The Sea Pearl

If you were travel down the West Coast of Florida in a human powered craft, what kind of boat would you choose. The 300 or mile so Everglades Challenge, which starts in St. Petersburg and ends at Key Largo, is not for the faint of heart. In t2001, the first year it was held, more than half of the fleet foundered before even making it across Tampa Bay.

The rules are simple. Row, paddle or sail. No engines of any kind.

There were more than a dozen different types of boats that took off Saturday morning, but one caught my eye. The 21-foot Sea Pearl, built by Marine Concepts in Tarpon Springs, is an open cockpit boat that can sail in less than a foot of water. It is light, fast, and best of all trailerable.

There were several Sea Pearl's in this year's race. I've been following the progress of Moonshadow, owned by Bill Fite, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer. When I checked last, Fite, who goes by the nom de guerre "Jarhead," was ready to cross Florida Bay with his pal Waterscribe.

I predict they'll make landfall in Key Largo this evening. You can follow their exploits on the Watertribe website. I am eager to talk with the sailors. I am hoping to some day buy one of these wind machines and take it around Florida. But unlike a surfboard, this sailboat will be a little hard to hide from my wife.