As you know, the rule is that boats in the marina must be insured including the minimum $10 m public liability.
Well, I’d now like to share the experience that Yvonne and I had when we sailed to Port Davey on the south west coast of Tasmania last year. One night we were tucked away in bed in what had been a quiet protected little bay. All was good. However, at about 3.00 am we were awoken by very strong winds coming straight up from the south east. The wind instrument showed 40 knots gusting to 55 knots. We were directly in its path with no cover. Pitch black night unable to see a thing other than what was illuminated by the torches. Not a pleasant situation to say the least!
Holding, around most of Tasmania, is a little suspect at most times but generally not a problem as you can normally find a sheltered and protected anchorage. Not this night! The chart plotter showed we were very slowly but surely dragging backwards towards rocks. We have an excellent quality anchor so it was not the issue. After a very nervous hour and a half with the wind not showing any signs of abating and with us creeping ever so slowly towards rocks, we decided to move. As we did there was a strong wind shift which pushed us sideways onto some other rocks nearby. It didn’t seem all that serious as it just seemed like a glancing scrape. I was more concerned that my new and expensive Coppercote application to the hull could’ve been damaged.
We continued our trip over the next couple of weeks before returning to Hobart. I intended to haul the boat in Hobart before sailing home to Newhaven to check that all was ok. Before we could do that we urgently returned home due to family issues. The outbreak and subsequent lockouts from Covid prevented us from returning to Tasmania for many months. When we did return and hauled the boat I was shocked at the amount of gouging on a small section of the keel. This was explained by the discovery that the rocks we were pushed on were sharp and jagged.
I immediately took photos and rang Megan McKenzie at Tudor Insurance. Without hesitation she not only sympathised with my situation but immediately emailed all the paperwork for me to start the claim. The damage was quickly assessed and repairs commenced within days. At the completion of the work done by an expert fibreglass tradesman, including the reapplication of the Coppercote, I sent all receipts including the cost of hauling and even the Bosun’s time for organising the timeline to Megan.
The full amount of the claim, less my excess, appeared in my bank account within days and without question. I have had dealings with various insurance companies over the years but the service I received from Megan at Tudor insurance was exceptional.
Tudor Insurance supports our Squadron by advertising in our Quarterly Magazine and have done so for many years. I’m not the only member of NYS with praise for Tudor, there are a number with similar experiences. So when thinking about your insurance renewal this year and if you are looking around for any reason, at least give Megan a call.
Keep on sailing,