Insurance (again!) & Curtis Marine

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trialframe

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Long story short... I've been offered a very competitive price for this year by Curtis Marine compared to Y - now Topsail. The N&G policy & excess seems fine.
Has anyone had any experience of how Curtis handle claims?
 
I had a quote from Curtis
very competitive £200 cheaper than Topsail
However my particular concern of leaving the boat unattended was not addressed to my satisfaction. I paste their response below..
The policy was underwritten by Towergate. I suggested they ask N&G for a quote because the unattended wording is better but they haven’t got back to me after 2 weeks so not overly impressed.

Their response to the unattended bit

The insurers policy does not contain any wording specifically referring to exclusions should your boat be temporarily left at anchor or should you decide to stop occasionally, for example when swimming and or going ashore for a meal.

Nevertheless under Section 5; General Conditions page 22 item 5.1.2.3 the policy does contain the following…

5.1.2 Your Insurers will only provide the insurance described in Your Policy if:

5.1.2.3 You have taken all reasonable steps to protect Your Insured Property from loss or damage;

Therefore should your actions be unreasonable and cause loss or damage then potentially insurers may not provide cover – a duty of care (albeit in various different wordings) runs through all insurers polices that we provide. However, for them to deny a claim on this basis the actions would need to be significantly unreasonable. To date we have not seen any claims for our customers declined on this basis alone.
 
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petem said:
@DavidJ On the basis that anchoring and going ashore for lunch is commonplace and not unreasonable (weather permitting), what are you worried about?
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You and I may think it’s reasonable but I’m looking for a more positive statement from the insurance company. The insurers could decide that being out of sight of your boat (while having lunch or exploring beyond the bay) at anchor in a busy bay is unreasonable.
 
DavidJ said:
You and I may think it’s reasonable but I’m looking for a more positive statement from the insurance company. The insurers could decide that being out of sight of your boat (while having lunch or exploring beyond the bay) at anchor in a busy bay is unreasonable.
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Have you ever seen a boat insurance policy that specifically says that the boat is insured whilst it is out of sight?
 
petem said:
Have you ever seen a boat insurance policy that specifically says that the boat is insured whilst it is out of sight?
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Yes in not so many words if it’s on a recognised anchorage or buoyed area on a chart . That’s a positive statement
Can actually even leave it for a few days unless obvious weather issues .

As you know with the old Amlin a few years ago even with all risks they put it writing after I enquired , used this flexible “ actions un reasonable “ adding the line of sight and the ability to return with 30 mins .Say anchors tangled as your neighbours up anchored stuff like that , and you could not return in reasonable time to prevent your now un anchored or compromised holding boat grounding .
 
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From the current issued Nov 2020 std N+G ( Zurich) viewable online .


Exclusions

8: the vessel being stranded, sunk, swamped or breaking adrift whilst unattended except on a recognised mooring.

Definitions
Recognised mooring: A professionally laid and maintained yacht mooring or sheltered anchorage which appears in a marine publication such as a chart, almanac or area/pilotage guide.

Unattended: The insured property is unattended if you, or somebody appointed on your behalf, is not in a position to monitor the insured property and able to go to its immediate aid in the event of an incident or external interference.


This should cover typical Med usage going ashore leaving the boat to dine , shop , or what ever inc touring around staying overnight on “A professionally laid and maintained yacht mooring or sheltered anchorage which appears in a marine publication such as a chart, almanac or area/pilotage guide”

If it’s not marked on a chart then you just have NOT leave it unattended, you can still send a shore party foraging but skip stays behind .Most Med hot spots are marked on charts and fall within the definition.
 
Thanks Portofino
That’s so much clearer than the Curtis/ Towergate terms.
I edit
Interesting that Curtis have pointed me towards Towergate despite my requirement for “unattended”
It seems that they assume that I am price led not requirement led.
I am now with Topsail/N&G at £200 more.
 
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I like this definition

Unattended: The insured property is unattended if you, or somebody appointed on your behalf, is not in a position to monitor the insured property and able to go to its immediate aid in the event of an incident or external interference.

This means not necessarily you have to leave a suitable person aboard .You could in a secluded anchorage (. Un marked on the charts etc ) and have a beach barbecue, or just sit with your feet in the sand etc .
D29F44AE-00F8-4D9A-A879-C06BC88726CA.jpeg
So sat in that restaurant looking at the boat on an anchorage not on any charts .....you are covered as you can rush back to give assistance.....eg its draggingm because you are “ monitoring “ as the clause puts it .

But iirc that was such a recognised anchorage anyhow , so we could have gone for a walk into the hinterland.

Certainly wife can paddle board the dog ashore and leave me on the boat .
Or if with guests all four go ashore in the evening for dinner ( sea view table and tender pulled up )

Works either way if it’s on or indeed off a chart when touring around and not using marinas .
 
I don’t have the leverage with any insurance company to negotiate my complete existing or future needs so it’s a question of selecting a company which is best fit and being very clear about what isn’t covered.
So “exploring beyond the bay“ while at a marked anchorage is covered but at an unmarked anchorage is not. All very clear and I can live with that.
I‘ve got nothing else to offer on this thread so thats it for me.
Thanks guys it’s all good stuff to make me think.
I hope trialframe gets his answer
 
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petem said:
Except that it excludes your requirement for "exploring beyond the bay"! The wording in your first post has no such exclusion. So it's actualy less comprehensive rather than more comprehensive.
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If you know or plan to go inland then you anchor in a quote “ Recognised mooring: A professionally laid and maintained yacht mooring or sheltered anchorage which appears in a marine publication such as a chart, almanac or area/pilotage guide.”

Plenty about in the Med like this below .Porquerolles town is about 30/40 min walk away for supplies , or having a beer with Bouba :)
4A086A54-7C7C-4093-AEC3-004C82A8BF3D.jpeg
 
Apologies
DavidJ said:
I don’t have the leverage with any insurance company to negotiate my complete existing or future needs so it’s a question of selecting a company which is best fit and being very clear about what isn’t covered.
So “exploring beyond the bay“ while at a marked anchorage is covered but at an unmarked anchorage is not. All very clear and I can live with that.
I‘ve got nothing else to offer on this thread so thats it for me.
Thanks guys it’s all good stuff to make me think.
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Apologies, I've re-read it and you're quite right.

Although, we could debate whether an anchorage (even one on a chart) is always sheltered. But life is too short.

But I'm still not conceding that there was anything wrong with the wording in your first post!
 
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