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Micro - cruiserMatt Layden designed the original Paradox. She was the result of many years of experimentation and improvement bringing about a synthesis of all that was good in his previous micro-sailboats. She's a very small (14') sailing boat that can be managed by her skipper from below deck. All control lines for operating the boat are accessible within her comfortable cabin. Therefore her crew can keep out of the elements, not needing waterproofs or a sun hat. Her perfectly watertight ventilation system keeps the interior dry and free of odours. Unusually for a cruising yacht, Paradox does not have a keel, centreboard or leeboards, instead she relies upon bilge runners to provide lateral resistance, and hence she draws only a few inches of water and is admirably suitable for estuaries and shallow seas. Her standing lugsail can be reefed with little effort without her crew having to go on deck. This safety feature is a bonus, as is the expenditure of minimum energy while reefing or making sail. In calm weather she can be propelled with a yuloh; hence an engine can be dispensed with. Consequently there is no need to carry fuel, and one is not exposed to obnoxious exhaust fumes, the smell of diesel or petrol. My "Paradox"At the time of publishing this page I believe only 3 Paradoxes have been built in the UK, but there are 2 more in the pipeline. I started building mine in August 2005 and she was completed in May 2007. I always had faith that from the embryonic stage she would develop into a fully functional craft capable of transporting her owner over magical seas to isles of fantasy - but more realistically, from one muddy East Coast creek to another! Bill. 27.06.08
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