Thomas Gibson
Thomas Gibson is the manager and authorized signatory at Firmenich Yacht Insurance. The trained shipping clerk is himself an enthusiastic sailor, and he has also been involved in the construction and engineering of boats since his youth. He has been selling policies for water sports enthusiasts for over 25 years. In his daily work, he repeatedly comes across cases in which boat owners make partially or completely incorrect assumptions about their insurance cover. Gibson has therefore compiled and corrected the ten most common mistakes for the YACHT.
Error 1:
Since the law in this country does not require liability insurance for the boat, it is dispensable. If the worst comes to the worst, my personal liability insurance will cover any damage I have caused with the boat
Not correct! As a rule, private liability insurance does not pay for damage resulting from the use of a sailing yacht with an auxiliary engine. With some insurers, surfboards or smaller dinghies are excluded from this. Other private liability insurers, on the other hand, explicitly exclude certain sporting activities and the use of corresponding devices or vehicles from liability.
Example: A skipper misjudged the mooring maneuver and damaged the sea fence of the neighboring berth with the anchor. As if that weren't enough, he breaks his foot when he tries to stop the arriving yacht. Consequence: The person who caused the accident must be responsible for all damage that can be very expensive due to personal injury. Without a boat liability he is liable with his private assets!