For many Australian sailors, taking a yacht beyond our home waters is part of the dream.
Whether it’s a season cruising the South Pacific, joining an overseas event or buying a yacht abroad and sailing it home, an extended passage requires plenty of preparation.
According to specialist marine insurer Pantaenius, insurance deserves a place on that preparation list as well.
The company says it is seeing a stronger desire among Australian customers to travel abroad on their vessels, including an increase in South Pacific cruising and owners purchasing yachts overseas before returning to Australia over an extended cruising period.
So what should sailors be thinking about before they cast off?
Talk to your insurer early
Pantaenius recommends speaking to your insurer well before departure rather than waiting until the final stages of preparing the boat.
The insurer will need to understand where you’re planning to go, your intended route and timing, destinations and the experience of the crew.
Any plans involving cyclone season may also need to be discussed.
For cruising sailors, particular attention should be paid to geographical limits, requirements relating to extended offshore passages and the availability of support when cruising in remote areas.
The important point is not to assume that because your yacht is insured in Australia, you can automatically take it anywhere.
Check the requirements at your destination
Your own policy isn’t the only consideration when heading overseas.
Pantaenius recommends checking local insurance requirements at the destinations you’re planning to visit.
Marinas and event organisers may require a minimum level of third-party liability insurance, so it’s worth investigating these requirements while planning the trip rather than discovering them on arrival.
For sailors combining cruising with overseas racing, it’s also important to confirm that the particular event, racing area and type of competition fall within the policy.
Pantaenius also strongly recommends organising appropriate travel insurance separately for an overseas trip.
When something goes wrong far from home
Insurance can become considerably more complicated when an incident happens in a remote location.
Pantaenius has handled groundings in remote areas, dismastings during ocean passages and boats requiring complex salvage operations.
Marine claims can require specialist repairers, surveyors, salvors and claims handlers — resources that may not be readily available everywhere a cruising yacht can go.
Pantaenius says some of its most memorable claims have involved situations where quick decisions and strong local contacts prevented an already difficult situation from becoming much worse.
That makes another piece of advice from its claims team particularly relevant for cruising sailors: communicate early.
“Good communication changes everything,” the Pantaenius team says.
Owners should contact their insurer as early as possible, even when they’re unsure whether an incident will ultimately become a claim.
Early involvement can help protect the boat, preserve evidence, control costs and prevent further damage.
Technology is making communication easier
Modern communications and onboard technology are also changing the way insurers and owners can respond when something happens away from home.
Photographs, videos, documents and vessel information can now be provided almost immediately, helping insurers assess situations and progress claims more efficiently, particularly when a yacht is in a remote location.
Remote vessel monitoring is developing rapidly too.
Systems capable of alerting owners to water ingress, loss of shore power, low battery voltage, fire, movement or unauthorised access can provide an early warning before a problem becomes much more serious.
Pantaenius expects this type of technology to become increasingly common over the coming decade.
Make insurance part of the passage plan
Preparing for an extended cruise involves a long list: route planning, weather, safety equipment, maintenance, spares, provisions, communications and crew preparation.
Insurance should be somewhere on that list too.
Understand where your policy covers you and any geographical limitations. Check the requirements at your intended destinations. Discuss offshore passages, crew experience and cyclone-season plans with your insurer and find out what you should do if something goes wrong in a remote location.
Most importantly, have those conversations while you’re still preparing the boat at home.
It’s much easier to sort out an insurance question at the dock than when you and your yacht are hundreds — or thousands — of miles away.
MySailing Marine Insurance Series – with Pantaenius
This article is part of the MySailing Marine Insurance Series with Pantaenius. Read our earlier articles, Beyond the Fine Print: What Every Australian Boat Owner Should Know About Marine Insurance, Boat Maintenance and Insurance: The Problems Owners Shouldn’t Ignore and Racing Your Yacht? It Pays to Check Your Insurance Before the Start.
Look out for our next article in the series, covering how boat owners can prepare for severe weather.
Find out more about Pantaenius and its specialist marine insurance for Australian boat owners at pantaenius.com.
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