Harold La Borde (18 June 1933 – 12 June 2015) was a Trinidadian sailor and

adventurer An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

who from 1969 to 1973

circumnavigated Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magel ...

the world in his 40-ft

ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch fr ...

''Hummingbird II''. He was accompanied by his wife, Kwailan, and his five-year-old son Pierre. The couple were the first known Trinidadian sailors to cross the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

(and later to circumnavigate), for which they were awarded the Gold

Trinity Cross The Trinity Cross (abbreviated T.C.) was the highest of the National Awards of Trinidad and Tobago, between the years 1969 and 2008. It was awarded for: "distinguished and outstanding service to Trinidad and Tobago. It was awarded for gallantry ...

Biography

La Borde was born on 18 June 1933,

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, West Indies, to parents with mixed ethnicity. He was educated at a local Roman Catholic school and began his sailing career by building

dinghies A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, which ...

, in which he taught himself the rudiments of

seamanship Seamanship is the art, knowledge and competence of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea." It involves topics a ...

. La Borde's first book, ''An Ocean to Ourselves'' (1962) discusses how he built a 26-foot ketch ''Humming Bird''. Harold and Kwailan, who were married in 1959, made their maiden voyage in the 26-foot vessel, ''Humming Bird'', to England in 1960, together with a friend, Buck Wong Chong. The ''Humming Bird'' was subsequently sold, in order to finance the construction of a second, bigger boat. In 1960, at the early stages of the Nigeria's independence, Harold and Kwailan were invited to work at the ''Citizenship and Leadership Training Center at Kurra Falls'' in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. The centre was funded by the British government with the aim of moulding young leaders. A few years later, they returned to Trinidad to begin construction of the 40-foot ketch ''Humming Bird II''. The ''Humming Bird II'' was completed in three years, and the family set out on 2 February 1969 to circumnavigate the globe. Upon completion, Harold and Kwailan were both awarded their nation's highest award, the

. Their second son, Andre, was born in

Auckland, New Zealand Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, during the trip. Upon their return home, the 40-foot ''Humming Bird II'' was purchased by the

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

Government in 1973. The boat is now being exhibited in a museum. The La Bordes went on to another

circumnavigation Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical object, astronomical body (e.g. a planet or natural satellite, moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circ ...

voyage via

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...

(1984–86) in the ''Humming Bird III''. Harold La Borde wrote another two books with input from his family. These were titled ''All Oceans Blue'' (1977), and ''Lonely Oceans South'' (1987). Documentary films of their travels were made in conjunction with the Government Film Unit. After retiring from their respective jobs in Trinidad, the La Bordes ran a small family marina in a Trinidad yachting bay. Harold's full-time job was working on the Humming Bird III, while Kwailan finished their

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

entitled ''Wind, Sea, and Faith''. La Borde died on 12 June 2016, at the age of 81. He was survived by his wife, Kwailan, sons Pierre and Andre, three grandchildren and his brothers Rudy and Hugh. Kwailan La Borde died on 29 May 2024, at the age of 91.

References

External links

Trinidad National WebsiteWind, Sea, and Faith - Published bookTrinidad & Tobago ExpressTrinidad GuardianDaily ExpressTrinidad Guardian
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Borde, Harold 1933 births 2016 deaths Circumnavigators of the globe Trinidad and Tobago sailors