Boating saved Loyd Sawyer’s life.
Loyd suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after completing a tour of duty in Iraq while serving in the United States Army. Working in Mortuary Affairs, Loyd witnessed horrific death and destruction that would haunt his waking hours and torment his sleep. Returning home, Loyd was stationed in Fort Lee, Va., where he participated in therapy and recovery groups, but they had little effect on his outlook.
Loyd’s PTSD affected every aspect of his life. He retreated into his house, unwilling to entertain guests, friends or family and he had difficulty keeping his anger controlled. He drank heavily, suffered insomnia and treated his family poorly as he was unable to process the emotions he kept bottled within. Loyd’s life fell apart as he struggled to cope with his PTSD.
Loyd’s first major breakthrough came when his wife and John Roberts of the Wounded Warrior Project insisted that Loyd join Project Odyssey, a Wounded Warrior Project program. Project Odyssey is designed to help veterans with PTSD overcome combat stress through connecting with nature, peers and trained professionals. Reflecting on his time with Project Odyssey, Loyd recalls that he was challenged to find what he loved doing and to become involved in his local community.
Therapy
Loyd was raised in Pantego, N.C., near Belhaven, along the banks of the Pungo River. He recalled growing up along the water and the love he had for boating when he was younger. Those fond memories inspired Loyd to embrace boating per his commitment to Project Odyssey.
Shortly after returning home from the Project Odyssey program, Loyd began searching for the perfect project boat. He wanted a boat that would occupy both his time and his mind, as well as challenge his skills. Finally Loyd found the perfect boat.
Loyd’s first boat was named Therapy, a Harkers Island Skiff fiberglass replica, before the maiden voyage. The first challenge Loyd faced was to strip down and rebuild Therapy from the water up. Therapy needed extensive repairs and upgrades to be worthy of the water, including a new engine.
During the restoration of the skiff, Loyd began to meet new people, neighbors and people in his community for the first time since returning home. While grinding the skiff’s boat floor, Loyd met Otis Newton, a veteran of the Korean War who recognized the skiff hull from his youth spent on Harkers Island. After the conversation, Loyd asked Otis if he would like to go out fishing once the repairs and restoration were complete. From that simple conversation, Challenge Outdoors was born.
Skiff To Pontoon
Challenge Outdoors is Loyd’s personal charity. Born of Loyd’s personal struggles with PTSD and his experiences during Project Odyssey, Challenge Outdoors engages veterans and the disabled in boating and pontooning.
After restoring Therapy, Loyd began to invite wounded and distressed veterans out on the open water, fishing and cruising, as a way to engage them. Loyd remembers it took his wife and John from Wounded Warriors a great deal of effort to sign him up for Project Odyssey. Loyd only vaguely remembers the time spent in his basement, isolated, and now he had a strong desire to help others who are isolated in their own personal basements.
Perhaps the most difficult step of helping someone recover from PTSD or a debilitating injury is to break through their personal walls and engage them. Loyd found the serenity and peace that had eluded him after returning from the war through boating, and now extends the hand of fellowship to others.
The first major obstacle and difficulty Loyd faced was helping wheelchair-bound and fully disabled vets into Therapy. He quickly realized that it was unsafe to lower people into the skiff without proper safety measures to ensure further injury or harm did not occur. Before long it was obvious he needed to upgrade his boat or scale back Challenge Outdoors, which was something he was unwilling to do. It wasn’t long before Loyd decided that he needed a pontoon.
Pier Mentor
Challenge Outdoor’s quest to secure a pontoon wasn’t easy. Over the course of two years, Loyd saved and searched for a pontoon that would meet a few different needs; he wanted the ‘toon to be wheelchair accessible, he wanted a great boat for fishing, and he wanted space to bring as many people onboard as possible. And sadly, he never found the exact boat he was looking for.
Instead, he found the shell of 24-foot Parti Kraft pontoon. The boat was in bad shape and needed a lot of work and attention to be suitable for Challenge Outdoors. However, having already restored and rebuilt Therapy, Loyd knew what he was up against.
The rebuild began with tearing down the ‘toon and inspecting the hull. Loyd discovered that the wood was rotted, which he proceeded to replace, treat and laminate. Holes and voids were filled with Loctite PL Premium. Grinding the floor of the pontoon took a little over 10 hours before laminating and painting the rebuilt deck. At this point in the rebuild, Loyd became increasingly more concerned about the integrity of the pontoons themselves and personally tackled the repair, restoring them to usability.
Loyd’s custom 24-foot ‘toon was at a stalemate. With pontoons and a flat deck, the boat still needed rails, seats, and most importantly, gas tank and engine. After months of saving, Loyd found an old, beat-up pontoon at the right price. From his new purchase he stripped the boat down, salvaging the gas tank and the back railing, while selling off the pontoons, much of the railing as well as the old motor which was inadequate for his needs.
The lack of a proper motor was the next obstacle Loyd tackled. Loyd built a custom motor by combining a 16.5hp Briggs and Stratton Lawnmower to a 30hp Johnson lower unit. Returning to the hull of the pontoon, Loyd reinforced the bunks and used deck braces to manufacture a rod rack. Then, using lightweight diamond plate for siding, he constructed custom-built railings using what he could from the two pontoons. Loyd tested his custom ‘toon, Pier Mentor, for the first time when he entered a fishing tournament with four other veterans using folding deck chairs for seats. Pier Mentor was a true platform boat in every sense of the word.
After the maiden fishing tournament, the first modification of Loyd’s now fully-functional pontoon was the addition of a 120-watt LED light bar to facilitate night fishing. An Anchor Wizard winch with 200 feet anchor line and a 100-gallon livewell rounded out the last of the modifications post-launch.
After the first year enjoying his custom pontoon, Loyd realized he needed an engine upgrade. For the first time during his project, he discovered he required the help of others. Setting up a GoFundMe account, Challenge Outdoors was able to raise the money necessary to purchase a 2014 Mercury FourStroke 60ELPT EFI BigFoot engine.
Challenge Outdoors
“To watch the resilience of the veterans has really helped me,” Loyd exclaims while explaining the development and growth of Challenge Outdoors.
With a completed Harkers Island skiff and a custom pontoon, Loyd is now positioned to help the disabled and wounded veterans. Loyd speaks openly and honestly of his PTSD, the trails that it has brought his life and family, and the challenges that he has overcome through boating. Looking back over his life since returning home and medically retiring from the military in 2008, Loyd comments that it wasn’t easy. The first major barrier to overcome was getting out of his shell and experiencing life again.
Two people who have left an indelible mark on his life and the development of Challenge Outdoors are Nicky Dayton and Clif Kurten. Loyd met Nicky in a PTSD class and introduced her to the joys of pontoon fishing and they have competed together in several fishing tournaments. Loyd met Clif at a Cat Fish Club Veterans Tournament and they have fished together ever since. Clif was recently deployed to Afghanistan, continuing his service to the United States Army.
Since starting Challenge Outdoors, Loyd has helped numerous people. When not ‘tooning around, Loyd can be found helping and volunteering in his local community of Colonial Heights, Va. Loyd regularly meets with shut-in veterans, the elderly as well as the disabled. While Challenge Outdoors does help numerous veterans, it is not restricted or exclusive to helping veterans. Looking ahead, Loyd plans to reach out to his local police department.
“I want people to know that they don’t have to live with PTSD and that they are not alone,” says Loyd. “They don’t have to live in a basement, bottled up the rest of their lives. They don’t have to be isolated, but it won’t happen on its own and it’s an effort.”
Looking forward, Loyd wants to grow Challenge Outdoors. He wants to help more people become involved in their community and to reach out and help those who are disadvantaged. Loyd hopes that everyone can experience the pleasure and the therapeutic beauty of being outside and not locked up inside.
For More Information
Challenge Outdoors
www.facebook.com/ChallengeOutdoors
Mercury Marine
www.mercurymarine.com
Wounded Warrior Project / Project Odyssey
www.woundedwarriorproject.org
