Do some countries require liability insurance?

[inchcailloch]

Virtually every marina in Europe requires at least third party insurance and common sense dictates this. A yacht dragged into another yacht in Cartagena, turned round to the owner and said in effect "I don't have insurance and I don't have money to pay for the damage I caused". Criminal and downright selfish!

[travellerw]

Originally Posted by wgoodbye

Boats entering Mexican ports are required to carry civil liability (third party) coverage for potential damages to third parties. You might get away with not having it, but just like driving in Mexico without liability coverage will get you thrown into a Mexican jail if you damage property or hurt someone and don't have proof of liability coverage, the same thing will happen with a boat if you have an accident. Mexican civil liability coverage can only be issued by a Mexican insurance company.

Yup I had heard the exact same thing. Had a different experience upon entering though. I had it anyway.

[thinwater]

Do you want to be hit by someone without insurance? Do you want to be that guy that has no insurance?

Do you want to anchor near a $500,000 boat and drift into him at night? What of a guest that is seriously injured? Are they left hanging?

---

Full coverage is a personal choice, but liability coverage is a sign of responsibility and maturity. If you can't afford liability coverage, that means you can't afford responsibility for your actions. Stay ashore.

[gilgsn]

Hello,

Well, the good news is that from what you guys say, it is much cheaper than what I thought.. Now what about the Bahamas, do they require insurance at the point of entry?

Gil.

[Canibul]

Originally Posted by gilgsn

Hello,

Well, the good news is that from what you guys say, it is much cheaper than what I thought.. Now what about the Bahamas, do they require insurance at the point of entry?

Gil.

Nope. Neither does the Turks and Caicos, nor the Dominican Republic.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by gilgsn

Hello,

Well, the good news is that from what you guys say, it is much cheaper than what I thought.. Now what about the Bahamas, do they require insurance at the point of entry?

Gil.

The bad news is that the Bahamas now require a cruising permit. I think it's $200 or something like that.

[gilgsn]

Thanks Canibul! That'll give me more time to save up for coverage..

Yes, the Bahamas requires a cruising permit, either $150 or $300 for boats over 34ft I believe..

Gil.

[Garethk]

As for Australia, you can not enter a marina without at least 10 million public liability insurance and a lot want your paperwork up front before you even enter

[svmariane]

Warning: Slight Thread Drift! New Zealand.

We were told by our marina (in Tauranga, N. Isle) that liability insurance was a must. Found out that our insurance wouldn't cover us there in NZ; MY fault. So we shopped around, contacted two local insurance companies for a quote. Gave out the basic info, including date of arrival.

We decided on one company, paid cash at their office, picked up the binder doc while being told specifically they would fax a copy to the marina - and that happened the next day. Coverage beginning when payment was made.

All's right with the world. Yes?

Nope.

Company #2 sends the marina an email that very day - courtesy copy to me - stating that we DID NOT have insurance (their emphasis). Think about that a moment.

Yes, it was the last day of our "window" to acquire insurance. But methinks somebody was attempting to pressure us into buying their higher priced product while letting the marina know we were in violation of NZ law. {Or at least marina policy.} And yet we weren't.

Don't know who was the more embarrassed - The marina clerk who walked down the dock to talk with us, or me for not thinking to a least stop at the office and show her the binder.

Really wanted to plant an uppercut on that 2nd insurance agent.... Took me a few days to shrug it off. The utter gall of that agent!

Full disclosure: Okay.... so I'm not over it yet.

Normal thread continues now.....

[Waboson HR352]

Croatia, Italy and Greece always demand insurance documents. If checked by the coast guard in these countries you will be charged, not worth the risk.

[CarinaPDX]

The world is becoming a bit more organized. When I left San Diego heading south in 1994 I did not have insurance (no one insures single-handers for long trips). Down Central America, through Panama and the Caribbean, to Bermuda and across I had no insurance, and the topic never came up. Beginning in Ireland, and throughout Europe, it was/is a requirement. Most companies would have nothing to do with a single-hander but Pantaenius did sell me a policy (which earned them 12 years of premiums and no claims - pretty good deal for them). They discontinued the policy when I left the Canaries and were not interested in insuring me in the Americas so I was again uninsured in the Caribbean in 2009. I have never worried about not having hull coverage, but I would really like to have liability everywhere if it were possible. It is just very difficult or impossible for a single-hander to get broad geographical coverage. But just because an insurance company says "no" doesn't mean I will let them limit my life.

Greg

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by gilgsn

... More concerned about in between the Bahamas and Panama.

Gil.

Never been asked for proof of insurance anywhere in the W Carib (or Bahamas).

[Canibul]

We consider ourselves 'self insured' as far as the hull, etc. We did have insurance when we brought the boat down. Got hit by lightning, too. I tried to find liability insurance, and have been unable to since we're not US residents. I think in the US you can get blanket liability as a rider on a homeowner's policy. Cheap, too.

But we're basically out of luck. Hey, I finally made it to Medicare, and can't even use it.

[Schooner Chandlery]

Originally Posted by Canibul

We consider ourselves 'self insured' as far as the hull, etc. We did have insurance when we brought the boat down. Got hit by lightning, too. I tried to find liability insurance, and have been unable to since we're not US residents. I think in the US you can get blanket liability as a rider on a homeowner's policy. Cheap, too.

But we're basically out of luck. Hey, I finally made it to Medicare, and can't even use it.

It sounds like you're an American. If you are, and you for some reason cannot get liability via one of the companies already mentioned, you're right that you can get blanket liability on a home owner's policy. But you're incorrect to assume that you can't get a home owner's policy w/o a home. Turns out you can. And, you can put that blanket "umbrella" liability policy right on top of it.

Long (weird) story short--when we sold our house, we kept the home owner's policy to cover us just as a renter's policy would (Fireman's Fund just removed the "property" portion of the premium and it was actually pretty comparable to a renters policy at that point in cost) and liability umbrella. We did that for a few years. They would cover a boar up to something like 45 ft on the umbrella (ours is 54...) so it didn't help us on the boat. But, it would help someone who has a little smaller boat. So you could do as you say one would do in the USA--but just internationally to cover your household goods (renters part) and your liability. It only works if you have someplace in the USA where you're storing some of your stuff, though. They give you a couple locations for your stuff to be, price it by your state-side one (ours was a storage unit) and you can have stuff on the boat.

You could also--probably cheaper, get a policy from a marine insurer and it would be more focused on what you do need in terms of liability coverage. Lloyds will insure anyone, at a price, for example.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by George DuBose

For what it's worth, most European countries require that you carry liability insurance. Five million Euros in The Netherlands.

The insurance on loss of the boat is not required.

I pay about 200 euros a year for 12000 euros against loss of my vessel and the liability of 5 mil.

Any links to back that up?

Of "countries" requiring insurance, not marinas or ports?