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 Previous: Amateur Radio in the Kingdom of Bhutan |  Next: The K7VVV Solar Update |
NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 16, 2001--Within hours of a maritime disaster in which his sailboat sank and his beloved canine companion Mickey was lost at sea, 76-year-old David Clark, KB6TAM, was ready to once again set sail. Despite the devastating loss, Clark has vowed to continue his effort to become the oldest person to sail solo around the world.
 In happier times: Clark and First Mate Mickey aboard the Mollie Milar. Mickey was lost during the rescue after Clark's vessel went down. |
Clark may have ham radio to thank for being alive. According to media accounts, when Clark realized he was in trouble, he used his onboard ham gear to call for help.
Following his rescue February 7, Clark told his wife, Lynda, that he would complete his journey "if I have to swim." Clark had begun the final leg of his round-the-world sail when his vessel, the Mollie Milar, sank two days after leaving Cape Town, South Africa. He had hoped to reach Ft Lauderdale, Florida--where he began his journey in late 1999--by mid-May, a sail of approximately 7000 nautical miles from South Africa.
Clark now is back in Cape Town, thanks to several South African hams, and he's making plans to restart his adventure with another vessel. An earlier attempt by Clark to circumnavigate the globe ended similarly eight years ago when his vessel was dismasted and sank in the Indian Ocean.
Lynda Clark said that since speaking with her husband by telephone, she's been able to get more accurate details on what happened the night of February 7, when the Mollie Milar began taking on water and her husband and Mickey, a west highland terrier, had to abandon ship in rough seas.
"David does not know for sure where the leak started and did not discover it until the bow of the boat was pretty flooded," she said in an e-mail dispatch. The bilge pumps were unable to keep up with the flood, and the vessel was listing to port with its rails underwater. Clark is said to have put out a distress call via Amateur Radio, and his call was picked up in Cape Town and relayed to maritime rescue authorities. "It was very fortunate that there was a ship close by," she said.
Actually, Lynda Clark explained, there were two ships, but only the container vessel Emonte was equipped to mount a rescue effort. The Emonte launched a lifeboat with a crew of four. The boat subsequently capsized, but David Clark and Mickey were not aboard at that point. All of those overboard were retrieved. Initial reports had said that Clark and Mickey had been aboard the lifeboat when it capsized, and that the dog was lost at sea as a result.
With the initial rescue effort foiled and thinking the ship might not be able to rescue him after all, Clark prepared his own lifeboat for launch, she said. By then, the ship was within a few feet of Clark's 44-foot steel-hulled sailboat and again ready to attempt a rescue. "A large line with a 'monkey fist' (a large knot) was thrown down," she said. "Mickey was put into a sling to bring aboard first. With a lot of wiggling and squirming he was able to free himself of the sling before he reached safety and was lost at sea."
For his part, Lynda Clark continued, "David had all he could do to get himself up the side of that ship at this point, and limited time to do it." In a subsequent radiotelephone conversation with the Cape Times newspaper, Clark is reported to have said, "It was a night of high drama for me, but I'm determined to complete my world record."
Lynda Clark said the Emonte took her husband back to East London, where local amateurs headed by Deon Erwin, ZR1DQ, got him an airline ticket back to Cape Town. They also found sponsors for clothing and a hotel room in Cape Town. Matt Greyvenstein, ZS1MJJ, started up "The David Clark Boat Project" the day after the disaster following an on-air discussion, Lynda Clark reported.
Throughout his sail, Clark had been keeping in touch with his wife and family via ham radio, and he was a regular check-in on the Maritime Net on 20 meters. His vessel, which was named for his mother, also had satellite communication gear aboard.
"We are totally indebted to the people on the ship who rescued David and brought him safely back to East London port," Lynda Clark said. "And we can't express how much we appreciate the ham operators and all the people of South Africa who have loved and supported David and are now offering him so much assistance."
Another group of hams is said to be looking after Clark in Cape Town.
 Playing for his supper? During his voyage, Clark supplemented his budget by playing clarinet gigs--in this case at "The Poop Deck" in Nassau, Bahamas with the restaurant's owner Eloy Roldan, a friend and supporter looking on. |
During his journey, Clark has played clarinet at various nightspots to earn money to help fund the trip. It's reported that he's already got plans to obtain a new clarinet in Cape Town to start doing gigs again.
 Clark and his wife, Lynda, prior to his departure from Ft Lauderdale, Florida, on December 5, 1999. [David Clark] |
Lynda Clark said an account is being set up for her husband in Cape Town to accept donations to replace his boat. Donations to "David Clark's World Record" are invited to PO Box 4467, Moraga, CA 94575. While Clark has some corporate sponsors, he's been funding his trip largely out of his Social Security income and his occasional clarinet gigs.
"He will get to Ft Lauderdale to complete the goal, we just don't have the date yet," Lynda Clark said in another e-mail dispatch this week.
More information on David Clark's journey is available on the Web. (site 1; site 2)
| Previous: Amateur Radio in the Kingdom of Bhutan | Next: The K7VVV Solar Update |
