Foreign solo insurance?

[jamie N]

Does anyone know an insurance company doing insurance for solo sailors on overseas jaunts?
This is Scotland-Norway-Faeroes stuff, NW Europe, not transat stuff..
Haven't looked yet, nor approached my own insurer; just looking for a 'heads up' from folks in the know.

 

[doug748]

Pantaenius is the least fussy company for singlehanding. Their standard cover is from latitudes to the north of Iceland down to North Africa and longitudes from somewhere west of Ireland to Cyprus.

A well respected company but not cheap and they may take a different view when looking at new business.

.

 

[Supertramp]

Please let us know what you find - most the standard companies and policies I've looked at cover passages up to 18 hours or so singlehanded..

 

[Sandy]

I moved to Pantaenius last year to cover single handed voyages. The insurance was £100 more than GJW but a) no 12 mile offshore limit 'unless on passage' b) it included my dinghy and outboard and c) the geographical area is massive

Northern Europe The Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and the North Atlantic between the
Latitudes 28° North and 67° North and Longitudes 12° West and 30° East. Waters of Russia
are excluded.
Inland Europe Inland waters of Europe (geographical). Waters of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and
Georgia are excluded.

The renewal cost was within £5.00 of last years policy.

 

[Obi]

Pantaenius were great for me (although some years ago now). My first yacht (40' ketch), solo, full-time sailing, overseas. Less than £400 p.a.

I also read a lot of good reports on them by people who, you know, paid for insurance and then had the cheek and audacity to want to actually use it! From what I read back then Pantaenius were very good at not quibbling. Which is important.

 

[Concerto]

Please let us know what you find - most the standard companies and policies I've looked at cover passages up to 18 hours or so singlehanded..

Concerto is insured with Navigators and General on the Westerly Owners Association policy and they allow up to 24 hours singlehanded and then you must have at least a 8 hour break anchored or moored. When I queried this limit, it is for the planned voyage time and I would be covered if conditions or other problems caused an extension to the journey time.

Personally, I find sailing of 17 to 18 hours is definitely enough for me and I have a lot of stamina. After about 15 hours you will feel quite tired. This longer sailing time has allowed me to sail distances of up to 120 miles in that time, where a fairly normal day for me on passage is 50 to 70 miles. You know sailing for more than 6 hours will mean some adverse tide somewhere, so you plan to not fight tidal gates.

 

[Supertramp]

Concerto is insured with Navigators and General on the Westerly Owners Association policy and they allow up to 24 hours singlehanded and then you must have at least a 8 hour break anchored or moored. When I queried this limit, it is for the planned voyage time and I would be covered if conditions or other problems caused an extension to the journey time.

Personally, I find sailing of 17 to 18 hours is definitely enough for me and I have a lot of stamina. After about 15 hours you will feel quite tired. This longer sailing time has allowed me to sail distances of up to 120 miles in that time, where a fairly normal day for me on passage is 50 to 70 miles. You know sailing for more than 6 hours will mean some adverse tide somewhere, so you plan to not fight tidal gates.

Agree, and I avoid sailing in the dark except sometimes to catch early tide. And grabbing a 6 or 18 hour stop makes sense to recatch the tide and grab some proper sleep. A rested head makes better judgements.

It is useful at the start or end of a cruise to sail a long passage up or down the Irish Sea, which could exceed 18 or 24 hours.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Depends what you like doing. I rarely sail for less than 24hrs. Always solo.
Pants are the way to go for insurance.

 

[Klausen]

2017 it was nearly impossible to get an insurance for solo sailing more than 24h. Also not from Pant. Maybe things have changed

 

[Sandy]

Agree, and I avoid sailing in the dark except sometimes to catch early tide. And grabbing a 6 or 18 hour stop makes sense to recatch the tide and grab some proper sleep. A rested head makes better judgements.

It is useful at the start or end of a cruise to sail a long passage up or down the Irish Sea, which could exceed 18 or 24 hours.

I love night sailing, the wonderful thing about sailing is you can do so many things.

 

[jamie N]

Pantaenius refused. Yachtline don't do it, so I'm now trying RKJ's lot.
I've sailed a number of times for over 24hrs in Scottish waters, and have worked as an ROV Pilot on 'far' longer than 24hr shifts for many years, and (believe me) do well understand tiredness/efficiency, but thought that to venture away from these sceptred Isles would be fairly simple. Apparently not.
We'll see........