EARLY BACKGROUND:
David was born in Alameda, California (May 17, 1924) and lived with his parents, brother and sister in Oakland, California, until around the age of 11. He then went to La Grande, Oregon, to live with his Great Aunt and Uncle. As a very energetic kid, he learned to hunt, fish, ride horses, climb, hike, camp and ski--great opportunities for any active, restless boy.
From 1943 to 1945 he was in the 10th Mountain Division (ski troops), saw combat in Italy, and along with an honorable discharge was awarded the Bronze Star. He completed college with a degree in Education, and then became involved in almost every aspect of the ski industry, from ski school director to general manager of areas all over America.
FAMILY:
David and his brother, Bob Clark, are the only immediate family living. David has 5 children (3M, 2F) who have given him 6 grandchildren (2M, 4F). He is very close to his family and appreciates spending time with them whenever possible. For the past 23 years David has been married to Lynda Summers-Clark, a great partner who supports his endeavors.
BOATING EXPERIENCE:
David has worked as a deckhand on refrigerator ships hauling potatoes between Puerto Rico and South America; managed a ferryboat carrying cargo trucks across the Bay of Fonseca between El Salvador and Nicaragua, and a number of other experiences. Finally, he was able to purchase his own sailboat, and began his adventures into the cruising world.
His first boat was a 36' Gulf Star motorsailer, his only boat with a completed interior. He then bought an unfinished 56' ferro cement boat, but it was never finished. Then in 1978, he bought a 31' Pacific Seacraft Mariah “kit” boat and named it Sea Me Now. It had no interior but was finished enough for him to make a complete circumnavigation from 1987 to 1991. This voyage was solo from New Zealand back to America. His first effort to establish the world record as the "oldest" solo sailor started in January 1993 and ended in August of 1995, when the boat was dismasted in the Indian Ocean. He was rescued and thereafter made another attempt (this time successfully completed) from December 5th 1999 to December 7th 2001.
STARTING OVER AGAIN:
After the loss of the Pacific Seacraft on his first attempt to establish the world record, David returned to the San Francisco Bay Area and started again from scratch. Everything he owned, along with “Sea Me Now,” was at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. He needed the basics, i.e. clothes, car, and musical instruments. With his Social Security check, a clarinet and tenor saxophone (provided by Selmer Instruments, Elkhart Indiana) he started to work and began looking for another boat, not only to live on but to take another stab at achieving his world record goal. In February of 1996 he found an 18-ton, 42-foot rusting steel hull with no rigging, no wiring, a broken engine, no sails or steering, broken windows, a partial plywood interior and bunches of loose empty Budweiser beer cans rolling around on the floor inside. This rusting derelict was named “Mollie Milar” after his mother, who passed away in 1994.
Combining a $500/month Social Security check and playing clarinet “gigs,” David succeeded in paying off all his indebtedness and getting the “Mollie Milar” ready to attack the oceans of the world and to make another attempt at that illusive world record as the “oldest person to circumnavigate the world solo.” On October 4, 1998, alone (except for his dog Mickey) he left Jack London Square in Oakland, California. Sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge, he made a left turn and pointed the bow toward Panama and thence to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he arrived in April of 1999. During the voyage almost everything broke or came apart. Thanks to the sponsorship of the Lauderdale Marine Center in Ft. Lauderdale, the following eight months was spent in their yard putting the boat back together again. By December 5th 1999, at age 75, David left Ft. Lauderdale and was once more on his way to meet new challenges and have some of the greatest experiences of his life. The trip was carefully monitored and documented, to verify its authenticity for the record books.
This adventure culminated years of dreaming and planning, tremendous hard work and tenacity, successes and failures, and much help from his many supporters.
SPONSORS AND HAM OPERATORS.
Over a hundred different companies around the world have provided equipment and services for this aging man of the sea. Not only on the 1993-1995 failed attempt but also on the 1999-2001 successful effort (see “Sponsor” page). In addition to the many generous sponsors of equipment and services, David is very grateful to the ham (amateur) radio operators all around the world who made phone patches, gave weather reports, kept his family and friends apprised of the latitude and longitude, and notified port authorities and the media in ports all around the world.
PHILOSOPHY:
Nothing is impossible for any of us if we want to do it enough to pay the price. The price being whatever it takes to accomplish the goal. Nothing pays off like tenacity, belief in yourself and enthusiasm. People either let things happen to them or they make things happen. Take your pick.
MICKEY:
A 10-year-old, white canine (West Highland Terrier) was the first mate. Mickey was all DOG. No pretences. He never took his job too seriously--did not really "guard" the boat and would not attack a flea. He loved everybody and will always be remembered. "Man's best friend" was lost at sea during the rescue off Cape Town, S. Africa.
Lynda and David