Yachts & Yachting – August 2019

MEETING THE SAILORS

AT GJW DIRECT

G

JW Direct has been a

marine insurer since

1826 and for 193 years,

it has built the business

on quality and service to

the industry. Key to this is the sailing

knowledge of its sta. We spoke

to Jeremy Entwistle and John Tuckwell,

known on the sailing circuit as Jez and

Tuckers, about their backgrounds.

“I’ve been sailing dinghies since I was

in Oppies as a child,” said Jez. “I then

went into Lasers, 505s, RS400s, SB20s,

1720s, Dragons, Phantoms and more

recently I’ve been doing some keelboat

sailing. I’m also taking my kids to Topper

and Laser Radial events on the circuit,

plus I’m out in the family RIB, coaching

and supporting sailing. I’ll be at the

Topper Nationals this year with my

daughter and as a representative of GJW

Direct, helping people get back out on

the water and settling claims on the spot.”

Having sailed this range of boats

helps when it comes to quickly settling

claims for GJW Direct customers.

“Knowing the ways that boats are

built, the dierent ways that boats can

fail, gives you a real understanding of

what happens on the race course and

whether there are accidental damage

or general wear and tear issues,” said

Jez. “My knowledge of the racing rules

helps me to see from a claim form

very quickly where the liability lies.”

Whereas Jez is a monohull

sailor, Tuckers is the multihull

supremo at GJW Direct.

“I’ve been sailing catamarans since

1988,” he said, “starting o in Dart 18s,

becoming Chairman of the Dart 18

Association and organising their rst

World Championship at Abersoch,

then moving on to the Hurricane 5.9s,

Formula 18s. Now I’m campaigning in a

carbon F20. I’ll be competing at the East

Coast Piers Race in July and we hope to

see a good eet of them at the event.”

e East Coast Piers Race is one of

many events GJW Direct is supporting

throughout 2019. “e East Coast

Piers Race is hugely inclusive,”

explained Tuckers. “ey go out of

ADVERTORIAL

their way to make it an event for

participants and those on the shore.”

GJW Direct is also a supporter

of youth classes, such as the

Topper National Circuit and

National Championship.

“e Topper class and other youth

classes are bringing the future of the

whole industry with them. ese young

sailors will go up through the ranks

into high-performance dinghies, sports

boats, yachts and they may well diversify

and buy a RIB or a motor cruiser. ese

kids are the future of our industry

and more companies need to support

them so that when they’re older and

have the income to buy a yacht, they’ll

keep the marine industry thriving.”

GJW Direct is title sponsor of

the J70 Class and support an RS

in the British Keelboat League.

“Our aim is to keep sailors as life-

long customers of GJW Direct.”

Also on the GJW Direct team is

Glen Wallis, who remembers his father

building his rst yacht in the back

garden. is led to his learning to

sail in Mirrors, progressing through

local yacht club sailing in Toppers,

Albacores, GP14s, Gulls, Lasers and

Wayfarers. Joining the Sea Cadets gave

Glen access to all types of boating,

power and sail, logging many hours

across the UK. Sea Cadets also instilled

levels of competency including Glen

becoming an RYA Dinghy Instructor,

Windsurng Instructor, Power

Boat level II and Day Skipper.

Glen’s boating experiences then

turned to coastal cruising including

passages to France, Belgium and

Holland. He also turned his hand to

completely retting a Hurley 22.

Although a long-established company,

GJW Direct has been harnessing the

latest technologies to enhance customers

experience and service levels.

Tuckers explained: “It’s been

rewarding being part of a business

which has transformed in the

digital age. Customers can now

process their renewals and receive

documentation securely online.”

GJW Direct has also developed the

MyBoat portal, an easy-to-use digital

organiser for your boat. e sign-up is

free, quick and easy. Members who are

GJW Direct insurance customers can

also access exclusive discounts from

leading brands such as Garmin, Landau

UK, SeaGo, NeilPryde, Pirates Cave,

e Rope People and Sailing Chandlery.

“e insurance company you use is

only as good as it is when you come to

the point of an unfortunate incident,”

explained Jez. “We pride ourselves on

the knowledge that we can get sailors

back on the water quickly and get your

boat xed by the right people. Sailors

put a huge amount of time and eort

into their boats and we understand they

are an important part of peoples’ lives.”

For more details or a quote, visit

gjwdirect.com. Groves, John and

Westrup Limited, is part of Munich

Re Specialty Group Ltd, regulated by

the Financial Conduct Authority.

Above

The GJW Direct

RS21 competing

in the British

Keelboat League

August 2019 Yachts & Yachting 17