How to get big, so So big? By going from a small a thing big. In the case of Harald the tree, it was the sailing. The long-time chief of the yacht insurer, Pantaenius will be on the 15. August 80. Already with six or seven years of age, he grew quite large as the tax man on the pointed gate "Alibi" for his father.

In the bad times, it was, of course, that children contributed to the struggle for Survival. Harald tree was five when the Second world war came to an end. His family was repeatedly bombed. How many in the Hanseatic city were starving you.

The pointed gate Alibi © Pantaenius Float magazine Harald with father Erich © Pantaenius Float magazine With cigarettes to glückstadt

But "grandpa Erich", as Harald's father in the family is called, knew how to help. He had access to a currency that was after the war, more valuable than money: cigarettes. In the ruins of the cities of the black market flourished. Erich invited the tobacco in his pointed gate and transported the Contraband and his sons the river Elbe to glückstadt in Holstein.

There, he traded the cigarettes for the Holstein peasants against meat and other food. With the contraband, Western winds and the flood, it went back to the bombed-out Hamburg, Germany. On-the-go, it was a matter of course that the little Harald, took over the guards of the tiller, and even entire.

The boat, he knew already by heart: Since the loss of the stretcher fields apartment family tree had been used as a Liveaboard reluctance on the pointed gate. Only a few years after the end of the war they went back to the Land.

Tailor-made insurance

something dominates: The sailing was the great passion of the hamburger. Henceforth, everything revolved around life on the water. Soon, the Teenager had his own Dinghy, gained experience as a Skipper, took part in international regattas. It's hardly surprising that Harald tree could empathize as a young insurance clerk at Pantaenius well in the Concerns and needs of the sailors – and soon, a bespoke product offering.

The young insurance salesman © Pantaenius Float magazine

at the Time, Pantaenius, founded in 1899 by Johann C. Pantaenius, was still a pure B2B Agency specializing in transportation insurance for trucking companies and shipping companies. Today, the company is the European market leader and one of the world's major providers of yacht insurance for end customers. And Harald tree is 80 years old. His life's work can be seen: 50.000 owner in Germany and over 100,000 worldwide insure their boats by Pantaenius.

he had Started in 1963 in the venerable company, three years later, he became a Junior partner. Once again, four years later, the 30-year-old took over the company. As the new era had dawned in the case of Pantaenius already.

Literally igniting spark was for Harald tree, there is a fatal fire.

hall with wooden boats burning ab

The Aha-experience, so it portrays his son, Daniel, was the father in the 1960s, when a dramatic accident On the river Elbe, burned down a warehouse – numerous wood lost boats of his sailor friends. The regulation was problematic, because the insurance only accepted a fraction of the value of the often 40 years and older yachts.

So developed, Harald Baum, the principle of the "fixed tax": the Insured yachts should be given in the case of total loss the full protection, regardless of age. He developed a policy of insurance, for which he received the backing of the insurance Partner of Pantaenius – in the face of his then-limited experience and young age, an impressive vote of confidence.

family ties (v. l.): Undine, son of Martin, Harald and daughter Anna tree © Toni Momtschew Float magazine Thousands of contracts in the first year

In a tiny booth, so it portrays Daniel Baum, presented the insurance salesman and his wife Undine 1969 on the first Hamburg international boat show the new product. And it came: after a year, he had completed thousands of contracts, in the following year there were 5000. The market seemed to have only Pantaenius been waiting for.

And the tree developed its yacht insurance with the requirements of the growing sailors scene permanently: So he led, that in case of loss by fire in the Harbor, the contribution would not be attacked, because these damages are not usually the responsibility of the policyholder.

small boats are welcome

Also, the personal equipment of the Skipper and Crew were included in the insurance protection. As a further step towards the improvement of the product took place Pantaenius globalisation long before other: insurance protection also damage abroad covered soon – ideal for cruising and Regatta sailors.

another success factor: "Harald has also assured small boats," says Daniel Baum. In a time when many maritime insurers only for four-digit premiums interested, from the castle of the young business man, even for dinghies contracts.

Daniel, Martin, Harald and Anna Baum © Pantaenius Float magazine of The Picasso on the Superyacht

milestone to milestone followed: branches were founded, the products expanded, with the Marine Claim Service, a private Haverie was fraud-office of the Commissioner for the detection of insurance. In the meantime, the Name Pantaenius stands for a world wide company that offers the liability to the chart of insurance, a whole product portfolio, with 400 permanent employees and a global network.

From the broken mast, up to the collision is covered for any mishap. There is something that Pantaenius would not insure? Daniel tree laughs. "It must have a Chance of long-term maturity," says Harald tree son. At the taxi of his experience helps the company. Will be insured everything from the Open 60 to the Picasso on Board a Superyacht.

Harald's tree in the space of corridor in front of the Atlantic swell © Pantaenius Float magazine test in a hurricane

The challenge for Pantaenius was 2017, the hurricane Irma, one of the most difficult so far. The cyclone pulled the Antilles arc from East to West along to Cuba, and then turned to Florida. In the course of destroyed in addition to infrastructure and buildings of 12,000 boats. The company was formed by several teams, the estimated on-the-spot damage, and from Hamburg were conducted.

The heaviest Single loss, the Pantaenius had to regulate, occurred in the Mediterranean sea: in 1999, burned down in the super yacht "Airwaves", built by Abeking & Rasmussen, in front of Barcelona. 22 million Mark cost of the event. A sample for the pace at which the insurance solves problems, offered the case of "Tui": The Yacht suffered in the Caribbean sea with a broken mast. Within two weeks of the peer-reviewed Pantaenius, regulated, and purchased a replacement from Denmark.

Harald's tree in front of the Pantaenius house in the port city © Andreas Lindlahr Float magazine

Also, the founder himself has always enjoyed the protection of the Pantaenius products – "elsewhere he'd have been 'kicked out," jokes a close associate of tree claims ratio. That is also a full-blood may run sailors to mistake, recalls his son, Daniel, to a family trip with the Yacht "panache", a Swan 48: "Shortly before the Running-in of lucky town, my father wanted to be clear to the rudder, we thought, knows the area since his childhood days."

Green ton-on

But the tree's Senior was his thing seems to be sure: He made it to peeking occasionally from under the Genoa, whether or not an object spent in the course. It of a came – crashing the family collided yacht with a green fairway ton!

Who has the damage and the colorful grinding track for all to see on the fuselage, does not need to worry for the ridicule, you know. "We have a good laugh: Clearly, in Your Childhood there was a ton Yes," says Daniel Baum. And leads us to the conclusion: the amount of damage holding, the main thing is well insured...

Harald Baum at the helm of the Elan around © Hinnerk Bodendieck Float magazine

Hinnerk Bodendieck, the creative head of Pantaenius and Confidant of the businessman, Skagen has him immortalized as family and friends experience it mostly on tax. There Harald tree feels always most comfortable on Land as at sea. Shortly after graduation, he earned his spurs as a ship's captain, was a young Skipper on the Bremen-based Yacht Diana. The Regatta About it Skagen chose to route his favorite, and in 1973, he set the Diana to the speed record with 55 hours (+ 1 Minute), should remain a 27-year unbroken. For Around Skagen Pantaenius should take over in 1994, the patronage of the circle.

Lifetime Award of Offshore sailors

two years Ago, has drawn the enterprising entrepreneurs from the operational business, and Pantaenius to his children Anna, Daniel, and Martin tree pass. Nevertheless, Harald tree of the house also remains 80 years is almost to be found daily in his office in the Pantaenius house in Hamburg's HafenCity.

For his entrepreneurial life value, the Patriarch of 2018 received the prize of honour of the family entrepreneur of the year by the Association of family entrepreneurs. His sailor life was honoured with the Lifetime Award of German Offshore Owners Association.

Harald's tree receives the Lifetime Award of German Offshore Owners Association © Pantaenius Float magazine

This article was written by Roland Wildberg

*The contribution of "At the wheel, he feels most comfortable" will be released by float magazine. Contact with the executives here.

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Date Of Update: 13 August 2020, 18:26