Single Handed Insurance

[[70521]]

The time of year has some where I am looking to renew my insurance. So far I am very happy with my current insurance company as they do allow 24 hour single handed sailing, but wanted to test the market and a bit surprised when one company, who is often recommended on here, had a single handed limit of 18 hours - even Roscoff in that time is a bit keen for me.

I am looking for an insurance company who will cover the geographic area of Brest in the south, the Faroe Islands in the north, the Norwegian coast in the east and Rockhall in the west for voyages that last more than five days. Longer term this area will increase south and west to cover the Atlantic.

Any recommendations?

 

[pvb]

I think most insurers now use 18 hours as maximum, often with a stipulation that an 18 hour stint must be followed by at least 6 hours' rest. Maybe you should stick with your current insurers - who are they?

 

[Tranona]

Think you will find the 18 hours restriction is common these days. Do you want that geographic area and duration all single handed? The area will not be a problem with a "standard" type policy but 5 day singlehanded non stop cover would be.

Suggest you actually talk direct with insurers or use a broker to do the legwork for you as such cover , if you can get it will be specific to your circumstances.

 

[Plum]

The time of year has some where I am looking to renew my insurance. So far I am very happy with my current insurance company as they do allow 24 hour single handed sailing, but wanted to test the market and a bit surprised when one company, who is often recommended on here, had a single handed limit of 18 hours - even Roscoff in that time is a bit keen for me.

I am looking for an insurance company who will cover the geographic area of Brest in the south, the Faroe Islands in the north, the Norwegian coast in the east and Rockhall in the west for voyages that last more than five days. Longer term this area will increase south and west to cover the Atlantic.

Any recommendations?

In my experience it is always worth speaking to the insurance company. Once they agreed to add a clause to the policy extending the single-handed time limit provided I had a working autopilot on board (no requirement to actually use it). Who are you with currently?

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[[70521]]

I think most insurers now use 18 hours as maximum, often with a stipulation that an 18 hour stint must be followed by at least 6 hours' rest. Maybe you should stick with your current insurers - who are they?

That is the default option. But wanting to:

1. Look at other companies that I have heard good things about; and
2. Wanted to work with them longer term for long single handed passages.

At the speed I sail, as I said, a passage to Roscoff would be out of the question.

No names, no pack drill, but a tad disappointed.

 

[[70521]]

In my experience it is always worth speaking to the insurance company. Once they agreed to add a clause to the policy extending the single-handed time limit provided I had a working autopilot on board (no requirement to actually use it). Who are you with currently?

Thanks Plum, interestingly this was direct with a company!

I'll need to do a bit more research and try and find out who I need to talk to.

As I have said on other posts, no names, no pack drill.

There must be others in the sailing community who are doing this sort of thing regularly and can point me towards a company who are happy for to cover multiple day single handed voyages.

 

[Roberto]

Pantaenius (Monaco, not UK) insured me singlehanded, Biscay, Azores etc up to full transatlantic. They also insured the boat left alone at anchor. By far not the cheapest company though.


Afaik Pant.UK has some differences with Monaco, you may want to check.

 

[pvb]

Thanks Plum, interestingly this was direct with a company!

What sort of company? Most yacht insurance companies are merely fronts for syndicates at LLoyd's.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Probably out of date now but I had no problems with single handed insurance with no time limit specified with Haven-Knox- Johnston, I had however been with them for many years without claim.

 

[Triassic]

Pantaenius (Monaco, not UK) insured me singlehanded, Biscay, Azores etc up to full transatlantic. They also insured the boat left alone at anchor. By far not the cheapest company though.


Afaik Pant.UK has some differences with Monaco, you may want to check.

I'm with Pantaenius UK, they don't seem to have any issues with me being single handed, but the policy is limited to 200nm offshore.

 

[LadyInBed]

I'm with Pantaenius UK, they don't seem to have any issues with me being single handed, but the policy is limited to 200nm offshore.

So am I.
Changed to them when I wanted S/H Biscay (Galicia) then they extended me when I wanted Portugal (Lisbon).
I will look back at costs and report, but I guess you ask for what you want and they either say NO or give you a price.

 

[JumbleDuck]

No time limits on mine (GJW), but my excess doubles during the hours of night.

 

[Daydream believer]

No time limits on mine (GJW), but my excess doubles during the hours of night.

Same with me with GJW & my Brest - Elbe limit is extended to Roquefort to give me la Rochelle with a bit of lattitude but an increase of £100-00 on the excess past Brest
I had a £5K claim in 2015 whilst SH, no increase in premium for that

 

[[70521]]

Thanks everybody, looks like I have some research to do.

As many will have guessed I am working this up towards leaving full time work in a few years and doing some adventure sailing, mostly single handed.

 

[Dan Tribe]

I told my insurers [GJW] that I would be doing some singlehanded sailing but probably only day-sailing. The amended wording came back as "restricted to daylight hours only".
Not quite what I meant but technically correct.

 

[Bru]

I told my insurers [GJW] that I would be doing some singlehanded sailing but probably only day-sailing. The amended wording came back as "restricted to daylight hours only".
Not quite what I meant but technically correct.

When I was with GJW, I queried the "daylight hours only" asking what would happen if I didn't get into to port by sunset through no fault of my own and they promptly amended it to "18 hours max passage time"

Whilst doubtless some insurers are rubber stamp merchants with no flexibility, the best will insure you, within reason, for whatever you want if you talk it through with them ... at a price!

 

[pvb]

I told my insurers [GJW] that I would be doing some singlehanded sailing but probably only day-sailing. The amended wording came back as "restricted to daylight hours only".
Not quite what I meant but technically correct.

Anyone with a "daylight hours" restriction in their insurance should be aware of what it means. It only means from official sunrise time to official sunset time, which is rather less than the actual daylight.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Same with me with GJW & my Brest - Elbe limit is extended to Roquefort to give me la Rochelle with a bit of lattitude but an increase of £100-00 on the excess past Brest

I'm insured for UK and Ireland Coastal Waters with them, but noticed that that omitted quite a lot of the Irish Sea. They added the whole Irish Sea at no extra charge. Overall I have found them pretty good - I tell them what I want to do and they tell me how much cover will cost, rather than them selling me a standard package and then telling me what I can and can't do.

 

[macd]

I am looking for an insurance company who will cover the geographic area of Brest in the south, the Faroe Islands in the north, the Norwegian coast in the east and Rockhall in the west for voyages that last more than five days.

Although I wasn't insured for that far north, my own company, Bishop Skinner, placed no limit on single-handed voyages with the exception of Biscay, where single-handed passages were initially limited to 24 hours. Over the years, that was relaxed to unconditional, as well. Later still, Atlantic single-handing was allowed up to a point (for Europe-Canaries and Canaries-Cape Verdes and Azores-Europe, but not for the longest passages). I presumed the relaxation was due to the trust developed over time without claims, but that's just an assumption. It might be worth your speaking with them.

 

[Tin Tin]

Pantaenius (Monaco, not UK) insured me singlehanded, Biscay, Azores etc up to full transatlantic. They also insured the boat left alone at anchor. By far not the cheapest company though.


Afaik Pant.UK has some differences with Monaco, you may want to check.

Asked Pants UK for a quote as a singlehanded transat might be on the cards this year.
They would insure me third party only.