Eldon H. Trimingham has died at the age of 75. The former business leader and keen sailor passed away yesterday morning after a long illness.

He leaves his widow Kathy and his three sons, Eldon III, Lawrence and Christopher.

Mr. Trimingham, born on June 12, 1931, served in many leadership roles in a distinguished business career, including a stint as president of the Chamber of Commerce and president of the Bermuda Employers’ Council, as well as being president of the former Front Street department store Trimingham’s.

Mr. Trimingham served on the board of the Bank of Bermuda for more than three decades and was chairman from 1985 to 2001. During his tenure as chairman, the Bank went from being a predominantly local institution with assets of $3.3 billion to a global player with assets of more than $10 billion, as its number of overseas operations rose from four to 15.

Sailing was one of Mr. Trimingham’s greatest passions and he participated in numerous Newport-Bermuda races.

He was a member the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) and the Bermuda Offshore Cruising Association.

His son Lawrence Trimingham, who followed in his father’s footsteps as president of the Trimingham’s store, said yesterday: “He was a wise and wonderful man and somebody I could talk with about anything and who gave great advice.

“He was a wonderful teacher, very patient, and he was always there if you needed him. He was just the right person to have around in the family business.

“We shared a passion of sailing, which carried on right until his last days. He loved boating and he loved spending time with his family and his lovely wife, Kathy — those were the most important things to him.”

Christopher Trimingham had fond memories of his father’s love of nature.

“I will always remember being on the boat with Dad. What I gained most was an appreciation of the environment and the natural beauty of Bermuda, which so many people overlook,” Christopher said.

“Dad had a tremendous appreciation of the Island and he believed that we needed to protect and preserve it.”

Local history was another of Eldon’s passions, Christopher said, adding that his father was a “quiet, but effective storyteller” who could make even the driest information captivating.

Christopher described his father as “very old school, very traditional and formal — a gentleman’s gentleman”.

“In everything he did, he was dedicated to equal opportunities for all Bermudians, regardless of colour or gender,” Christopher said.

Eldest son Eldon III, who is a marine artist, said his father’s guidance and advice had been invaluable to him, in work, as well as in life.

“I did a lot of things with him outside business,” Eldon III said. “Once he got away from the office and out on the boat, it would take him a couple of days to unwind, but then he was at peace. He loved the sea.

“We did a lot of sailing together and he enjoyed working on the Spirit of Bermuda project. We were also working on a book together about the origins of the Bermuda Rig. I intend to finish it.

“He will be sadly missed by a lot of people.”

Eldon’s brother Andrew Trimingham described him as “a man of great common sense”.

“He thought things through slowly, but thoroughly,” Andrew said. “He had a huge sense of responsibility and undertook more than his fair share of responsibilities.

“You couldn’t ask for a better brother. He was loyal, supportive and considerate.”

Peter Cooper sailed with Mr. Trimingham on The Privateer <$>in the 1968 Newport-Bermuda race and remembered his former captain as a “great companion”.

“We came second in our class, with a full crew of Bermudians,” Mr. Cooper recalled. “He was a great skipper, a wonderful man to sail with. He was very understanding and had a great grasp of what had to be done in a race.”

Eldon had been among the crew that his cousin deForest (Shorty) Trimingham skippered to victory in the 1954 Prince of Wales race for 14-foot dinghies.

“It was the first time the race had been won by someone from outside Britain,” Mr. Cooper said. “His father Sir Eldon was Commodore of the RBYC in the 1920s, so sailing ran in his blood.”

HSBC Bank of Bermuda issued the following statement yesterday: “The board of directors, management and staff of the Bank of Bermuda are saddened to learn of the passing of Mr. Eldon Trimingham.

“Mr. Trimingham was a director of the Bank for over 32 years and held the position of chairman of the board of directors for 16 years, from 1985 until his retirement in 2001.

“Mr. Trimingham held the chairmanship through a dynamic period of the Bank’s history and his extraordinary leadership contributed significantly to the Bank’s success. Our heartfelt sympathy is extended to his family, especially to his wife, Kathy and his three sons, Eldon III, Lawrence and Christopher.”

The funeral arrangements are still to be finalised.