I have been insured with Curtis Marine for the last five years and although they insured my boat for a trip from the U.K. to the Azores and back a couple of years ago they are unwilling to insure for an Atlantic crossing.

I already have a quote from Topsail insurance but are there any other insurance companies anyone would recommend?

Martin Smith

We 've been very happy with Pantaenius. http://www.pantaenius.co.uk/en/home.html

Vice Commodore, OCC 

Thanks very much for that Daria. Pantaenius have made their quote to me attractive by making their fee a pro-rata of the annual rate to be started only after I have left the Canary 's (if that makes sense)

Yes, it does. They did a similar thing with us by charging us for crossing the Atlantic only after we left the US and Canada. And when we arrived on the other side, they adjusted the rates again for coastal Europe. They are good that way.

Vice Commodore, OCC 

Admiral Insurance have been good to me. Of no relevance to you but while their charges were similar to Pants in the Atlantic, the were quite a bit cheaper once we went through Panama.

Hi Martin,
Friends with Pantaneous have been happy. I particularly look at claims made and they have been good with claims I have heard about. I use IMIS, which I believe is more expensive. I joined them as they were the only ones (decades ago now) who would allow Ginger & I to sail offshore on our own without a crew of 3, a small print item in some policies. Also, check out hurricane parameters for when you are on the NA side of the pond. They can differ widely.
My best, Dick

Thanks to everybody for their replies.
I have now sent off the proposal forms & other information to
Pantaneous and I await their response.

Martin s/v Chardonnay of Solent

Our former insurers, GWJ, declined to insure us once we 'd got to Panama, but Pantaneius refused to insure us because our Nicholson 35, built in 1973, did not "fit their profile" - in a subsequent email I was told that they did not insure yachts that were worth less than 70,000 pounds. they made me feel like a second-class, second-rate wannabee, despite my40,000 nm experience which included two Atlantic crossings.

Hi Linandy,
I am sorry about your insurance troubles. It is a shame that common sense seems to be in short supply in many corners of our world today.
You might try IMIS in the US. They specialize in insuring cruisers and were able to insure us a decade or 2 ago when others would not accommodate our wish to passage-make double handed. They will not be the least expensive, though, I believe.
A number of friends “self-insure”. They put aside every year the $$ they would have spent on ins. Fairly quickly, it becomes a tidy sum, especially when compared to what an older boat might get on the open market. Whether to buy P&I ins seems to be a more personal question although marinas seem to be asking for it more & more.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy