Boats of Wood, Men of Steel

The boats may be made of wood (or fiberglass), but the men are made of steel. A group of hardy, ultra-fit men with strange-sounding nicknames like "Shark Chow" attempted to circumnavigate the state of Florida in various types of watercraft powered by brute strength. The group, under the umbrella of watertribe.com, are competitors in The Ultimate Florida Challenge. As they left Ft. DeSoto on the first leg of the journey, Matt Layden (center), son-in-law of Cedar Key residents Millie and Jack Bayha, readied his 12-foot sailboat for launch. After heading south around the Keys, the group made their way north along the Atlantic coast to the Jacksonville area, then headed inland, portaging through the Okefenokee Swamp toward the Santa Fe and Suwannee Rivers. The race leader arrived in Cedar Key Tuesday afternoon and departed Wednesday morning, followed closely by the number two racer. Layden was in the number three position when he left Cedar Key at noon Wednesday. Millie Bayha reported that Layden finished the race in the number three position. Photo by Jack Bayha