Privacy Statement

Last updated: 12 July 2026 (Vision 3.0)

⚠️ Important Notice

Raising Anchor is a hobby website, created and maintained by sailing enthusiasts for the sailing community. It is not a professional navigational service.

No prudent skipper should rely on a single source of data when planning or executing any voyage. The anchorage and marina information on this site is provided for general reference only. We make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or currency of any data on this site. Always consult official charts, pilot books, Notices to Mariners, and other authoritative sources before making any navigational decision.

By using this site you acknowledge that navigation is your sole responsibility as skipper.

In plain English: Raising Anchor allows you to optionally save sailing memories and stories. We only store what you choose to share, we don't use cookies, and we don't track you across the web. Your memories are stored securely and can be deleted at any time.

1. Who we are

Raising Anchor is a sailing navigation aid website. References to "we", "us", or "Raising Anchor" in this statement refer to the operators of raisinganchor.com.

For privacy enquiries, contact us at: privacy@raisinganchor.com

2. What personal data we collect

Only what you choose to share. Raising Anchor allows you to optionally save sailing memories and stories through our Memory Builder feature. This is completely voluntary - you can browse the site without sharing any personal information.

If you choose to save memories, we collect:

Destination names - Places you've visited (e.g., "St. Barts", "Marina del Rey")
Visit dates - Free-form text like "last summer" or "July 2024"
Memory stories - Your personal sailing experiences and reflections
Language detection - We detect the language of your content for better service

What we DON'T collect:

Your real name or email address (unless you choose to create an account in the future)
Your IP address or location data
Any information you don't explicitly type into the memory builder

3. Cookies

Raising Anchor does not set any cookies — first-party or third-party. No cookie consent banner is displayed because none is required.

4. Analytics and tracking

We do not use any analytics tools, tracking pixels, session recording, heatmapping, or advertising technology. We do not know who visits this website or how they found it.

5. Hosting provider (Vercel)

This website is hosted by Vercel, Inc. (440 N Barranca Ave #4133, Covina, CA 91723, USA). As with all web hosting, Vercel's servers automatically receive and may log standard server access data when your browser requests a page. This may include:

Your IP address
The date and time of your request
The URL requested
Your browser type and operating system
HTTP response code

This logging is conducted by Vercel for operational and security purposes and is outside the control of Raising Anchor. Please refer to Vercel's Privacy Policy for details of how they handle this data.

6. Third-party resources

Some pages on this site load resources from third-party CDNs:

Leaflet.js (unpkg.com CDN) — an open-source mapping library. Loading this script causes your browser to make a request to unpkg.com's servers. Unpkg does not set cookies and does not track users for advertising purposes. See npm Privacy Policy.
CartoDB map tiles (basemaps.cartocdn.com) — map tile images used to render the navigation map. Your browser requests these images directly from CARTO's servers. See CARTO Privacy Policy.

We have selected these providers because they do not set cookies or conduct behavioural tracking of end users. However, as with any third-party resource, your browser will make a direct connection to their servers, which may be logged by them.

7. Your rights — United Kingdom (UK GDPR)

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, individuals have rights regarding their personal data, including rights of access, rectification, erasure, and objection.

Because Raising Anchor does not collect or process any personal data, these rights are not engaged. We hold no data about you that could be subject to a subject access request. If you believe we hold data about you, please contact us at privacy@raisinganchor.com and we will investigate.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): ico.org.uk

8. Your rights — United States (CCPA / CPRA)

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) grant California residents rights regarding their personal information, including the right to know, the right to delete, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information.

Raising Anchor does not collect, sell, share, or disclose any personal information of California residents or any other US residents. We do not sell personal data. There is nothing to opt out of.

If you have questions, contact us at privacy@raisinganchor.com.

9. How we use your memories

We use your saved memories to:

Generate narratives - Create personalized sailing stories from your memories
Improve our service - Better understand what sailors value and remember
Content moderation - Automatically check for inappropriate content using our content filter system

We never:

Sell your memories or personal information
Use your memories for advertising
Share your memories with third parties without your consent

10. Content filtering and security

All memories are automatically processed for security and content moderation:

XSS Protection - We sanitize all input to prevent malicious scripts
Content filtering - We check for inappropriate content (adult material, hate speech, spam)
Unicode validation - We ensure all text is properly encoded and safe

If content is flagged, you'll see warnings but can still proceed. Severely inappropriate content may be blocked.

11. Data storage and security

Your memories are stored securely in our database with:

Encryption - Data is encrypted in transit and at rest
Access controls - Only authorized systems can access your memories
Regular backups - Your memories are backed up to prevent data loss

You can request deletion of your memories at any time by contacting us.

12. Children's privacy

This website is not directed at children under 13 (US) or under 13 (UK). We do not knowingly collect data from children. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child, we will delete it immediately.

13. Your data rights

Under UK GDPR and US privacy laws, you have the right to:

Access - Request a copy of all memories you've saved
Rectification - Correct any inaccurate memories
Erasure - Request deletion of all your memories
Portability - Request your memories in a machine-readable format
Objection - Object to how we process your memories

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@raisinganchor.com.

14. Changes to this statement

If we introduce features that collect personal data (such as user accounts, analytics, or contact forms), we will update this Privacy Statement before doing so and display a prominent notice on the site. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent version.

Contact

For any privacy-related questions or concerns, please email: privacy@raisinganchor.com