Twenty-five days at sea - er, 25 days in the Intracoastal Waterway - Matt Layden of Rio is finally home. Gone is the month of March. Nearly over is the 2006 NCAA Basketball tournament. Easter is nearly here.

And Matt Layden has finished his version of the Odyssey, sans the sirens, all that treachery, and the agony of the Scylla and Charybdis - which he kind of saw in the middle of Lake Okeechobee and in the Okeefenokee Swamp.

What's up next for the weary traveler? A leisurely stroll to Idaho? A swim to Bimini?

Matt will be taking it easy for awhile, letting his lovely wife relax in knowing where he is and what he has eaten for dinner.

Thanks, Matt, for taking all of us along for the ride. I'm not sure how many folks have been on this blog, but it's probably more than you could fit into the Enigma.

And I know it's more than you wanted to drag down a two-lane road in south Georgia.

He is sailing through the Cross Florida waterway across the state. He'll sail to Fort Myers, and start his way up the Caloosahatchee River, cross Lake Okeechobee, and then sail on down the C-44 into the St. Lucie River.

Wow. Give us a water quality and fishing report on the way, Matt.

That's when Matt Layden crossed the finish line some 20 days and almost 13 hours after pushing his homemade sailboat Enigma off the white sandy beach at Fort Desoto Park.

The trip of Layden and his fellow travelers was akin to the Incredible Journey. Or The Fantastic Voyage - without the shrinking part. Kon Tiki without the wide open ocean part.

In any case, Layden was the third of the original 10 Ultimate Challengers to come all the way around. Unfortunately, some attrition took its toll on the field and at least three have already ended their journeys.

But all are to be commended for their efforts. No easy task committing to what could have been a month's worth of paddling kayaks or canoes, or trying to catch the wind the right way, or avoiding turning tides and various other pit falls.

Shark Chow - Warren Richey - whose mother Marge lives in on Hutchinson Island - was the first to make it back at 1:48 p.m. Thursday. An hour later it was Manitou cruiser, Mark P. (you'll have to get his whole last name from the Watertribe website). Five hours after that it was Matt.

Layden learned a lot despite being an extremely experienced individual who is somewhat of a survivalist already. He learned that first and foremost, his self-righting home made 12-foot by 3-foot sailboat works despite having no keel. He learned that a very good way to see the Sunshine State is to sail Florida's circumference. He learned that having a spare tire would help a great deal at times.

Enigma made great time from St. Pete to Key Largo although a late lack of winds enabled Shakr Chow and Manitou Cruiser to beat him there. But Layden spent less time re-charging in the Keys and took advantage of two days of hard southeast winds to shoot all the way from there to Jacksonville in three days.

Up the St. Mary's proved to be manageable for Matt and he maintained a two-day lead over his nearest trailers. But lack of winds and going against the current in the St. Mary's started taking its toll before he reached the beginning of the portage.

At St. George, he pulled his 200-pound vessel out of the water and attached his small wheels. A 140-pound man lugging a 200-pound boat down a small two-lane paved road is not exactly the speed of UPS. That enabled his chasers to close the gap even more.

Then, 20 miles in, he discovered that one tire had gone flat and began to separate. He had everything you need to fix a tire, except a spare. Basicaly, he told me, he had to improvise and make one to get going again.

Still, he reached Fargo, Ga. and the headwaters of the Suwanee River before anyone else. But two days down the river, the lack of wind bit him. Paddlers Shark Chow and Manitou Cruiser caught up and passed him on Tuesday.

Still, he forged ahead knowing that Cedar Key was at the end of the river and one checkpoint from the finish line. About 32 hours after reaching Cedar Key he made it back.

No one was more proud of Matt than his wife Karen who tried not to worry. But when your other half is traipsing through the Okeefeenokee Swamp where the gators grow to be longer than Matt's boat, and where they still regularly report UFO sightings, skunk apes, and moonshine stills, it's only natural to have concern.

Well done all. Thanks for carrying us along on your journey. And may the wind always be at your backs.

It was here that the other Challengers circled on their maps as the point where they might catch Matt. It's been tough to get reports from anyone due to the locations and logisitics of communication, but stay tuned to www.watertribe.com for comlete details as they become available.

Today, Wizardly Matt will begin his 40-mile overland portage. Imagine the thin, 140-pound Layden pulling a boat that weighs 180 pounds with probably at least 25 pounds of gear in it across land. I know it would be hard for me to walk 40 miles let alone drag a sailboat. He did fashion wheels that attach to the hull, but still...

The next nearest racer is Manitou cruiser and he is waiting for the tide change to leave Fort Clinch State Park at the mouth of the St. Mary's River. Shark Chow expects to reach the Fort Clinch checkpoint tonight.

Several of the others are making their way into a fierce headwind through Treasure Coast waters as we write. The northeast winds were too much for thereandbackagain who called it quits sometime today after reaching the St. Lucie Inlet. Paddling a kayak into a headwind with no legs was just too much, and he is awaiting his pickup now. Congratulations on making it this far.

He's pretty far ahead of the other folks in this event who are seperated by classes of vessels. Still, all should be commended for their progress. By the way, Thereandbackagain is an entry who lost both legs in an accident many years ago. He has just entered Martin County and is about a mile north of Jupiter Inlet as of 5 p.m. Tuesday 3/14.

Matt (Wizard) is doing very well. See everyone's updates at www.watertribe.com in the Discussion forum.

Track Matt's progess

Track Matt's course

That means he is averaging about 3.2 mph and that includes when he is not moving!

Since leaving Key Largo at about noon Wednesday, he has been averaging about 4.2 mph with the wind at his back. He is probably going to stay in ICW for at least another day, but will look for opportunities - maybe Sunday and Monday - to sail at sea where he has a more direct route.

He may make the Florida-Georgia state line by Monday or Tuesday! Then the going gets rough.

Still no exact confirmation of where his nearest chasers are - Shark Chow, better known as Warren Richey, a reporter with the Christian Science Monitor whose mother lives in Jensen Beach, and manitou cruiser. They may be anywhere from two hours to a day behind Matt who is leading the way.

Stay up on all the chatter from family members checking on Challengers at www.watertribe.com.

The Ultimate Everglades Challenge is coming to a close Saturday. Several boaters were hampered by the southeast winds and elected to cross from Flamingo to Key Largo across Florida Bay Friday night in darkness.

Then it was back aboard the 12-foot Enigma, his home for the past 6 days, and off to the north. Boat looked great, Matt looked great, so far so good for everything on his journey and the wind is at his back - all 20 knots of it.

He is the first Challenger through the unofficial checkpoint. The next official one is Sebastain Inlet which he expects to make Saturday morning.

By the way, what do you eat out there? This morning it was oatmeal, peanuts and raisins. His last big meal was while recharging in Key Largo - a omelet and biscuits at Harriet's.

Things are going well for him.

Although we do not have confirmation, Shark Chow and Manitou cruiser have supposedly left Key Largo.