FAQs

No. It is travel insurance only.

Single Trip, Annual Multi-Trip and optional extensions including Winter Sports, Business Cover and Boat Charter / Car Hire Deposit Insurance.

Your cover and the policy cost will depend on the type of insurance you need. You can simply take out our Third Party Liability Insurance if you just want to provide protection against damage to another boat, property or injury to another person. This is sometimes referred to as Basic Boat Liability.

We use several different Insurers so let us do the work and where it’s appropriate we can compare insurance prices and terms for you. Some Insurers offer insurance discounts based on your sailing experience, age and where you moor your boat and we’ll look at those where we can.

Boat insurance provides financial protection for your vessel against a variety of risks. Typical cover includes accidental damage, fire, theft, malicious, damage and third-party liability, ensuring that you are protected if your boat causes damage to someone else or their property. Policies can often be tailored to your needs, with optional extras such as cover for personal belongings, on-board equipment and emergency assistance.

Though boat insurance is not a legal requirement, most marinas and harbours will require boat owners to have insurance, as well as if you're using your boat on inland waterways. Without sufficient insurance coverage you may face limitations on how you use your boat. Not only that, having insurance offers you peace of mind that you, your property and finances are protected in the event of an incident.

It is travel insurance designed for sailing, yachting, crewing, tall ships travel and leisure trips.

The policy is underwritten by Lloyd’s Syndicate 4444 managedby Canopius Managing Agents Ltd.

We offer both options, so it is entirely up to you – sometimes, it can be more cost-effective to take an annual travel insurance policy. Our travel insurance multi-trip annual policies cover you for your sailing holiday and leisure trips too, including land holidays. Get a quote online here to look at the options.

Single Trip covers one journey. Annual Multi-Trip covers multiple trips during the policy year.

Bronze: 30 days, Silver: 45 days, Gold: 60 days unless extended.

Yes, however please note anyone under 18 must travel with an adult for the entire trip.

Many basic travel insurance policies are not specialised enough to cover you for sailing trips, with many excluding waterborne activities completely. If cover is provided, it is often limited to no further than 12 nautical miles offshore, or only within territorial waters. As such, if you sail offshore then have an incident, you may not have any assistance available.

Contact the 24-hour emergency assistance service as soon as possible. Their contact details are shown on your Policy Certificate.

Yes, up to the policy limits shown in the Schedule of Benefits.

No medical treatment costs are covered in your home country.

This would be dependent on the conditions declared, but each declaration made is thoroughly reviewed and assessed by our team.

Only complications of pregnancy or childbirth are covered, as detailed in the Policy Wording.

Yes, except under Bronze policies where this cover is excluded.

Our comprehensive travel insurance provides cover if you are delayed for over 24 hours, or your pre-booked public transport is cancelled, due to adverse weather, fire, earthquakes or mechanical problems. This relates to publicly licensed vessels only.

Cancellation due to illness, injury, bereavement, redundancy, transport disruption and certain sailing vessel issues may be covered.

Claims arising from known medical issues, changing yor mind, sea sickness or travelling against government advice are excluded.

Yes. Delay, missed departure and additional travel expenses may be covered.

Gold policy holders may claim costs to re-join a private sailing vessel after medical repatriation.

Yes, including recreational yacht racing and tall ships sailing, except Clipper events.

Yes, subject to qualification, depth and safety restrictions.

Yes, if the relevant additional premium has been paid.

Loss, theft or accidental damage to baggage and personal property is covered up to policy limits.

Yes, but valuables must not be left unattended unless securely locked away.

Yes. Essential replacement items may be claimed if baggage is delayed for more than 12 hours.

Yes, up to the limits shown in the Schedule of Benefits.

No. Winter sports cover only applies if the additional premium has been paid.

Yes, for non-manual labour business trips where the relevant cover applies.

Only if the optional Boat Charter / Car Hire Deposit Insurance extension is purchased.

Professional sport, manual labour, Clipper events are excluded. There is a list of covered sports and activities detailed in the Policy Wording; non-listed activities are not covered, but please contact us if you’d like to discuss extending coverage.

No. Claims arising from pandemics or epidemics are excluded.

Yes. You may cancel within 14 days of purchase or the coverage start date (whichever is earlier), provided no claim has been made or incident occurred likely to lead to a claim.

The excess or deductible is the amount you pay in the event that you wish to make a claim on your boat insurance policy. If the loss is less than the amount of the excess, then you must meet the cost of your claim.

Depending on which insurer you are placed with, you may have the opportunity to purchase Excess Waiver Cover for an additional premium. If purchased, the excess or deductible does not apply if you make a claim under your policy, subject to the terms and conditions set out in the policy wording.

This depends on each individual insurer. The maximum no claims bonus entitlement under Topsail’s Navigators & General boat insurance policy is 25%, earned at 5% per claim free year.

If you have a claim during the policy period of your boat insurance, then your No Claims Discount will revert to nil. You may have the opportunity to protect your No Claims Discount for an additional premium, once you have earned 20% No Claims Discount or more. This means even if a claim is made during the period of your boat insurance, you will not lose your No Claims Discount entitlement.

Once a claim has been paid by your insurer it will affect your No Claims Discount, until a successful recovery is obtained from the third-party insurer. At this point, your No Claims Discount will be reinstated to the same level that it was at prior to the loss.

You may have the opportunity to protect your No Claims Discount for an additional premium, once you have earnt 20% No Claims Discount or more. This means even if a claim is made during the period of your boat insurance, you will not lose your No Claims Discount entitlement.

This depends on your specific insurer’s Policy Wording. Please contact us for advice on the cover provided and to find out more.

We are often able to extend your cover to include the vessel being used for Charter, depending on your vessel and insurer preferences. If you require charter cover, please contact the office to discuss your requirements.

Should an incident occur that may result in a claim under your policy, all the information on how to make a claim can be found in your Certificate Schedule or Policy documentation. If in doubt, please contact the office and we will provide you with a claim form and the necessary support to assist you in making a claim under your policy. It is important to notify us of a potential claim as soon as possible.

If you have not specified insured values in respect of your outboard motor(s), tender(s) and personal effects, your boat insurance policy may provide limited cover for these items automatically. Please check the policy or discuss this with a member of our team.

Self-steering gear is best defined as; equipment used on ships and boats to maintain a chosen course without constant human contact. It is also commonly known as auto-pilot and auto-helm.

If you are planning to sell your boat, please contact the office to advise of the lay-up location and the advertised sale price. If you have sold your vessel already, please let us know the date of sale as soon as possible. We can then issue a cancellation note and organise a refund of any premium owing back to you depending on the amount of time spent on cover.

We may require proof, such as a bill of sale to confirm the refund of premium.

Yes. Depending on your vessel and requirements, we can offer standalone Third Party Liability coverage. We can offer up to £5,000,000 cover (any one accident).

Most insurers include cover for loss or damage caused by Permitted Users (people using the vessel with your permission), provided there is no financial gain and you feel they have the experience to use the boat responsibly.

Please check the policy or discuss this with a member of our team.

Yes, we offer discounts for a number of clubs and associations. Ask your association for a code to use on our online Quote and Buy website, or if you contact the office for a quotation, be sure to let them know!

Insurers offer both agreed and market value polices. With an agreed market policy you would in the event of a valid total loss or constructive total loss insurance claim, receive the total amount insured as specified on your insurance certificate. For a market value policy, any payment would be based on the current market value at the time of the loss.

The policy type we offer you will be made clear on your insurance quote, policy and/or certificate.

By way of thanking our existing customers for passing on the good word about Topsail we are offering £25.00 (or equivalent in any other currency as agreed by Topsail) off your renewal premium for every friend who takes out a Yacht or Motorboat insurance with us, following your introduction.

We will even give your friend a 10% discount on their first year’s insurance as a thank you for choosing Topsail. Simply fill in your friend’s details on our Refer a Friend form and we’ll send them an enquiry form, noting that you have suggested they may be interested in taking out a Topsail policy.

Survey requirements differ depending on the insurer, but generally insurers will require a survey once the boat reaches 20 years of age and over. The requirement would be for a full out of water survey, and usually a valuation report, by a qualified marine surveyor.

The survey should report on the condition of the hull, structure, electrical and mechanical installations, as well as the mast, spars, sails and rigging for a sailing yacht. The surveyor should include recommendations within the report; it would be a requirement for you to comply with all of these recommendations, unless otherwise agreed by insurers. Usually, insurers will then require a further survey report every 5 or 10 years thereafter depending on your cruising range.

Rigging requirements differ, depending on type of cruising you are carrying out. If your plans do not include Bluewater cruising (ocean crossing), then insurers are generally more relaxed.

If your plans include a plan to carry out an extensive trip, then generally insurers will require a full rigging inspection by a qualified rigging surveyor once the rigging is 7-10 years of age – all recommendations would need to be complied with. That said, some insurers may still insist on the rigging being replaced prior to an ocean crossing, where the rigging age is 7 years or over.

We accept all major debit and credit cards except Amex, and you can also pay by bank transfer if you wish. Additionally, some customers are able to pay via monthly instalments too (UK residents only, dependent on cruising range).

Yes, we can insure nearly all vessel types – from sailing dinghies, ocean going vessels and RIBs to luxury motorboats, narrowboats or inland craft. Big or small, if it floats it is likely we will be able to help.

If you are sailing in an area where hurricanes are more common, your insurer might ask for a copy of your windstorm plan. This details what you plan to do in the event that there is an oncoming storm, and helps insurers assess your preparedness.

Some insurers we have access to will offer single handed sailing, though there are often restrictions on the time spent doing this. Contact us if you’d like to discuss this.

Yes, we do have access to insurers that offer racing cover. This depends on your vessel and the type of racing you want to do.

Comprehensive insurance covers a range of potential risks, whereas Third Party Only insurance would only cover costs incurred by a third-party and not damage to your own vessel. Depending on your boat details, we may be able to quote for both options.

If you aren’t sure where you might be cruising in 12 months’ time, you can purchase insurance for the cruising areas which you are sure you will visit now. Then, when your plans are clearer, you can contact us to extend the insurance mid-term.

Definitely – if you have a fully comprehensive insurance, you can specify an amount for personal effects when completing our enquiry form. Just make sure you check with us, or review the policy, to see the restrictions on what items are covered.

Yes, of course! Simply contact us if ever you want to make any changes to your policy or cover.

You can usually increase your excess in exchange for a premium reduction, depending on which insurer you are receiving a quote from. Please discuss this with a member of a our team if you wish to increase your excess.