Captain David Ward, a consummate sailor took a Third Place in "THE 2020 HOOK" last year, also known as 'Death's Door Challenge'. His division PHRF V on his ship 'Unknown Lady 2' (Frer 36)

This year Ward took FIRST Place in "THE 2021 HOOK" in PHRF III, on his ship 'Unknown Lady 2' (Frer 36) Pictured is David (center holding trophy) with his Pre-Start Crew

WARD PLACED 3RD IN HIS DIVISION IN THIS YEAR'S (2021)Chicago -Mackinaw Race!!!

The HOOK Race 2021 Death's Door Challenge, Saturday, July 24, 2021 The HOOK Race is a 189 nautical mile race on Lake Michigan held each year in July. The challenging event starts outside the harbor in Racine, Wisconsin, ÒhookingÓ through Death's Door, a narrow and often treacherous passageway between Washington Island and WisconsinÕs Door County Peninsula, continuing across Green Bay, and ending in Menominee, Michigan. Originally run the same day as the Chicago Mac race, in 2021 the 38th consecutive HOOK will be held the weekend after the Mac, on July 24, 2021. In the following years, the HOOK will alternate to the week before the Mac (in 2022, July 16, 2022) and the week after the Mac. The first HOOK was sailed in 1984 with 12 boats. It was envisioned as a shorter and less expensive alternative to the Mac. The race grew to over 70 boats until 2020 when COVID 19 forced the cancellation of the Mac. In 2020, over 100 boats registered for the HOOK and the number of registrants was capped at 100.

While David Ward is a self-employed marine biologist, he has become an accomplished sailor. David has been involved in sailing now for over ten years. His first sailboat was a San Juan, the second, a Pearson, and now his "Unknown Lady" a Newport 30. David has been honing his sailing skills, particulary in racing. David has a few Mac Races under his belt as well.

David is a scientist who studies fresh water oganisms and their habitat. He chose this area of science because he loves the 'hands-on' factor; when he is out in the field collecting data, he has the chance to interact with what he is studying. Ward has both a Bachelors and a Masters in biology from Washington University in St. Louis. His first semester he studied marine biology in the Virgin Islands. When he was in high school he had the opportunity to research biochemistry at the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago and assisted at the Cook County Coroner's office.

One of his favorite projects was working on water quality issues for southern Illinois coal mines. Ward helped a client demonstrate that they could restored premining conditions. A local university had tried unsuccessfully to address the issue over a period of several years. The university's report raised more questions than it answered. He did the job in one year, which eliminated the second year allotted to him, for more study, because all of the agency's questions were addressed to their satisfaction. 'There is a difference between an experienced professional and a bunch of students with a professor looking over their shoulders. Consulting is more than just what you know but, being able to use what you know to solve problems."

The other project was another southern Illinois coal mine. This required adapting some indices designed for the western part of the United States for use in the Midwest. The project entailed recognizing certain features of the country and substituting conditions that occur.

David says analytical skills, writing and flexibility are three attribute that are essential to doing a job well. Not just documenting your observations but being able to provide anwers to question that have been posed. Flexibililty, because things may not go the way you planned and you may have to shift gears in order to answer the questions you have been looking for and being a good technical writer and being able to relay information so that lay-people can understand.

The advice Ward gives to people who are interested in this field are, if you can't stand the pressure don't go into the consulting portion. Instead consider governmental or academics. If you can tackle the pressure, every project is a new challenge.

Excerpts from the Chicago Tribune

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