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Caribbean and Bahamas: what your policy must cover
Atlantic
The months that many policies skip.
The Caribbean and Bahamas lie in the hurricane belt, and hurricane season is where policy wordings part ways. Almost every policy on the market has a blocked period written in dates and coordinates or a list of lay-up conditions. Read that clause first.
At a glance
Look for hurricane or cyclone clauses and any excluded months
Check for duties to haul out, lift or move the boat in season
Ask whether a higher deductible applies during hurricane season
Unattended anchoring off an open coast is excluded in many policies
Worth knowing
Caribbean and Bahamas: what to know before you go
Typical blocked seasons run from 1 June to 30 November between 10 and 37 degrees north. Inside that window, damage from a named storm is either excluded or only accepted if a list of conditions was met: mast unstepped and stored, sails and canvas removed, halyards down, mooring lines tripled and crossed, four large fenders on each side. If the conditions are not met, the settlement can be cut or refused.
The threshold is lower than many owners assume. A clause usually applies as soon as the American National Hurricane Center gives the storm a name, which happens from about 63 km/h of wind. Only rarely does it start at hurricane force, 118 km/h. Long-distance cruisers should check two more points: whether anchoring unattended off an open coast is accepted, and whether the home berth may lie outside Europe.
Salvage is the figure that counts when something goes wrong far from a boatyard. Check the salvage limit in your policy and whether wreck removal is part of it. After an incident, accept help, report the event to your insurer and sign nothing aboard before speaking to them: help between neighbours can legally turn into salvage with a salvage award.
Questions and answers
Common questions
Is there a blocked hurricane season in summer?
In most policies on the market, yes, typically 1 June to 30 November between 10 and 37 degrees north. Some wordings have no excluded month, no haul-out duty and no higher deductible, only the usual duty of care, as in January. Check which kind you hold.
From what wind speed do hurricane clauses apply?
Usually as soon as the storm is named, at around 63 km/h. In one market comparison, only a single insurer set the threshold at hurricane force, 118 km/h. So a storm well below hurricane strength can already trigger the clause.
What should I do after an incident far from a yard?
Accept help, report the event to your insurer and sign no salvage contract aboard before speaking to them. Before you go, check the salvage limit in your policy and whether wreck removal is included.
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