Avid sailor and devoted family man John Randolph-Swainson has died at the age of 89.

Mr Randolph-Swainson, who finished his business career as the vice-president of American International Group (AIG), passed away in his Boston home at the end of last month.

The amateur radio enthusiast was a fifth-generation Bermudian who was renowned for his exploits on the water as well as in the world of business.

His grandchildren yesterday paid tribute to a fun-loving, generous and caring soul who was “larger than life” during their childhoods.

“I remember looking forward to Thursday afternoons when he would come home from his half-day and we would make fudge,” said his granddaughter, Jill Colmet, who lives in Bermuda. “He was a great cook and his love for cooking has given me and others in the family that same feeling.

“I remember his hand bugle horn, he used to wake Sean and I up in the morning when we slept over. I still hear him playing it in my head and it always puts a smile on my face.

“My grandad was a happy, loving person, always with a smile on his face. He enjoyed life. I can still hear his laugh. I have many happy memories with him as a child that I will cherish.”

Mr Randolph-Swainson was born in October 1926, the third of three siblings, the others being Bobby and Dorothea — the first Miss Bermuda.

He attended Saltus Grammar School then went on to study at Bermuda Commercial College before joining AIG Bermuda in about 1950.

He met his first wife, Joan, when she came to Bermuda to work for Shell after the end of the Second World War. The couple married in St John’s Church in Bermuda in 1949 and had three children, Barbara, Nigel and John Junior

Nigel Swainson told The Royal Gazette: “All his life John loved sailing and being on the water; he was happiest when he was out on a boat and could smell the salt air.

“John’s sailing career started when he was very young. After making sails from flour bags, John, then aged 4, with his brother Bobby, aged 8, got into their father’s punt and merrily sailed across St George’s Harbour; they had a bit of a battle on the way back against the wind, which was quite an adventure for two small boys.”

As well as being a talented sailor who won many races with the Bermuda Offshore Cruising Association on his sloop, Nick of Time, Mr Randolph-Swainson was a golfer and tennis player.

He won many amateur radio contests and used his ham radio skills to network when communications were cut during international disasters, such as the Mexico City earthquake.

His grandson, Alex Swainson, who lives in Dubai, said: “My memories of Pops mostly involve large amounts of fun and laughter from when I was a kid.

“My summer trips to Florida at the age of 8 and 11 are the times that stick out the most.

“Pops would always go that extra mile to make sure it was memorable. They were epic holidays that made my childhood extra special. Pops had a big impact on my life. He was always cheerful and full of energy, which was very infectious to the people around him.

“He had a very generous nature and a big heart, which has left me with lots of wonderful memories I will never forget. “

After meeting on a cruise along the Amazon River, Mr Randolph-Swainson married his second wife, Nancy Randolph, in the Most Holy Trinity Cathedral in 1989.

The couple relocated to the United States in 1990 and introduced Good Friday kite-flying to Longboat Key, together with traditional Bermuda fishcakes and rum punch.

Grandson Sean Soares, who lives in Bermuda, said: “My grandad always appeared larger than life. Everything he did, in my mind, was extraordinary.

“I remember him making pancakes, and they were the most awesome pancakes; my sister and I would have competitions on who could eat the most.

“On the nights we had a sleepover, we would be woken up by him using an imaginary bugle playing Reveille. You woke up excited, simply because it was him.

“But how I always remember him was as a sailor. It was always an adventure, whether sailing or just rowing the dog over to a nearby island to ‘spend a penny’.

“He was always someone with a twinkle in his eye, a smile on his face and an exuberance of youth, regardless of age. He was to me, larger than life, he was grand, and that’s how I will always remember him.”