Classic_Boat_2016-08

CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2016 87

PANERAI BRITISH CLASSIC WEEK PROGRAMME

Q& A

Head of Private Banking

at EFG Private Bank,

Daniel Gerber

EFG supports Panerai British Classic Week

as Official Partner Sponsor. Can you tell us

why? When we were given the opportunity

to sponsor British Classic Week, it felt like an

easy decision to make. This has to be the

most important event in the UK for classic

yachts, with a strong international appeal.

Cowes, with its long pedigree in sailing, is

the perfect location for such an event. As a

keen sailor, I make sure I attend with a

number of our clients each year, in order to

soak up the unique atmosphere and to take

part in some world-class classic sailing.

Will you be sailing in this year’s event?

I was very much looking forward to

participating at this year’s event in Cowes

and to have the opportunity to sail on one of

the boats, particularly for the Around the

Island Race which is sponsored by EFG.

However, a recent accident has left me on

crutches this summer, so regrettably no

sailing for me.

EFG sponsors all kinds of things from the

EFG London Jazz Festival to Le Mans

Classic. What’s the attraction of sailing?

We are supporters of the sport of sailing for

a number of reasons. It is clearly very

international, which is well suited to a private

bank like us, active in over 30 locations

worldwide. It has broad appeal on many

levels, from a pastime to a professional sport.

It is also an active interest shared by a good

number of our clients and employees. We

like to think of ourselves as the private bank

for sailing, and in addition to Panerai British

Classic Week we are sponsors of a range of

leading sailing teams and events worldwide.

Are you a boat owner?

I try to get afloat as much as I can in my

spare time. I own a wooden Merlin Rocket

dinghy which I race on weekends at my local

sailing club on the Thames. Being a qualified

skipper I also charter in the UK and abroad,

cruising with family and friends.

I raced in the Panerai British Classic Week

two years ago when EFG joined in

partnership with the British Classic Yacht

Club and Panerai. I very much enjoyed the

atmosphere and spirit, as well as the

beautiful views of classic boats

racing in the Solent. Before this

my racing experience on big boats

was limited to crewing in regattas,

mainly around the Solent and the

Channel. Sailing is the perfect

balance to the working life – on the

water there is always plenty to think

about and observe, decisions to take

to keep the mind busy and focused on things

other than the day job.

Some in the wooden boat world find the

regatta scene exclusive. Is that your

impression of it?

No, to me racing is just a different reason for

sailing. While some sailors like just spending

some quality time on the water, others prefer

cruising with a destination in mind and

others again like the challenge to measure

their skills in racing against other boats.

My impression of the Panerai British

Classic Week is that there is a place for every

boat and that the wooden boat community

is very welcoming and open to everyone.

What is EFG doing to help secure the future

of sailing? Development of young talent is a

key theme at EFG, and we support a range

of initiatives across a variety of sporting and

cultural fields. In relation to sailing, we have

supported the development of two

academies designed to bring on the next

generation of sailors. These are: EFG Sailing

Academy, Monaco Yacht Club; and Optimist

Sailing School, Société Nautique de Genève.

Do you have a favourite sailing book?

I have read many books about sailing,

historic, non-fiction and novels but I couldn ́t

single out one favourite book. One of my

favourite writers however is Sam Llewellyn

and I have devoured almost all of his novels.

What is your dream boat?

She should be safe, fast, comfortable, easy

to maintain and a looker. She might be a

wooden boat, but I doubt I'll be building my

own. My practical experience in woodwork is

limited to the occasional DIY job at home

and I am far from a professional craftsman. I

admire good craftsmanship but particularly

the knowledge, experience and skills

involved in working with wooden boats, to

build or refurbish a functional piece of art.

It is great to see the many new builds and

restoration projects happening in classic

boating – and that the centuries-old art of

building wooden boats is being preserved

and passed on to new generations of

boatbuilders by boat building schools and

academies in the UK and abroad.

How did you get into sailing?

I grew up as a landlubber in Switzerland, in a

place miles away from any navigable waters

and only very rarely had the opportunity to

sail on the Swiss lakes as a child and

adolescent. But every time I liked it.

I really only took up sailing seriously in

my early thirties after I got hooked as a crew

member on a sailing holiday around Mallorca.

There I realised the potential of recreational

yacht sailing and saw this as an opportunity

to spend quality time with the family and my

young children in the future.

I joined a local sailing club in Switzerland

and started crewing on a yacht on Lake of

Zürich. In parallel I took my qualifications as

a skipper and started to build my miles in the

Mediterranean, the Channel and around the

UK, the North Sea and the Baltic, as well as

in the Caribbean.

Today I live in London and I am on the

water whenever time permits. All three of my

sons are enthusiastic dinghy sailors and as a

family we have enjoyed many sailing cruises.

Maybe one day we will take off and sail the

seven seas on our own keel.

Daniel Gerber is Head of Private Banking

at EFG Private Bank, the UK arm of global

private banking group EFG International.

efginternational.com/efgl.com