Sailing is dangerous - it's official

[zefender]

Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

As part of a mortgage application, I needed some life assurance so filled out the forms as per usual. One of the questions was about pursuits. One on the list was sailing. So, being an honest chap I ticked the box and was then asked to specify whether I raced or not. I stated no and assumed that would be the end of it. next came a further questionnaire asking how far I sailed, in what sort of boat, with what crew, qualifications held etc etc. I completed this not expecting anything funny. On the material facts section I commented that I was going on the ARC but with full crew, experienced, safe passage etc etc.

The quote came back saying I had been loaded as a result of 'sailing' to the tune of 50% increase in premium. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Clearly the health & safety gang have got hold of all activities - tiddlywink players beware (you could blind someone y'know).

Anyone else had a similar experience? Has everyone declared sailing on their life assurance forms (whether as a material fact or otherwise) or am I the only plonker to do so? (Answer to last question not required!)

 

[Mirelle]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

No, you are not the only one - recently did just the same. Similar result.

 

[StugeronSteve]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

I have recently taken out a life policy, did mention sailing as a hobby with no adverse results. One to watch for the future though.

 

[StugeronSteve]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

50% is incredible, don't think I used to get that loading for motorsports!

 

[Lakesailor]

By The Balls

Of course not disclosing material facts will invalidate the insurance policy. So your question is : do I want a worthless policy, or do I put up with the extra premium.
You can bet your bottom dollar that the claim when it's put in (after your demise in a sailing incident) will be rejected.
Insurers are bastards. It's an EEC fact.

 

[iangrant]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

My insurance people said, "Are you going in one of those really fast overtaking Bavaria thingys with a bow wave?"

I said "No"

They said "Oh that's OK then, perfectly safe, no increase"


/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Ian

 

[clouty]

Me too

Yup. And I admitted to club racing. Still, they did cover me, and only 20% loading. Legal + General. Silly, ain't it, when healthy exercise is good for your heart, and heart failure is the most common cause of death...I suppose we all have that in the end though

 

[TigaWave]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

I found this in the past, but on investigation at the time it was the Ocean racing that was the problem. For the ARC I assume the insurers still consider it an Ocean race. But surely the ARC is somewhat different from the old Transats or Atlantic challenge, boats aren't pushed to the limit to win, are they?
Maybe insurers need help with the difference between a race and a cruise.
I havn't done an ARC so I'll probably get told its a race and you're going to push the boat and crew to the limit to win...and the boats stripped out with a bucket for a toilet?
I would imagine the safety record of the ARC differs from other Ocean races.

 

[iangrant]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

I'm not sure the statistics are that good for the Atlantic RALLY for Cruisers, A death overboard the year before last and a sinking if I remember?


Ian

 

[jhr]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

Hmm. This is probably an early manifestation of a new trend, applying, to life assurance for sailors, the pricing principles that apply to anything else with marine connotations. Did you buy it in a Chandlery?

50% mark up does sound steep. I wonder if you should remonstrate with them? My suspicion is that you might expect to get a small loading as a sailor (however unfairly), but that somebody has heard the words "Transatlantic crossing" and "small boat" and hit the over-react button.

 

[zefender]

Re: Me too

Well maybe they've changed heart (pun intended) but this was L & G and apparently 3 other companies said they have the same approach to sailing! Maybe it was the ARC thing - but that seems a bit rich since, if it takes 3 weeks or so, it means my premium for that period (the only one where the risk is a bit higher) is stratospheric.

 

[tome]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

[ QUOTE ]
A death overboard the year before last and a sinking if I remember?

[/ QUOTE ]

Ger on with it yer wuzzie. The death was a mob who they reckon probably had a heart attack and the sinking was the couple who scuttled their boat with the agreement of their insurance company coz theyd lost the rudder.

 

[iangrant]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

Not bein a wuzzie -

From the point of view of an insurance company it's the statistics, never mind how why or what!

And the Legend was sinking anyway, they just helped it along a little quicker!


Ian

 

[Salty]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

Is it possible to say 'no' on the form to 'dangerous' sailing like the ARC and then take specific insurance just for that event? From the other angle you can insure a yacht for 'cruising only' and then pay a one-off premium for something like the Round the Island race - if you can do similar with personal insurance it might be cheaper than the 50% hike in the annual premium which might assume you're doing rufty-tufty sailing all year round.

 

[StephenSails]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

Could you ask them to justify the loading and where are they getting their data from? maybe carbon copy a formal letter to the RYA and BMF or something like that.

 

[StugeronSteve]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

Probably all these progs about our ellen have put the willies up the insurers.

If she had been lazing around on deck drinking G+Ts and sunning herself we might have been getting a premium reduction, on the grounds of a low stress life style.

Well that's negative publicity for you.

 

[Evadne]

where the loading comes from

You'll find that everyone who goes sailing, dies. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif More often in a car accident on the way home than from, say, a heart attack when opening a marina bill without sitting down, but the risks are there! It's five years since I took out an insurance policy and I do recall that both sailing and going to sea on big ships were deemed low-risk occupations.

 

[Peppermint]

Re: They\'ll get to us all in the end.

Every aspect of life that right thinking people think is over regulated and full of arse coverers is made that way by insurers.

Shipping for example, is one of the most over documented endevours known to man. It's full of huge manuals on doing stuff that everybody knows how to do and reporting systems that tell everybody what they already know. All driven by insurers.

You see insurance underwriters kind of fell asleep for a long time. Then they awoke to realise they'd been stitched up. This cleared a lot of the old boy's out of the system and replaced them with commercialy aware leeches.

The insurance industry employ's a scad of Jeramiah's to sit around worrying. They tell their worries to the leeches and they find new and interesting ways to a. increase your admin burden and b. to screw a few more quid out of you.

Of course they also find exotic and inventive ways of not paying out too. Like if you hadn't told them you were going sailing

 

[Birdseye]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

[ QUOTE ]
Could you ask them to justify the loading and where are they getting their data from? maybe carbon copy a formal letter to the RYA and BMF or something like that.

[/ QUOTE ]

They dont have to justify it, any more than you have to justify whether or not you take up their offer. And I doubt they have any worthwhile stats on such a minor hobby - its simply someone making a value judgement and hoping he's right. Undoubtedly will be influenced by seeing Ellen on TV or by his own personal experience of sailing.

 

[StugeronSteve]

Re: Sailing is dangerous - it\'s official

[ QUOTE ]
or by his own personal experience of sailing.

[/ QUOTE ] The insurance companies do tend to go on these S#nsail type corporate regatta jobbies a lot.