Fastnet - Crew Insurance

[Rosie1963]

I am crewing for the Fastnet. I am not usually a racer so I dont have ongoing racing insurance. I was wondering whether insurance was necessary as if we are mostly in UK water any serious medical stuff would probably involved being winched off to the NHS. But in Irish waters, with possibly unclear EHIC arrangements by then, maybe I should get cover and if so who would you recommend?

 

[flaming]

I am crewing for the Fastnet. I am not usually a racer so I dont have ongoing racing insurance. I was wondering whether insurance was necessary as if we are mostly in UK water any serious medical stuff would probably involved being winched off to the NHS. But in Irish waters, with possibly unclear EHIC arrangements by then, maybe I should get cover and if so who would you recommend?

I don't think many race crew have insurance. Especially not for UK based races.
The only insurance company I've ever come across that offers personal insurance for sailors is Dogtag, though it's not something I've really looked into.

 

[PeteCooper]

Is it covered by the race insurance that the boat must have? Does third party insurance cover a crew member or just people/things on other boats?

 

[Euphonyx]

I am crewing for the Fastnet. I am not usually a racer so I dont have ongoing racing insurance. I was wondering whether insurance was necessary as if we are mostly in UK water any serious medical stuff would probably involved being winched off to the NHS. But in Irish waters, with possibly unclear EHIC arrangements by then, maybe I should get cover and if so who would you recommend?

Interesting question. Are you paying for a slot on a commercial enterprise or going shared costs on private boat? Different rules and considerations apply.

 

[Halo]

I got one off crew insurance for the RORC Caribbean from Sportscoverdirect . This was sold as a top up for normal travel insurance. They seem to cover most sort of sporting activities including offshore yacht racing. Google or call them on 01494 484800. (I am not connected to them other than being a customer. )

 

[TLouth7]

I make no comment on whether personal insurance is necessary, but if you feel it is then (UK) Austrian Alpine Club membership might work for you. It covers rescue/evacuation/repatriation expenses for leisure activities within Europe, at very reasonable prices. I have it for climbing but reading the fine print it mentions "aquatic activities", and unless you plan to enter the arctic circle I cannot see any direct exclusions. No idea how international waters would be treated though...

 

[PurpleKate]

i would check out what insurance the boat has and see if you need to top up.
If you are doing RORC qualifying races you may end up getting winched off to France not the UK.
Topsail does an annual policy that covers sailing - medical, french coast guard fees etc

 

[c.buck]

Hi Rosie,
I think the best thing to do is see what insurance the yacht has that you are racing on... it would always be prudent/responsible to ask the owner/skipper to just give you a summary of what they have.
If you are however doing some more races, like a rorc season , then it may be worth getting standalone cover - Sailors Insured is one brand I know of, and is run by Pete Cummings. They are pretty transparent about their prices and cover on the website, so worth a look!

 

[sails_02]

Looked into this recently, looking for decent cover for duration of race, not yearly.
As I understand it Search and Rescue costs can be significant, and one may be liable for the costs (no evidence to this though).

Anyway for what it may be worth, I discovered the following:

bishopskinner.com
£42 for fastnet
- offshore racing cover, but no cover for search and rescue

dogtag.co.uk
£61 for fastnet
- offshore racing (>30nm from land), covers search and rescue

sportscoverdirect.com
£10 for fastnet
- seems to cover search and rescue, no mention of offshore racing , only " Sailing (beyond 12 mile limit / coastal waters) and covers all other sports"

 

[scotty123]

Looked into this recently, looking for decent cover for duration of race, not yearly.
As I understand it Search and Rescue costs can be significant, and one may be liable for the costs (no evidence to this though).

Anyway for what it may be worth, I discovered the following:

bishopskinner.com
£42 for fastnet
- offshore racing cover, but no cover for search and rescue

dogtag.co.uk
£61 for fastnet
- offshore racing (>30nm from land), covers search and rescue

sportscoverdirect.com
£10 for fastnet
- seems to cover search and rescue, no mention of offshore racing , only " Sailing (beyond 12 mile limit / coastal waters) and covers all other sports"

Would any rescue orgqnisation charge for a winch off etc?

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

Would any rescue orgqnisation charge for a winch off etc?

No, if it's to get a person to hospital.
(Yes maybe, if they are towing a yacht to save the yacht.)

If you need hospital treatment, that's another thing entirely.
In Norway I got rescued by a lifeboat ( free),
then examined and scanned in hospital (for which I had to pay a contribution, but only a fraction of the actual costs).
The lifeboat subsequently towed my yacht in and tied her up (free) for which I will be eternally grateful as she would have gone on the rocks later that night.

( It's worth getting hurt in Norway to meet the nurses I was ok in the end, just got knocked out by my own boom..no damage to brain or boom, just a bad headache..)

I wasn't racing, but the RNLI etc don't make a distinction surely?

 

[Deleted member 36384]

...... I wasn't racing, but the RNLI etc don't make a distinction surely?

No they don't make a distinction, they help anyone in trouble at sea e.g. '79 Fastnet.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/aug/09/sailing-fastnet-race-admirals-cup-1979

RNLI lifeboats from the English and Irish coasts were among the first on the scene, often guided by helicopters and messages from more Nimrod searches, while the Dutch naval ship Overijssel led the sea-borne rescue effort.