Sometimes it's your own mistakes, sometimes it's just bad luck. The fact is: yachts run aground, collide with other ships, lose their masts, leak, get one or two scratches, or they are haunted by thieves. Fortunately, given the total number of sailors and boats, all of this happens extremely rarely. But it happens.
That is why there are insurance companies. The majority of German boat owners have one. And doesn't need it for a lifetime. OK then.
As a result, hardly anyone thinks about what to do in the event of damage. Call the water police? Take the boat to the nearest shipyard? Hire a damage appraiser? And if so, where do you get it from?
It makes perfect sense to contact your insurer as soon as possible after a claim has occurred. The experts then explain what to do. In this way, the extent of the damage can possibly be kept low. They then ensure that the damage is repaired as quickly as possible.
Incidentally, you should seek advice from the insurer even if it appears to be only a minor issue. If further and, above all, larger consequential damage suddenly occurs later, it is good to be able to document the damage progress from the beginning. In addition, the damage experts usually also have experience in recognizing when damage is actually hardly worth mentioning and when the ship should perhaps be sent to the nearest repair yard as soon as possible.
