Finding Dory - Webinar 6: Transatlantic insurance for your yacht

"Finding Dory", is a social community of cruisers who plan to cross the Atlantic (East-West) next winter (2025-2026 season). It is unique "free-to-join" and "contribute-to-the-group-as-you-wish" ad-hoc group of yachties, bonded by one common goal: to cross the Atlantic safely, and making it a unique and enjoyable experience for all.
"Finding Dory IV" ("IV" as this is the 4th year we aggregate a fleet of "ad hoc cruisers" crossing the Atlantic in the same season), is organized in collaboration with Helena and Steve from "Noforeignland" (NFL). You can read about the background, purpose and setup of this group, and our planned free webinars in this post on Noforeignland - which will also guide you how to join this Whatsapp-based community - and how to participate in our webinars.

Sailing any open ocean crossing is -in my book- a balance between "Hoping for the best", but "Planning for the worst". In each of my past 14 open ocean crossings, we had hundreds of boats crossing safely with us. But unfortunately, in each of these crossing, there were one or more critical incidents with fellow cruisers. Some of those needed external assistance during or after the incident. Ensuring your yacht and crew are well-covered for the possible expenses and support/assistance incurred due to those incidents, is part of the "good practices", for any skipper. Proper insurance coverage is critical...

So, time to dive into the details of what insurance companies can offer, and how we can cover our yacht and crew in a cost-efficient way. That is the topic of our 6th (free) webinar on Sept 22th at 08:00 AM Rome time (06:00 AM GMT).

In this webinar, Michaela Claes from Pantaenius, will share her experience, and passion, to help us across the Atlantic safely.

Michaela will talk through the essentials of yacht insurance, covering everything from basic third-party policies to full comprehensive coverage. She’ll explore key factors influencing insurance costs and coverage, as well as special considerations for ocean passages like transatlantic crossings and Caribbean cruising.
Attendees will gain valuable insights into typical coverage options, safety recommendations, and how to navigate risks during long voyages.
Whether you’re planning an ocean crossing or want to better understand your yacht’s insurance, this webinar will provide important information to help protect your vessel and crew.

Our webinar will be held on “ZOOM” and consist of +- 60 minutes of presentation, followed by 30 minutes (or more if needed) of open Q-and-A/discussions/shared experiences amongst the participants.

Our webinars are free for all “Finding Dory” members. We will record the session and publish the link to the recording afterwards to all members of our community.

The instructions on how to join this webinar, are distributed to "Finding Dory" members only, rather than widely distributing the link via social media, mainly to avoid spammers to join in, and disturb our webinar.

So, if you want to participate in the webinars, first join the "Finding Dory" community. Via our flotilla's Whatsapp group, we will send you details for each webinar. Instructions on how to join the growing "Finding Dory" flotilla on Whatsapp, you can find in this Noforeignland blogpost.

About Michaela:

Michaela Claes is the Operations Manager at Pantaenius Australia, bringing over a decade of experience and a lot of energy to the role. Originally from a small village near Muenster, Germany, she moved to Australia in 2003 and joined the marine industry in 2012.
A former semi-pro show jumper, Michaela credits the sport for teaching her resilience and focus—traits that have served her well in the pleasure craft insurance world. She's passionate about supporting yacht owners globally and loves sharing practical insights on claims, prevention, and how insurers can better support their clients.

About Peter:

As the "concierge" for the "Finding Dory" flotilla community, I will be moderating this webinar. In the 1970-ies, the French actor Jean Gabin, made a song, in which he explained that when he was 20, he thought he knew everything. In his thirties, he started to doubt that. And when he was 60, he knew only one thing: "one never knows everything" - "On sait jamais"... "On sait jamais" is the stage of life I am in right now. I still learn every day. But what I am committed to do, is to share what I have learned in my past 50,000 open ocean sea miles, with fellow cruisers. That is my current passion.