Excursion Sailing (Atlantic Crossing)

[guitrain]

Hello, for some time I have been looking into an excursion based trip where I am a member of the active crew. You may have seen my post about some troubles I came into when finding out that most insurance carried by these excursions do not allow Type 1 Diabetics in particular. I've been sailing for nearly 40 years (and diabetic) and not once have had any emergency with my Diabetes.

QUESTION: Is there a way to buy personal insurance that would allow me to go on a trip like this? I am also looking into alternatives thanks to all of your wonderful suggestions.

[leecea]

You would need to ask the companies offering these trips whether there was any insurance you could buy to make it OK. My guess is they would say no.

[Donahue]

That is so frustrating. Well managed diabetes presents much less of a medical risk than many other health conditions. 3 of my 4 kids have type 1 and I have to deal with these type of restrictions all the time. This summer I had to basically threaten to sue my own yacht club so that my 8 year old could sail his opti more than 10 feet from the dock.

Because the insurers for these trips are worried about liability in the event of a medical emergency--and the operations can't run without insurance--you purchasing some form of insurance probably wouldn't change things. If you are looking at a U.S. based operation, and want to press the issue a little, you might be able to convince them to make an accommodation. The ADA requires businesses that provide services to the general public to make reasonable accommodations for a condition like diabetes. On the other hand, you might have better luck somewhere with less stringent insurance requirements or where folks are less concerned about liability.

[osprey877]

What about signing a waiver absolving them from any liability for any loss, damage or injury to the extent caused or contributed to by your type 1 diabetes?

[ChrisJHC]

Insurance is one thing, but the other side is to find a skipper that would be willing to take you.
As an occasional delivery skipper, I wouldn’t be prepared to take the risk.
One of the first things that we are taught to ask a new crew member is whether they have any medical conditions that we need to know about.
I’m happy to accept that you can manage your condition when everything’s going well, but what about when you’re tired, wet and cold and not thinking properly? Doesn’t happen often, but it can happen.
If you do have an incident, your insurance may cover the financial side, but not the impact on me as the person responsible for all crew members.