lay to anchor there. I took a number of pictures and then descended the long circular stairway as a young couple made their way to the top.

Back at ZoĆ« I elected to shove off and sail around to the anchorage on the Westside. Within minutes we were underway and after a pleasant sail around the southern tip I was able to test ZoĆ«’s short tacking ability as we entered the mouth of the tidal creek. The starboard tack was favored and we were able to sail almost to the shoreline, after about six tacks in which ZoĆ« never failed to come about we found ourselves in a bay of sorts and sailed to within a few feet of the western shore and anchored for the evening.

 
Jumping overboard into ankle deep water, I made my way across the sand spit to the beach and took a stroll toward the wreck seen from the lighthouse. I hadn’t gone far when a light rain began to fall so I turned and headed back. Across the bay from me a man was walking northward, he waved in my direction and I waved back and continued on to ZoĆ« where I boarded and closed the hatch to escape the rain. After fixing myself a drink I settled down with a book and was thus occupied when the afore mentioned stranger showed up alongside. I opened the hatch and greeted him. He introduced himself as Mark van Abbema, a fellow sharpie enthusiast. I climbed out of ZoĆ« and closed the hatch to keep the rain out and we chatted about the relative merits of sharpies all the while getting soaked to the bone. As it turned out Mark was the owner of the cabin cruiser, Heart of Gold II, anchored in the mangrove bay on the east side of the island. The previous year I had been anchored in Ft. Myers Beach where a very attractive small cabin cruiser by the name of Heart of Gold was also anchored. As it turned out she had been his and was sold to build Heart of Gold II. Mark invited me to come over the next day for a visit. After promising to do just that we parted company. As he strolled back in the rain I climbed back aboard and shed my wet clothes for dry. I looked forward the next day’s visit and inspection of Mark’s new boat.

I awoke the morning of the 8th to find Zoƫ high and dry, the tide having gone out some hours before. A fresh pot of coffee was put on and by the time it was ready all aboard was ship shape and ready to go sailing when the tide returned. I took the opportunity to do some beach combing and walked about halfway up the beach past the wreck, which turned out to be a fiberglass inboard probably washed up during a storm. The beach here is a delight to walk on, clean white sand and fairly firm under foot. I marveled at the lack of trash so often found on Florida beaches. It seemed I had the whole of Ancolote Key to myself, the only visible signs of humanity were the fishing boats out on the Gulf and they were far enough out that their engines could not be heard.

Arriving back at Zoƫ I found the tide not quite high enough to float her so I set about fixing myself a big southern breakfast of bacon, eggs and grits. By the time the dishes were done we were free of the bottom.

Sail was set and we ghosted out of the bay at 10:10 am. It took a little over an hour in the light breeze to sail back around the southern tip and up into the mangrove bay where Heart of Gold II lay anchored. As I approached, Mark, who had been up on the north end of the island exploring, returned and bid me welcome. Shortly ZoĆ« was hanging off the stern along side Heart of Gold II’s tender, which I might add was almost as long as she.


The first thing one notices when stepping into the saloon of Heart of Gold II is how light and airy she is. While only having a beam of 8 feet she has a little over 6 and a half ft of headroom and large windows that light up a very comfortable interior. After a week aboard Zoƫ I felt as though I was in a palace. There is no bilge so you stand on the inside of the hull, which is varnished tongue and groove fir. There is a long desk down the port side and a couch that converts to a double over seven feet long on the starboard side. Going forward there is a head and a pantry port and starboard and then the pilothouse. Mark plans on marketing building drawings for her so keep an eye out if your interested in a very comfortable shoal draft motorboat with a lot of Character.

The remainder of the morning and early afternoon was spent visiting with Mark and listening to tails of his adventures after the launch and subsequent trip down the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and across the Gulf of Mexico to Ancolote Key. It would have been easy to while away a few days exploring and chatting with Mark but my time was running short so I bid farewell and following seas, slipped ZoĆ«’s tether and set sail in a dying breeze for the eastern end of Honeymoon Island.

It was all I could do to make it to a small spoil Island about two miles north of my destination before dark but once there I was able to find shelter from the wake of motorboat traffic behind it. After getting the anchor down and dinner out of the way I settled down for a little reading before retiring. It wasn’t long before the gentle motion and night sounds lulled me to sleep.

The 9th dawned clear with the barest of breezes stirring the pine needles on the casuarinas trees ashore. I had arranged to meet Nancy just after noon so I had the whole morning to make it to the haulout area. A leisurely cup of coffee was followed by the completion of my morning chores and Zoƫ was ready to go.

What wind there was came from the southeast and a slight current ran against us making the final leg of this trip a claw to weather against a foul tide. I took one long tack toward the northwestern end of Honeymoon Island causeway in hopes of finding shallow water and less current as well as to explore the area. It turned out to be a good choice, there was little current and the area was beautiful and full of wildlife. Tacking over onto starboard I made my way east along the causeway toward the bridge, which I would have to transit. I positioned myself as far to weather of the center span as possible and tacked over. The current was at its strongest here and two more tacks were required to get under the bridge where all wind was lost. The yuloh practice really paid off here, as I was able to quickly put it in motion and sculling as hard as I could, managed to stem the current and get thru the bridge where I was able to fall off enough to gather way under sail again.

I picked out a place on the beach that looked to be good for a haulout and nosed ZoĆ« ashore ending my first real cruise with her. As I prepared her for hauling out I reflected on my trip and the enjoyment it had given me. There is real wonder in building a boat from scratch and seeing her floating before you after months of hard labor and it can only be eclipsed by the delight it serves you during use. Oh yes there are still things to do, a skylight must be installed in the hatch, a chart table would sure be nice to keep the chart off the deck, a permanent topping lift controlled from below and let’s not forget that all important mattress. Another real pain in the butt, literally, is the seat board. No matter which cushion arrangement I tried, it was not long before my rear end was complaining about the hardness of the seat. Problems I put my thoughts to solving while I awaited my ride home.

Note: This listing has expired!!!!

‘Minnow’, my UK Paradox is for Sale at Ebay.co.uk

The Ebay item number is: 161437876632.

I can be contacted by phone at 07588288060 or by email at barnacleid at yahoo dot co dot uk.

Here are a few related Links:

 Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 2


Open to Offers for ‘Minnow’, My Paradox Sailboat – Part 3


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay


‘Minnow’ Advertised for Sale on Ebay - Inventory