Legal

Privacy

Sailing Companion is built with privacy in mind. This page explains exactly what data is processed, on what legal basis, and for how long — both for the iPhone app and for this website.

Summary in plain language

• Your sailing data stays on your iPhone. We never see it.
• This website does not use analytics, advertising, or tracking of any kind.
• We only set a cookie if you explicitly opt in to load the "Buy me a coffee" widget.
• You can change or withdraw your cookie choice at any time via the "Cookie settings" link in the footer.

1. Controller (Verantwortlicher)

Responsible for the processing of personal data on this website and in the app:

Email: via contact form

2. iPhone App — Data on your device

App data

All trip data — GPS tracks, logbook entries, photos and voice notes — is stored locally on your device using Apple's SwiftData framework. The app does not upload, sync or share this data with any server operated by us or any third party.

Permissions

The app asks for the following iOS permissions, each used only as described:

Location (always): Required for GPS tracking and the anchor alarm to work continuously, including while the app is in the background.

Microphone: Only used when you actively record a voice note for a logbook entry.

Camera / Photo Library: Only used when you choose to attach a photo to a logbook entry.

Notifications: Used to alert you when the anchor alarm fires.

Exports

When you export a trip as GPX, PDF, CSV or JSON, you choose the destination yourself via the iOS share sheet. The app does not send the file anywhere without your explicit action.

Analytics & tracking in the app

The app contains no third-party analytics SDKs, no advertising trackers, no crash-reporting services. We do not know how you use the app.

3. Website — Data on this site

Hosting and server logs

This website is hosted by Strato AG (Otto-Ostrowski-Straße 7, 10249 Berlin, Germany) on servers located in Germany. Each time you request a page, the web server automatically processes the following data in order to deliver the site to you:

• IP address
• Date and time of the request
• Requested URL and HTTP status code
• User-Agent string (browser, operating system)
• Referrer URL

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in operating a stable, secure website).
Retention: Server log files are kept for technical operation and are automatically deleted within 14 days.
Recipients: Strato AG (hosting provider), acting on our behalf under a data processing agreement.

Cookies and similar technologies on this site

This website does not set cookies for analytics, advertising, or tracking. It uses your browser's localStorage only to remember your cookie consent choice (key sc_consent_v1); this contains no personal data and can be cleared at any time via your browser settings.

The only optional element shown on the site is a link to the "Buy me a coffee" page in the download section. The link is added to the page only after you give explicit consent via the cookie banner. When you click it, you leave our site for buymeacoffee.com — that provider may then set its own cookies for donation processing.

Cookie categories

Necessary (always on): Remembers your consent choice and any site preferences you enable. These do not track you across sites.
Preferences (opt-in): Reserved for future use to remember your display choices on this site.
Statistics (opt-in): Reserved for future use. No analytics is currently active on this site.
Marketing (opt-in): Shows a "Buy me a coffee" link in the download section. No third-party content is loaded on this site itself; the link takes you to buymeacoffee.com if you click it.

External links

This site links to external services (Apple App Store, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn). These are plain HTML links; we do not embed any of these services in the page. If you click a link, the respective provider may learn that you came from this site.

4. Contact form

When you use the contact form, the following data is sent to us:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your message

Purpose: To receive and respond to your inquiry.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (pre-contractual / general inquiry).
Recipients: Only the site operator (Bernd Bornhauser). The message is delivered to hello@sailing-companion.com via the hosting server's standard PHP mail() function. From there it reaches the operator's regular email inbox (IMAP). It is not stored in any web-accessible database, log file, or third-party system.
Storage duration: Messages are kept in the operator's regular email inbox for the duration of the conversation and for up to 1 year afterwards, then deleted. You can request earlier deletion at any time (see section 5 — Your rights).

5. Your rights

Under the GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you (Art. 15)
• Correct inaccurate data (Art. 16)
• Request deletion of your data (Art. 17)
• Restrict or object to processing (Art. 18, 21)
• Data portability (Art. 20)
• Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent (Art. 7(3))
• Lodge a complaint with a data protection authority — for Stuttgart, the responsible authority is the Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Baden-Württemberg.

To exercise any of these rights, please use the contact form or the email address in the imprint.

6. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The current version is always available at sailing-companion.com/privacy.html.