Theft on board a charter yacht: who replaces the crew's belongings?

The crew comes back from dinner ashore to find the washboards forced and the camera, a tablet and the cash gone. Or the phone left on the cockpit seat has vanished by morning. Theft from yachts happens in busy harbours and anchorages every season, and the question that follows is who pays. The answer surprises many: usually not the charter yacht's insurance. That policy is written for the owner and protects the yacht and its inventory, meaning what belongs to the boat, not the personal belongings of the skipper and crew.

For those, your own policies are the place to look, and each has its own conditions. Home contents insurance often extends to belongings away from home, usually for a limited period, often with a cap, and depending on the policy only after a break-in, meaning a locked space was forced. A phone left out in the cockpit then falls outside. Travel insurance with baggage cover can reach further but commonly excludes cash and expects valuables to have been supervised or locked away. Whether a cabin closed with washboards counts as a locked space is down to the wording, and wordings differ. Anything that belongs to the boat, such as binoculars, a handheld VHF or the tender, is a matter between you and the charter company.

Report the theft at once to the local police or port authority and ask for written confirmation of the report; without it hardly any insurer will pay. Tell the base, especially if boat equipment is missing too or the yacht was broken into. List what was taken with its value and keep receipts and photos. Prevention is easier: keep valuables out of sight, lock the hatches and the companionway when everyone goes ashore, and read what your own home contents policy says about belongings away from home before you travel.

Worth remembering

Without a police report hardly any insurer pays. Get the confirmation before you leave the port.