The story of the missing boat captain

Mar 21, 2021 News

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A tragic end to a father’s weekend plans with his children…

By Shervin Belgrave

Kaieteur News – It has been almost two months since Claude Pollard, a 58-year-old, Bartica boat captain, disappeared following a boat accident in the mighty Essequibo River. It all happened Saturday January 30 last, recalled his son, Claude Pollard Jr., who believes that his father might still be alive.
In fact, Claude Jr. remembers that date as, “A weekend with dad that began in tragedy.” As he reflected on the moment when his father fell overboard and failed to resurface, Claude Jr. paused for a moment of silence, and then said, “Daddy was taking us to spend the weekend with him; that probably was his final plan before he went missing.”
Claude Sr. was a father of 10 beautiful children and a popular boat captain who transported passengers to and from Bartica. That was his job for some 15 years. His customers and those who enjoyed his wonderful personality would call him “Claudy,” “Rasta Man” or “Bumpy.”But none knew him better than his children who loved him dearly. His son Claude Jr. puts it this way, “He was a jolly, fun and entertaining dad who loved adventure and most of all a dad who loved each one of his children the same.”
To add some more clarity to the type of individual his father was, Claude Jr. said, “amongst all the gifts my dad has given me, the best and the greatest I received from him was love.”
Speaking about adventure, Claude Jr., fast-forwarded and said that the day his father went missing they were about to experience yet another escapade.
Claude Jr. and his sister have been living in Georgetown for some time now while their father lived between Parika and Bartica with their other siblings.
Despite the distance, weekends and holidays were the customary time for them to unite with their father.
According to Claude Jr., “my sister would have more free time than me so she enjoyed all the boat rides because sometimes I have to work.”
On January 30th last, one such boat ride was planned by their father. Claude Jr. recounted, “he invited us to spend the weekend with him in Bartica.”
For Claude Jr. and his sister, that day was filled with excitement. It was a “get away” from the city and added to this, they were going to spend it with their dad who loved cracking jokes and entertaining everyone.
“It was probably the same for dad because he too would look forward to these weekends and loved spending time with us,” related Claude Jr.
They arrived at the Parika Stelling on the afternoon of January 30, and Claude Jr. recalled that he greeted them with some tight hugs and kisses.
As he rounded up some passengers for a final trip to Bartica, his conversation with them, Claude Jr. said, “was focused on how we had passed the week.”
“He was like how was work man and stuff,” narrated Claude Jr.
Finally, they were on their way to Bartica and everything, Claude Jr. said, was normal. As the boat glided on the partially rough waters, Claude Jr. remembered that they were sitting at the back of the vessel close to their father, as he operated the outboard motors.
Moments later, while in the vicinity of Stampa Point, the unexpected happened. Kaieteur News had reported that Claude Sr.’s boat crashed into a Boat Ambulance. The time of the collision was said to be around 19:15 hrs.
The impact, Claude Jr. recounted, sent everyone flying forward. He and his sister, he continued, got up and looked back, but their dad was nowhere to be seen.
“The engine was still running and the boat was still moving and I panicked, but my sister she was calm and knew what to do. She quickly took control of the engine and turned it off.”
Claude Jr., as he took pauses of silence, added that his sister began yelling “daddy, daddy” but there was no response.
Both Claude Jr. and his sister, along with the other passengers on board, were rescued and taken to the hospital where they received treatment for minor injuries.
The injuries that Claude Jr. received were nothing, he said, compared to the tragedy that had befallen him and his other siblings. That final day, that final moment, that final hour which both he and his sister were forced to witness – the disappearance of their father – was the worst experience of their lives.
To this date, Claude Sr.’s body has not been recovered from the mighty Essequibo River, which swallowed him up on the night of January 30.
Since the accident, searches were carried out by police, family members and friends, to find his body but they all turned up empty handed.
The search Kaieteur News was told is still on, but family members have started to lose hope that they will ever get to see him again, dead or alive.

 

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