Question 1

Is there a hurricane exclusion or a lay-up season?

Accepted Answer

Not with us. Worldwide means worldwide, without zones, without a lay-up period and without a named storm clause. One condition applies: once the boat moves more than 300 nautical miles from its reported location, the digital NAMMERT log book has to be kept.

Question 2

Is single-handed sailing covered?

Accepted Answer

Yes, at no extra premium and without reporting each leg. In our own survey of policy wordings, one provider excludes single-handed sailing in its basic wording.

Question 3

Is the rig covered on an older yacht?

Accepted Answer

With us it is. Several providers exclude damage to mast, boom, standing and running rigging together with any consequential loss. On a boat of some age the rig is the most expensive single item after the hull, so that one line is worth more than a premium comparison.

Question 4

What does it cost to insure a sailing yacht for a world cruise?

Accepted Answer

Liability starts at around 39 euros a year;

hull cover is priced on the agreed value of your sailing yacht, not on its length.

The worldwide cruising area carries no surcharge, and hurricane season costs nothing extra.

The binding figure is the quote based on your details;

for a world cruise we first ask about route, crew and how rig and engine are maintained.

Question 5

Is my yacht liability insurance valid worldwide?

Accepted Answer

Yes.

Yacht liability includes claims abroad (clause A-7); unlike hull cover it has no cruising area.

The limit is shown in your policy schedule and can be chosen up to 50 million euros.

Two limits to know: for claims in the USA,

its territories and Canada you carry 20 per cent yourself, at least 2,500 euros (A-4).

And cover for statutory environmental damage applies abroad only within the scope of the EU

Environmental Liability Directive.

Many marinas ask for proof; the international certificate of insurance is available in ten

languages.

Question 6

Which yacht insurance is best for a circumnavigation?

Accepted Answer

The one whose wording fits your route.

Check six points: is the cruising area worldwide without a time limit?

Does cover pause in hurricane season?

Is single-handed sailing allowed?

Is the rig covered on an older yacht?

Up to what amount are salvage costs paid?

Who handles a claim abroad?

Our comparison of seven providers on exactly these features is on this page.

Question 7

I want to sail around the world: where do I insure my boat?

Accepted Answer

With a provider whose cruising area is worldwide without a time limit and whose cover does not

pause in hurricane season; that is what this blue water policy is built for.

With NAMMERT you get liability and hull cover for a circumnavigation with no surcharge for the

worldwide area, single-handed sailing included, yachts over 25 years accepted.

Once the boat moves more than 300 nautical miles, the digital log book must be kept;

otherwise a hull claim can be reduced by up to 50 per cent.

You need either your residence or the flag in Germany, Austria or Spain.

Calculate the premium online; for long passages we ask about route and crew first.

Your own health needs a separate long-stay travel medical policy.

Question 8

Am I still covered if I give up my home address to sail around the world?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as long as the yacht sails under the German, Austrian or Spanish flag.

We can arrange cover when either your residence or the flag is in one of those three countries;

one of the two is enough.

Owners who deregister before departure, or who live somewhere else along the way,

keep their cover under that flag.

Only when neither applies are we not allowed to insure.

Question 9

Who handles a claim on the other side of the world?

Accepted Answer

We do, the same team that handles a claim in the Baltic.

You report it by WhatsApp at any hour or by email;

in every tariff there is an emergency number outside office hours.

We check cover and cruising area,

arrange a surveyor and a yard locally and arrange direct settlement with the yard abroad.

We take up the claim and file it in full; Württembergische Versicherung AG, as the risk carrier,

decides on it and pays.

What takes time in the Pacific or the Caribbean is spare parts and officials, not our assessment.

Your part is set out in clause B-3.2 of the hull terms: report the loss in writing without delay,

report fire, theft and vandalism to the nearest police station and, in a harbour,

to the harbour office as well,

and give us the chance to inspect before repairs start.

Question 10

Is NAMMERT the right choice for a circumnavigation?

Accepted Answer

For most blue water yachts, yes; this is what the cover is built for:

worldwide without time limit or surcharge, no hurricane lay-up, single-handed sailing included,

yachts over 25 years accepted.

Some competitors offer more if you need unlimited salvage costs or personal effects above 6,000

euros, our Premium limit.

On premium we came fourth of five for the long-distance yacht in our own survey.

Question 11

Is my yacht covered when a delivery skipper sails her without me?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Hull cover insures the yacht, not whoever is at the helm. Two conditions apply to the delivery skipper: he or she must hold the qualification and licence required for the boat and the waters (hull clause A-6.2 b), and your duties after a loss apply to anyone you hand the boat to (B-3.2.7). The passage has to lie within the cruising area in your schedule (A-2); Premium adds up to six weeks a year beyond it. On the liability side, the personal liability of the skipper in charge is included from Basis Plus (liability A-1.5). If a professional skipper is paid for the delivery, tell us first, because uses other than those agreed are excluded (hull A-6.3).

Read the clause: Hull Basis Plus A-6, Hull Premium A-2 (German), Hull Premium B-3 (German), Liability Basis Plus A-1.5 (German)

Question 12

Are gale damage, thunderstorms and harbour manoeuvres covered?

Accepted Answer

Storm, hail and lightning count as natural perils and are covered in all three tiers (hull A-3.1.2); in Basis a storm means Beaufort 8 or more. Hitting a pontoon, a harbour wall or the boat next door while berthing is an accident to the vessel and is covered from Basis Plus (A-3.1.1); the damage to the other boat or the pontoon falls under your liability cover. Rain, snow, frost or heat on their own are excluded unless a storm caused them (A-6.2 i). One more line for the Mediterranean: a yacht left unattended off an open coast must be movable in an emergency after 48 hours in Basis Plus and 24 hours in Basis; Premium has no such condition.

Read the clause: Hull Basis A-3, Hull Basis Plus A-3, Hull Basis Plus A-6, Hull Premium A-6 (German)

Question 13

What does "crew covered" actually mean in a yacht policy?

Accepted Answer

It can mean three different things. Liability first: from Basis Plus the personal liability of the skipper and of crew working for you is included (liability A-1.5), while claims by relatives living in your household and claims between insured persons are excluded (A-6.2.4, A-6.2.5). Injuries second: a yacht policy does not pay for injuries on board; that is what watersports accident cover is for, insuring the owner in Basis, close family as well in Basis Plus and everyone on board in Premium. Third, the assistance add-on to Premium hull helps every authorised person on board who has not paid for the trip (assistance A-2.1).

Read the clause: Liability Basis Plus A-1.5 (German), Liability Basis Plus A-6 (German), Hull assistance A-2 (German)

Question 14

Are guests covered if they share costs or pay to join the passage?

Accepted Answer

It depends on what the money is for. Someone who pays you for the right to use your yacht is hiring her, and hire has to be in the policy. Liability covers occasional hire for up to 30 days a year without a professional crew (liability A-1.1.1 (2)), more by agreement (A-1.1.2). Hull covers private hire of up to 30 days a year if it was applied for and appears in the schedule (A-12), longer or commercial hire under A-13; both pay only where no other insurer responds. Assistance helps only those on board who have not paid for the trip. Tell us beforehand how your crew contributes.

Read the clause: Liability Premium A-1.1 (German), Hull Premium A-12 (German), Hull Premium A-13 (German), Hull assistance A-2 (German)

Question 15

What mistakes do owners make when insuring a yacht for long-distance cruising?

Accepted Answer

Five come up again and again. The cruising area does not match the route, yet only what is in the schedule is covered (hull A-2.1.1). The sum insured is set too low, so money is missing after a total loss; refits and new equipment should be reported so the sum keeps pace (A-8.3). The tender, outboard, trailer or watersports gear is left out, although it is only covered with its own sum in the proposal (A-1.3). Questions in the proposal, about previous losses for example, are answered loosely, which can cost the cover (B-3.1). And with a worldwide area the digital log book is forgotten; it must be kept once the boat moves more than 300 nautical miles, or a claim can be cut by up to 50 per cent (A-2.2.1).

Read the clause: Hull Premium A-1 (German), Hull Premium A-2 (German), Hull Premium A-8 (German), Hull Premium B-3 (German)

Question 16

How much does hull cover pay for salvage and wreck removal?

Accepted Answer

When a state or the competent authority orders salvage, wreck removal or disposal, we pay those costs on top of the settlement for the yacht: up to the sum insured in Basis (Basis A-4.2), up to 1 million euros in Basis Plus and up to 2.5 million euros per claim in Premium (A-5.2). Without an order, we refund the cost of averting or reducing a covered loss, such as a tow off after grounding, even where it takes the total above the sum insured (A-5.1). The 2.5 million euros are also our underwriting limit: yachts worth more are outside what we can insure.

Read the clause: Hull Basis A-4, Hull Basis Plus A-5, Hull Premium A-5 (German)

Question 17

Which exclusions in the small print matter before an ocean passage?

Accepted Answer

In our hull terms they sit together in clause A-6. The ones that matter offshore: a boat unseaworthy from the start, wear and tear and defects in material or design at the failed part itself (the resulting damage is covered), poor maintenance, rust, corrosion, osmosis and cavitation, weather without a storm, and loose items lost overboard (A-6.2). Premium covers osmosis on boats up to 48 months old. War, civil unrest and seizure are excluded (A-6.1). Basis Plus also excludes races other than club races and has the 48-hour rule off an open coast (A-6.3). None of the three tiers has a hurricane clause or a lay-up season.

Read the clause: Hull Basis Plus A-6, Hull Premium A-6 (German)

Question 18

How do I compare yacht insurance quotes on cover rather than price?

Accepted Answer

Put the policy wordings side by side, not the premiums, and look for the same places in each. In our hull terms these are: cruising area (A-2), insured events (A-3), excess (A-4), salvage and wreck removal (A-5), exclusions (A-6), gross negligence (A-7) and the basis of value and settlement (A-8, A-9). A cheap premium with a high excess or a market value settlement is not cheap. Our own three tiers are compared line by line, with the clause for each line.

Read the clause: Compare tariffs, Hull terms in English

Question 19

Does hull cover pay for osmosis, corrosion or metal fatigue?

Accepted Answer

Not for the gradual wear itself, often for the sudden damage it causes. Rust, oxidation, corrosion, osmosis and cavitation are excluded (hull A-6.2 h), although Premium covers osmosis on boats up to 48 months old. With wear and material defects we do not replace the part that failed, but we do pay for damage to other insured items that follows directly (A-6.2 d). If a fatigued rigging screw lets go, hull cover from Basis Plus pays for the broken mast, the torn sail and the damaged deck (A-3.1.1), not for the screw. Poor maintenance stays excluded (A-6.2 f).

Read the clause: Hull Basis Plus A-3, Hull Premium A-6 (German)

Question 20

Can I insure a yacht under a foreign flag with NAMMERT?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if you live in Germany, Austria or Spain. If you live elsewhere, a German, Austrian or Spanish flag is enough; without either we are not allowed to underwrite. One line to know: for yachts that must be registered, the liability terms refer to entry in a German sea or inland register (liability A-1.1.1 (3)). If your yacht is on a foreign register, we go through the liability cover with you before you apply.

Read the clause: Liability Premium A-1.1 (German)

Question 21

Is my yacht covered while she lies unattended in a Mediterranean marina?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Cover applies afloat throughout the agreed cruising area and ashore at any berth suitable for boats, with or without anyone aboard (hull A-2.1). There is one limit in Basis Plus, and it concerns anchorages rather than marinas: if the yacht lies unmanned off an open coast for more than 48 hours and nobody can move her when danger threatens, hull cover does not pay (Basis Plus A-6.3 a). Premium has no such clause. For theft, Basis Plus waives the excess (A-4.3); Premium waives it only if the boat was kept in a locked building or fenced compound (Premium A-6.8). Loose gear on deck is covered only if it is packed, covered and lashed down or inside the locked boat (A-6.2 m). Leave a contact number with the marina or a yacht-care service: after a loss someone has to limit the damage at once, and theft or vandalism must be reported to the police and the harbour office (B-3.2.1, B-3.2.2).

Read the clause: Hull Premium A-2 (German), Hull Basis Plus A-6, Hull Premium A-6 (German), Hull Basis Plus A-4, Hull Premium B-3 (German)

Question 22

Are the dinghy and outboard covered against theft, including in the Mediterranean?

Accepted Answer

Yes, provided you applied for both with their own sum insured and they appear on the policy schedule (hull A-1.3); without that entry the dinghy and outboard are not insured. Once listed, theft cover applies to them from Basis Plus (A-3.1), anywhere in the agreed cruising area, which for the Mediterranean means cruising area c or wider (A-2.2). Two conditions matter: the outboard must be secured with a locking bolt or equivalent anti-theft device, or kept in a locked building (Basis Plus A-6.7, Premium A-6.5); and loose items are covered only if packed, covered and lashed down or inside the locked boat (A-6.2 m). No excess is deducted for the dinghy (A-4.2). Report a theft to the police straight away, and in a harbour to the harbour office as well (B-3.2.1).

Read the clause: Hull Basis Plus A-1, Hull Basis Plus A-3, Hull Basis Plus A-6, Hull Premium A-6 (German), Hull Basis Plus A-4

Against	For NAMMERT	Level	Better there	Not scored
Firmenich	6	8	4	17
HKVA	9	15	3	8
Pantaenius	8	6	6	15
Preuss	14	7	4	10
Schomacker	10	13	4	8
Trinity Marine	11	6	5	13

Blue water insurance: Sail off the map. We'll keep watch.

Three steps and the ocean is all yours

What does your happy place cost a day?

Landfall, a watch at the helm, goosebumps

Four months a year your policy may not cover you

It hangs on the calendar, not the forecast

Storm and hurricane are two different thresholds

What ocean cruising needs from a policy

Seven providers, one boat, the same enquiry

Tell us the route, not just the boat.

Already insured? We will read your policy against your route

Four questions before you sail around the world

Insuring a sailing yacht for a world cruise

Twelve questions on long-distance cover, with the clause

The three questions you actually have

“Will they actually pay?”

“Who picks up the phone?”

“And if I choose wrong?”

Which language is the policy wording in?

Your question: Blue water insurance

Cheaper elsewhere? We pay the difference.