Window smashed by a wave: storm damage or poor seamanship?

In a seaway a steep wave hits the bow, green water comes over the foredeck and a window in the superstructure or the windscreen is smashed. Water pours into the cabin, onto wiring and upholstery, and broken glass quickly turns into a large water damage claim. It happens more often to motor boats than to sailing yachts, because they meet the waves at speed and have large areas of glass. Two questions follow: is this heavy weather damage, or poor seamanship because the boat was going too fast or out in too much wind?

Many hull policies cover damage caused by heavy weather, including glass and water getting in. With us, a heavy sea on its own is not an insured peril: covered is damage from a storm, in Basis from force 8, or from Basis Plus an accident. The insurer will look at whether the boat was suitable for the waters it was in. A useful reference is the design category under the Recreational Craft Directive and the matching UK rules, A to D, which states the wind and wave heights a boat is built for. Taking a category C boat out to open sea with a gale warning, or driving hard into short, steep seas, invites the argument that the boat was not handled with reasonable care. How that plays out depends on your own policy wording.

Before you leave, check the forecast and the expected wave height against your boat's design category. Ease off early in a seaway and take the waves at an angle. Carry storm boards for the windows, cut to size, and know where they are stowed. If a window goes: slow down, close the opening as best you can, pump out and head for the nearest safe harbour. Photograph the damage and save the forecast, notify your insurer straight away and keep the broken glass for the surveyor.

Worth remembering

In a seaway it is not just the wave that counts, but how fast you drove into it.