HAROLD &
KWAILAN LA BORDE
ALL A-BORDE…
Another voyage for
a seafaring family
By Halcian Pierre
Express
April 29, 2000
Page 7
Now
sit right back as we tell the tale, the tale of a tiny ship…
In
1960, Harold La Borde, his young wife Kwailan and good friend
Kelvin Wong Chong set sail in a little home-built boat about 26 ft long they
had christened Hummingbird I for the isle of Antigua.
It
was the beginning of many an adventure.
In
1969, the La Bordes sailed forth again, returning in 1973 as heroes, being the
first Trinidadian family to circumnavigate the globe, receiving the Trinity
Cross for their efforts, followed by another two-year journey in 1984-1986.
In
1996, the Express told the story of a promise neglected, as their second
vessel, Hummingbird II, their 40 ft ketch, lay rotting on a pier at
Chaguaramas. Nationals sympathized as
the family's elder son Pierre La Borde lamented the fate of that vessel, which
the late Prime Minister Dr. Eric Williams had promised to be housed in a
museum.
Today,
almost 40 years later, we are happy to report that the La Borde family is now
in the midst of setting sail once more.
The Express was there to record their preparations for yet
another sea-faring saga, which was scheduled to begin last night.
The
children are grown now, with Pierre, like his dad, an avid sailor who works as
a cinematographer.
Younger
son Andre lives in New Zealand and, like Harold, builds boats.
One
wonders about such passion and commitment for the sea and all it holds, and one
would also ask the obvious question - why do it again?
"This
trip is a spiritual journey of sorts, and there are no plans to break old
records," La Borde joked yesterday, looking much younger than his 67
years. "I am making a spiritual
pilgrimage to Spain to give thanks for our many blessings and successes in this
life."
"You
see, the year 2000 marks my 50th year of sailing, (40 voyaging) and
I can still remember when it all began in 1950, when I sailed the Gulf of
Paria."
The
crew is different this time around, as Harold and Pierre La Borde will be
accompanied by two new crew members - Jim Donaldson, an American single-hander
(he sails his own boat), and Allan Montrichard, a Trinidadian who hopes to gain
some experience on this trip as he, too, has plans to sail around the world in
the near future.
Kwailan,
unfortunately, won't be going along on this one, but will fly up to join them
in Spain as soon as she gets word of their arrival.
"I've
been working very hard to refurbish Hummingbird III for the past eight
months and make as many repairs as I can.
We haven't sailed her since 1995 as we've been devoting our time to
running Hummingbird Marine, one of the smallest marinas in
Trinidad," said La Borde. He spoke
with great pride of the marina, decorated with memorabilia collected over many
years of sailing.
The
crew of Hummingbird III will be sailing to Santiago de Compostela, an
island about 30 miles off the coast of Spain where that country's largest
shrine is located. Santiago (Saint
James) is buried there, and the shrine has been visited by many sailors who
have given thanks for their successful voyages.
The
route is a reprise of the "Reverse Encounter of Two Worlds" journey
that the La Bordes made back in 1992 for the Barcelona Olympics. They will be going eastwards, with westerly
winds behind them, then westwards with the northeast trade winds behind
them. It's off to Antigua first, then
the Azores in about 18 days time. It
will be another ten days to Vigo, in Spain, where he will wait for Kwailan to
make the pilgrimage with him to the shrine.
Kwailan
spoke of their preparations for the trip.
"It
hasn't been easy going, as Harold has had to do this all out of his own pocket,
but his love for the sea is very strong, and yes, we both get seasick at
times…I more than him actually, which is also why I'm not going up with him.
"Still,
someone has to stay behind and take care of the business while he's gone, not
so? Also, I want to take time out to
thank all the various institutions, banks and food companies who have rendered
assistance to us in whatever ways they have, and especially to the two
companies who have donated two life rafts to us as well."
Harold
hopes to return by years' end, but is doubtful because of the hurricane
season. "It is not wise to cross
the Atlantic at that time; it's better to do it in October, when it's much
safer."
Acting
as cultural ambassadors once more, they will be doing their part to promote
Trinidad at every opportunity. "We
have lots of Trini food on board," Kwailan said. "Red beans, (Angostura) Bitters, pigeon
peas and we can't forget the vital supplies, Crix. Plus we will be distributing brochures from TIDCO as well as
highlighting our marine industry as well."
Will
they be taking any keepsakes along with them this time?
"No,
no, nothing like that. Just a few books
to pass the time," Harold replied.
"I'll be doing most of the cooking, though, along with my friend
Allan." Corned beef, noodles,
baked beans, ravioli, rice and Harold's favourite, Chinese black mushrooms.
Does
he get homesick? Yes, but this time
he's taking a little bit of home along, as his sister-in-law baked two fruitcakes
for him.
He spoke
of a possible delay, though. In testing
the boat's engine, a slight problem developed, but he hoped to have it
rectified by cast off time last night.
"In
sailing, it all depends on the weather, sometimes."
Best
wishes on your journey, Harold.