Safmarine plucks elderly sailor from sinking ship

Ray Smuts

IN the finest tradition of seamanship, crew members of the Safmarine container ship E Monti laid their lives on the line in horrendous seas near Saldanha Bay last week to pluck an elderly sailor from his sinking yacht.
Near-octogenarian American David Clark could be, in the minds of many, a 'sucker for punishment' as this was his second rescue in an attempt to become the oldest living person to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe.
Hoping to complete this latest 7 000 nautical mile attempt to Fort Lauderdale by May 17 - which also happens to be his birthday - it was nevertheless a voyage destined to fail.
Undeterred by the incident, Clark has vowed to complete the voyage provided he can find another vessel. At the time of writing, Cape Town yachtsmen and amateur radio enthusiasts were assisting him in doing just that.

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