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Gross negligence
Boat insurance term, area: Owner duties
Gross negligence is a serious failure to take the care any reasonable skipper would take: leaving a boat poorly moored when a gale is forecast, sailing without a lookout, leaving a seacock open. Many wordings then allow the insurer to reduce or refuse a claim. Whether a policy gives up that right, and how far, is the most important single difference between policy wordings, and it is rarely on the front page.
What to check: Does the wording mention gross negligence, want of due diligence or lack of reasonable care? Is there a clause waiving that defence, and up to what share of the sum insured does it apply?
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A general explanation in our own words.
What applies to you is set only by the wording of your own policy.
