Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 2026

1. Who we are

The Sailing Pets (“we”, “us”, “our”) provides educational content and resources about pets living on or visiting boats through our website and related services (the “Site”). We are based in the United Kingdom and act as the “data controller” for personal data collected through the Site under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use personal data, you can contact us using the details on our contact page.

2. What personal data we collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal data when you use the Site:

Contact details (such as name and email address) when you subscribe to our newsletter, download guides, or contact us.
Account or purchase details (if you buy a digital product), such as billing name, email address, and transaction information.
Communication data, such as messages you send via contact forms, email, or social media.
Technical data, such as IP address, browser type, device information, and pages viewed, collected via cookies and similar technologies.
Marketing preferences, such as whether you have opted in or out of receiving email updates.

We do not intentionally collect special category data (such as health information about you) through the Site, but you may choose to include details about your pet in messages to us.

3. How we collect personal data

We collect personal data in the following ways:

Directly from you, when you fill in forms on the Site, subscribe to a mailing list, download a guide, make a purchase, or contact us by email or social media.
Automatically, when you browse the Site, via cookies and similar technologies (see “Cookies” below).
From third‑party services we use to run the Site, such as payment providers and email marketing platforms.

4. Why we use personal data (purposes and legal bases)

We only use personal data when we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR. We may use your data for:

Providing the Site and our content
To operate, maintain and improve the Site, deliver content, and respond to your enquiries.
Legal basis: legitimate interests (to run and improve our business and respond to users).
Email newsletters and marketing
To send email updates, news, tips and information about The Sailing Pets that you have signed up to receive.
Legal basis: consent (you can withdraw this at any time by clicking “unsubscribe” or contacting us).
Selling and delivering digital products
To process orders, take payment, deliver digital guides, and handle customer support.
Legal basis: contract (processing is necessary to perform the contract with you).
Site security, analytics and performance
To protect the Site against misuse, monitor performance and understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve it.
Legal basis: legitimate interests (to keep the Site secure and useful).
Legal and compliance
To comply with legal obligations, enforce our Terms, or protect our rights.
Legal basis: legal obligation and legitimate interests.

5. Cookies and similar technologies

The Site may use cookies and similar technologies to:

Make the Site work properly and remember your preferences.
Understand how the Site is used (for example, which pages are visited).
Support basic analytics and performance.

Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before placing non‑essential cookies on your device. You can usually control cookies through your browser settings. For more information, see our separate Cookie Policy or your browser’s help pages.

6. When we share personal data

We do not sell your personal data. We may share personal data with:

Service providers who help us operate the Site and deliver services (for example, website hosting, email marketing platforms and payment processors such as Stripe, Apple Pay and Google Pay). These providers may only use the data to perform services on our behalf and must protect it appropriately.
Professional advisers (such as accountants or legal advisers) where necessary for our business.
Authorities or regulators, where required by law or to protect our rights or the rights of others.

Some service providers may be located outside the UK. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as approved standard contractual clauses or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

7. How long we keep personal data

We keep personal data only for as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law. This usually means:

Contact and subscription data: kept while you remain subscribed and for a reasonable period afterwards, unless you ask us to delete it sooner.
Order and transaction records: kept for the time required by tax and accounting laws.
Technical and analytics data: kept for a shorter period necessary for analysis and security, then aggregated or anonymised where possible.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete or anonymise it securely, subject to any legal obligations to retain it.

8. How we protect personal data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse or alteration. These may include secure connections (HTTPS), access controls, and limiting access to systems to those who need it for their role. However, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

9. Your data protection rights

Under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, these may include the right to:

Be informed about how your data is used.
Access a copy of your personal data.
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Ask us to delete your data in certain situations (“right to be forgotten”).
Restrict or object to our processing of your data, particularly where we rely on legitimate interests or you have given consent.
Ask for your data in a usable electronic format and to have it transferred to another provider (“data portability”).
Withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent for processing (for example, email marketing).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details on the Site. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data. More information is available at www.ico.org.uk.

10. Children

The Site is aimed at adults and is not intended for use by children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with their personal data, please contact us so that we can delete it where appropriate.

11. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes to the Site, our services, or the law. The date at the top of this page will show when it was last updated. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.

12. How to contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal data, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact The Sailing Pets using the details on our contact page.