Best Boat Insurance

Editorial Team

SM

Sarah Mitchell

Marine Insurance Editor

Decade of marine financial services research experience

10+ years in the sector editorial@bestboatinsurance.com.au

Areas of expertise

  • Pleasure Craft Insurance
  • Marine Claims Research
  • PDS Benchmarking
  • Specialist vs Generalist Analysis
  • Yacht & Sailing Cover
  • Jet Ski & PWC Policies

About Sarah

Sarah Mitchell is the lead editor of Best Boat Insurance Australia. With more than ten years working alongside marine brokers, claims assessors, and underwriting teams across Australia’s east coast, Sarah translates the often-opaque language of marine insurance into practical guidance that boat owners can actually use.

Her work focuses on the questions that real boat owners actually ask:

  • How much should I be paying for cover on a vessel of my size, age, and use pattern?
  • When does Agreed Value matter versus Market Value, and how does that affect my total cost over a five-year ownership window?
  • What happens when I claim - and which insurers genuinely advocate for their customers during settlement?
  • Which insurer will still be there in five years’ time - a question that matters more than it first appears when you’re choosing long-term protection for a significant asset.

Editorial Philosophy

Sarah’s approach to reviewing insurers is rooted in three principles:

  1. Read the PDS, not the marketing. Every review on this site is based on the actual Product Disclosure Statement, not the sales copy on the insurer’s homepage. Sub-limits, exclusions, and excess structures are where the real differences between policies live.

  2. Claims experience is the truest measure of an insurer. Premiums matter, but the value of an insurance policy only becomes clear when a customer actually needs to claim. Sarah’s reviews weight claims performance heavily, drawing on AFCA data, broker feedback, and sector research.

  3. Disclose everything. Editorial independence is non-negotiable. When an insurer is an affiliate partner, that relationship is disclosed. When a review is negative about a partner, it stays negative. The reader’s interests come first.

Not a Licensed Financial Advisor

Sarah is not a licensed financial advisor. All editorial content published under her byline is general in nature and does not constitute personal financial advice. Readers should read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and, where appropriate, seek personal advice from a licensed financial advisor or insurance broker before making any decision about an insurance product.

For editorial enquiries, corrections, or feedback, Sarah can be reached at editorial@bestboatinsurance.com.au.