Marine Skippers Insurance has begun offering protection for captains moving boats internationally to and from Australia.  

Founder Nicholas Bedggood says the timing is ideal as sailors prepare for next month’s Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

“I’d encourage any professional skippers out there to protect themselves with our product, particularly those bringing vessels home from Hobart post-race,” said Mr Bedggood, who plans to take part in the race for a fifth time.

“The creation of this product aligns perfectly with my lifelong passion and love of yachting.”

Sydney-based Marine Skippers, a corporate authorised representative of Community Broker Network, launched in 2022.

It offers annual and single-voyage delivery policies for commercial and delivery skippers, providing public liability insurance for those operating a vessel they do not own.  

Co-founder and director Dean Bowen says there is a significant threat of subrogation from a boat’s insurer following loss or damage caused by a third-party contracted skipper, and the voyage delivery products mitigate this.

“We have fielded numerous requests from skippers to provide coverage on international boat movements,” he said. “As we steadily grew the Australian domestic product, this was always the next natural progression for us.”