SEA HISTORY for kids . '
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Careers in the Marine and Maritime Field
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id you know rhar the oldest fo rm of insurance in history is m arine insurance? The earliest records of this sort of business reach back to ancient rimes, when shipowners reduced their risk by owning shares in several vessels wi th other merchants, If a ship was lost at sea, or came in to po rt w ith da maged cargo, not all of one shipowner's investment wo uld be lost. The famous insurer Lloyd 's of London started our as a marine insurance company, In the 1680s, sailors, sea captains, shi powners, and merchants used to hang out in a coffee house owned by Edward Lloyd , where they would discuss the latest shipping news, C onversations about sh aring risks evolved into the development of m arine insurance, Today, m arine insurance generally covers loss and d am age of ships, cargo, and personnel, w ith variations depending on an individual policy. Ir differs from property and car insura nce because of the special nature of ships' wo rk on the water. Those who work in this business need to be experts in risk m anagem ent, bur they also need to be extremely knowledgeable about ships, design and construction, routes, what life is like at sea, and what da ngers and h azards face ships and the people who sail them. Chris Richmond is a m arine insurance producer, providing clients with risk m anagement fo r their m arine business, boars, ships, and crews , H e works for Allen Insurance and Fin ancial in M aine. His company handles all kinds of insurance, bur they are kn own in the sa iling ship community fo r their expertise in historic and replica sa iling vessels. N o t everyone who works in marine insurance understands the special nature of these kinds of ships and the programs that they run, so Chris is particularly valuable to the owners and crews of tall shi ps . In his day-to-day work, C hris splits his time between the office and visiting clients, albeit the office hours taking the lion's share of his rime, H e admits that getting o ur to see clients a nd their vessels is the real joy of his job, bur he knows that his time spent in the office- corresponding via emails, completing applications, and reviewin g policies-is just as important. W hile his clients ofte n have more exciting days sailing the high seas, he knows that they rely on him and his company's services to be able to do the work they do and to sa il to the places they go. In addition to his wo rk with clients, C hris travels several times a year, going to confe rences and trade shows, and participating in industry m eetings, "I never imagined myself getting into insurance, After college, I spent about ten yea rs working aboard traditionally rigged sailing ships, working my way up to captain . I decided to get a job ashore a nd spent a yea r working as a boatbuilder after studying at the Landing School in southern M aine. From there, I went into
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Chris' ~ichmo11, d •I ,
sa les fo r a Dutch m arine m anufac turer, which h ad m e visiting shipyards and boatbuilders all over the country, Between these varied experiences at sea and as hore, I beca me very knowledgeable about m any aspects of the marine industry. The sales job was ac tually fun and very interesting, but when my wife and I had our first child, the idea of h aving to be on the road constantly grew less appealing. An opportunity presented itself at A llen Insurance; this position allows me to rem ain in the m arine industry, but also spend mo re time with my family."
Chris has first-hand knowledge oftall ships and seafaring.from his prior exp erience as captain oftraditional sailing ships, including time in command of Schooner Roseway (at left).
N ow, when he visits a boatya rd or vessel, rather tha n talk about the parts that go into the building or outfitting of a boat, he talks about the pa rts that help protect it from harm. "One aspect of the job that I really enjoy is getting to re-connect w ith form er shipmates, who are now my clients. The m arine industry is a pretty small world, and the tall ship community is even sm aller still. C hances are, ifl don't personally know someone for a ship that we work w ith, then we probably h ave a common acquaintance." Yo u need to be licensed to sell insurance, a nd yo u have to take continuing education courses every two yea rs to maintain it. C hris likes this requi rement, because it allows him the op portunity to continue learning, and broaden his knowledge in both the insurance and the m arine industries, j:.
SEA HISTORY 160, AUTUMN 2017