While chasing
insurance quotes for a new vessel that should have been finished by now, I came across a very interesting statement by one of Australia's major
marine insurance companies.
I asked them do you insure
single handers for open ocean passages. They replied that there was no automatic ban on
singlehanding , but the onus was on every
skipper to ensure that all the
marine regulations were being complied with all the time. Is this is the usual insurance company 3 card trick where they take the premium knowing that they won't pay out in that circumstance anyway?
However, it would seem that the implication may be wider than for just singlehanders. Colregs puts the blame on both vessels in the event of a
collision, because in the end even the stand on vessel has to take appropriate action to avoid the give way vessel. It would seem that maybe even the stand on vessel is then not complying with the
regulations and is therefore not insured.
Does this mean that we pay our premiums for nothing on the open ocean anyway?
Greg