Best Sailing Travel Insurance Plans
Being insured while on the water is crucial for sailors, and several adventure plans stand out for their coverage. These plans offer strong coverage for medical treatments, emergency evacuations, and more to give you the protection you need..
See a full breakdown of the best plans for sailing and why we selected them.
What is Sailing Travel Insurance?
Sailing travel insurance is a specialized type of travel insurance designed to protect travelers who plan to spend part or all of their trip on a sailboat, yacht, or other form of sailing vessel. These policies cover the unique risks associated with being on the water, including injuries while sailing, evacuations from remote anchorages, and disruptions caused by sudden squalls, storms, or hurricanes.
Because sailing trips often involve significant prepaid costs, such as charter fees and marina reservations, Trip Cancellation is one of the most important aspects of a sailing travel insurance plan. Plans with this benefit can reimburse up to 100% of your non-refundable travel expenses if you’re forced to cancel your sailing trip due to an unexpected injury, family emergency, severe weather, or other covered reason.
Whether you’re chartering a boat for a day, embarking on a multi-day excursion, or joining an organized tour, Squaremouth makes it easy to find, compare, and purchase sailing travel insurance.
What Does Sailing Travel Insurance Cover?
Sailing insurance can reimburse medical costs, such as hospital bills and doctor visits, if you get injured or ill at any point during your trip. This includes sailing-specific accidents like slipping on a wet deck or getting hurt while reefing the mainsail during severe weather conditions. This coverage is essential if you’re traveling overseas in a region where U.S. health insurance is not accepted.
Experiencing an illness or injury in a foreign country or international waters can result in high medical costs. We recommend plans with at least $100,000 in Emergency Medical coverage.
Covers the cost of emergency evacuation services to the nearest adequate medical facility. This includes being airlifted by helicopter or transferred to a rescue vessel from your boat or a remote coastal location. This is especially important for sailing trips that involve multiple days at sea.
Aim for $250,000 or more, especially if you’ll be sailing for multiple days offshore, crossing open ocean, or anchoring in remote islands with limited medical facilities. Higher evacuation coverage is often essential while sailing due to the increased costs involved in conducting emergency evacuations at sea.
Trip Cancellation coverage provides reimbursement for up to 100% of your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses if you need to cancel your sailing trip due to a covered reason, such as an illness, injury, or severe weather that makes sailing unsafe. Sailing travel insurance plans can cover general travel expenses, such as flights and hotels, as well as sailing-specific expenses like charter fees, marina reservations, and equipment rentals.
If you’re forced to end your sailing trip early due to a covered reason, Trip Interruption coverage covers unused travel expenses. Some plans may also reimburse additional costs incurred to make new travel arrangements back home.
If you experience a significant flight or travel delay during your trip, your plan can cover meal and accommodation expenses while you await your new departure time. You can also be covered for rebooking expenses if you need to book a new flight to catch up to your itinerary.
If you go missing while at sea, your plan may pay for costs associated with an organized search and rescue operation. This is only included in select travel insurance plans, but it can provide key coverage and peace of mind for sailors.
All travel insurance providers offer 24/7 assistance services to help travelers in the event of an emergency. This can be especially useful for sailors, as this service can help coordinate medical evacuations if you get seriously sick or injured while at sea.
To see exact pricing for your trip, try our travel insurance comparison tool. Simply enter your trip details to see all available plans and prices. Start a Quote
How Much Does Sailing Travel Insurance Cost?
Comprehensive sailing travel insurance, which typically includes coverage for trip cancellations, medical emergencies, evacuations, and damaged gear, costs $27 per day on average.
This is based on adventure-specific travel insurance sales through Squaremouth in the past 12 months. Adventure plans cost an average of $408, with an average trip length of 15 days.
Like other types of comprehensive travel insurance, the cost of sailing insurance is based on several risk factors, such as your age, destination, trip length, and non-refundable travel expenses.
Not all sailing travel insurance plans are comprehensive. Travelers who don’t need trip cost protection can choose travel medical insurance, a less expensive form of coverage that does not cover cancellations, for just $5 per day.
Do All Travel Insurance Policies Cover Sailing?
As noted by the Royal Yachting Association, most standard travel insurance policies exclude sailing activities, particularly those that take place offshore or involve racing. Because sailing carries a higher risk of injury, accidents, and weather-related disruptions, many insurers classify it as a high-risk water sport and require specialized coverage to ensure you're fully protected.
Fortunately, some providers offer travel insurance plans specifically designed to cover the unique risks that come with sailing or yachting in a foreign country. At the time of writing, 20+ plans on Squaremouth cover some form of sailing. Fewer options are available if your trip involves racing or deep ocean sailing.
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Sailing Travel Insurance FAQs
Yes, most standard travel insurance policies either exclude sailing altogether or limit coverage based on factors like distance from shore, vessel type, or whether you’re racing. A sailing-specific travel insurance policy ensures you’re covered for on-water activities, including medical emergencies, evacuations, trip cancellations, and gear protection. Without it, you may find that injuries or incidents at sea are not covered.
Travel insurance is not always mandatory for sailing. However, some tour operators or boat rental companies may require proof of coverage.
All sailing travel insurance policies include exclusions that outline the expenses, events, and scenarios that are not covered in the event of a claim. These exclusions vary by policy, but typically include:
- Competitive or organized sports: Most plans will not provide coverage to travelers participating in races or professional events.
- Unlicensed operation: Plans will not cover you if you, or the operator of the vessel, does not have the proper licenses.
- Pre-existing medical conditions: Most plans won’t reimburse claims relating to a medical condition that you had before your policy’s effective date.
- Expected events: Trip cancellations or interruptions due to events that were known, foreseeable, or expected at the time the plan was purchased.
- Named storms: Severe storms or natural disasters that were named before purchasing your policy.
- Substance abuse: Plans will not cover financial loss that stems from the use of alcohol or recreational drugs.
Yes. Sailing can involve unpredictable weather systems, remote island anchorages, and higher risks than traditional vacations. The cost of a sailing-specific travel insurance plan is minimal compared to the potential expenses you could face if your trip takes an unexpected turn for the worse.
At less than $30 per day, a sailing travel insurance policy can be one of the best investments you can make leading up to your trip, providing essential financial protection and peace of mind.