Home / Cruising areas / Blue water and circumnavigation
Blue water and circumnavigation: what to check before you sail
Blue water
The voyage begins where standard policy conditions end.
Blue water sailing starts exactly where ordinary policies stop: a zone limit, a time limit, a hurricane clause with conditions and an exclusion for the rig on older boats. Those four points are the first things to check in any policy before you cast off.
At a glance
Check the wording for a zone limit or a time limit
Look for a hurricane or cyclone clause with conditions attached
Ask whether single-handed sailing is accepted and at what cost
Know the salvage limit and whether wreck removal is part of it
Worth knowing
Blue water and circumnavigation: what to know before you go
Long-distance cruising means long passages, changing jurisdictions, nights at anchor off open coasts and repairs far from any familiar yard. The rig decides the most money. Several insurers exclude damage to the mast, boom, standing and running rigging, together with the consequential damage. On an older boat it is the most expensive item after the hull, and a low premium does not make up for that exclusion.
Salvage comes second. Anyone moving a heavy boat through areas without a boatyard should compare the salvage limit, and whether wreck removal is part of it, before any other figure, because a salvage award can multiply the repair bill. Do not sign anything on board without speaking to your insurer first: an offer of help can turn into salvage with an award.
Crew is the third point. In a survey of long-distance policies (as of 1 August 2026), one provider in seven excluded single-handed sailing in its basic wording. Ask too how gross negligence is treated and up to what share of the sum insured. And remember that boat insurance is not accident insurance: injuries to you and your crew need a separate personal accident policy.
Questions and answers
Common questions
Is the rig on an older boat a problem?
For Blue water and circumnavigation: It often is. Several insurers exclude the mast, boom and rigging from the outset, together with consequential damage, and on an ageing yacht the rig is the most expensive item after the hull. Read that clause before you compare premiums.
What should I know about salvage?
For Blue water and circumnavigation: Find out the salvage limit and whether wreck removal is part of it. Far from any yard, a salvage award can multiply the repair bill. Do not sign anything aboard before speaking to your insurer, because an offer of help can turn into salvage with an award.
Are injuries to the crew a matter for boat insurance?
No, not for Blue water and circumnavigation either: Boat insurance is not accident insurance. It is about the boat and the damage you cause to others. For the people on board, including yourself, arrange separate personal accident insurance before a long voyage.
Is boat insurance compulsory in the cruising area Blue water and circumnavigation?
For Blue water and circumnavigation: Each coastal state sets its own rules; in Europe, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Greece and Denmark require liability cover by law. On a long passage the marina decides in practice: almost every one asks for proof of liability, often with a minimum sum. The IVK in ten languages covers that, our liability limit of 50 million euros as well.
Are storm and theft at the berth covered in the cruising area Blue water and circumnavigation?
Yes. Storm, fire, lightning and theft of the whole boat are covered already under partial cover, sinking, theft of parts including the outboard and vandalism under full cover from Basis-Plus, at the berth in the cruising area Blue water and circumnavigation as in winter storage. The boat has to be moored in a seamanlike way. Salvage after an accident is covered: by official order up to the sum insured in Basis, up to 1 million euros in Basis-Plus and up to 2.5 million in Premium.
Worth reading next
Other cruising areas
Plan the area, then the policy.
Choose the cruising area “Blue water and circumnavigation” in the online calculator, or call us on +49 3375 29 12 77.
