... my agreement to be responsible suggests that I must purchase insurance that honors the RRS standard... choosing to purchase insurance that only covers me under colregs would be irresponsible on my part.
Excellent point!
I'm going to step a little outside my area of expertise here for a moment. When you race in the US under the Racing Rules of Sailing, you enter into a legally binding contract in which you agree to be responsible for damages according to the application of the rules. You are personally liable for those damages. When you buy insurance, you are contracting with somebody else to pay the expense of the damages. If you buy insurance that doesn't cover you under the RRS contract, then you are mis-insured and potentially uninsured. Your insurance carrier may refuse to pay in full, but that doesn't change your liability. You are simply left to pay the balance out of pocket (should the other party refuse a settlement). If you are 100% at fault under the rules, then you are 100% responsible for damages - and that's how a court of law should rule.
Ok, I'm going to try to stick to the rules, and not the law from now on.
Regards,
Eric
