During a delivery the boat is insured under the owner's policy. So the question before a delivery is not "is there insurance?" but "does this policy cover this passage?"
Four things to check in the policy
- Navigation limits
- The area the policy covers. If the route goes outside it, extra cover is arranged for the delivery.
- Who may operate
- Who may helm the boat and with what qualification. Operation by a paid skipper should be written into the policy.
- Period
- A policy written for a laid-up period may not cover passage-making during it.
- Excess
- The amount the owner carries in a claim.
How we work
- Policy requested. A copy is taken at the quote stage.
- Written confirmation. Before departure, the insurer confirms in writing that the policy covers the route, the period and the skipper.
- Handover record. The boat's condition at departure is recorded in photographs.
- Arrival record. The same record is repeated on arrival; the two document what happened in between.
Why the records matter
In a claim, the first question is when the damage happened. Photos from the same angles at departure and arrival leave no room to argue about it.
What to send the insurer before the delivery
Complete information when asking for confirmation gets a quick, clear answer:
- Departure and arrival ports, route and estimated dates.
- The skipper's name, licence and crew size.
- That the delivery is made by a paid skipper.
- If the route leaves the navigation limits, in which area.
Common policy conditions
- Cruising period
- Some policies cover passage-making in certain months and assume the boat is moored or ashore in others. A delivery outside that period needs separate confirmation.
- Use
- A private-use policy differs from a commercial one. For an off-season delivery of a charter boat, ask which policy applies.
- Skipper condition
- A policy may require a named person or a particular licence; confirm the delivery skipper meets it.
If damage happens under way
- Safety first. Crew and boat are made safe; help is called if needed.
- Record. Time, position, weather and the event go in the logbook; the damage is photographed.
- Notify. The owner and insurer are told without delay; notification periods in policies are often short.
- Surveyor. Repairs do not start without the insurer's instruction or surveyor's inspection, apart from emergency safety measures.
The departure and arrival records are the documents that show whether damage happened under way or before.
What the owner does before departure
The skipper runs the delivery, but some insurance steps only the owner can take. The policy is in the owner's name; telling the insurer about the delivery, buying extra cover if needed and passing the written confirmation to the skipper are the owner's jobs. We ask for this confirmation before departure; the boat does not leave until it arrives.
If a situation falls outside the policy, a few days of extra cover usually solves it. So insurance is not left to the last day; it is discussed at quote stage and the departure date planned around the confirmation.
What goes into the records
In the handover record, the outside of the boat is photographed from four sides, along with deck, cockpit, interior, engine room and bilge, from the same angles each time. Engine hours, fuel and water levels, battery state and any existing damage are written down. On arrival the same list is repeated in the same order. Laid side by side, the two records show what changed under way without argument.