Privacy policy

Vessel Vanguard Group, LLC ("Vessel Vanguard", "we", "us", or "our") operates https://vesselvanguard.com and the Vessel Vanguard platform. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that information. By using our website or services, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

Not legal advice: This policy is written in plain language to be easy to understand. If you have specific legal questions about your data rights, we recommend consulting a qualified attorney.

1. Who we are

Vessel Vanguard Group, LLC is the data controller for personal information collected through this website. Our registered address is:

7370 College Parkway, Suite 102, Fort Myers, FL, United States

For all privacy-related inquiries, contact us at support@vesselvanguard.com.

2. Information we collect

Information you provide directly

• Contact form: Full name, email address, phone number, company or vessel name, country, and the nature of your inquiry.
• Fluid analysis requests: Name, vessel details, and contact information submitted through our fluid analysis intake form.
• Boating Insider Podcast applications: Name, contact details, and any information you provide in the application form.
• Demo bookings: Name, email, and scheduling information submitted through our booking tool (HubSpot Meetings).
• Account registration: If you create a Vessel Vanguard account, we collect your name, email, vessel details, and any other information you add to your profile.

Information collected automatically

• Usage data: Pages visited, time on site, referring URL, browser type, device type, and operating system — collected via Google Analytics.
• IP address: Used to approximate your general location (country/region) and detected by our hosting infrastructure (Cloudflare).
• Cookies and tracking technologies: See Section 5 for full details.

Information from third parties

• If you interact with our content on social media platforms, we may receive limited profile information as permitted by those platforms.
• We may receive information about you from business partners or referral sources who have your permission to share it.

3. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
• Book and manage demo appointments
• Deliver and improve the Vessel Vanguard platform and services
• Send transactional communications (e.g. booking confirmations, account notices)
• Send marketing communications where you have consented or where permitted by law
• Analyze website usage to improve performance and content
• Comply with legal obligations
• Protect against fraud and abuse

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

4. Legal basis for processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Contract: Processing necessary to fulfill a contract with you or take steps at your request before entering a contract.
• Legitimate interests: Analytics, fraud prevention, and improving our services — balanced against your rights.
• Consent: Where you have given explicit consent, such as for marketing emails or non-essential cookies.
• Legal obligation: Where we must process data to comply with a legal requirement.

5. Cookies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website. Here is what we use and why:

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling analytics or marketing cookies will not affect your ability to use the website, but may limit our ability to improve our services for you.

6. How we share your information

We share personal information only in these circumstances:

• Service providers: Trusted third parties who help us operate our business — including HubSpot (CRM and email), Google (Analytics), Cloudflare (hosting and security), and Sanity (content management). These providers are contractually required to protect your data and may not use it for their own purposes.
• Business transfers: If Vessel Vanguard is acquired, merged, or sold, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or governmental authority, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Vessel Vanguard, our users, or others.
• With your consent: For any other purpose, with your explicit permission.

7. Data retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law. Specifically:

• Contact form inquiries: Retained in HubSpot CRM for as long as you are an active contact or prospect. You may request deletion at any time.
• Analytics data: Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months by default.
• Account data: Retained for the life of your account, and for up to 90 days after account closure unless you request earlier deletion.

8. International data transfers

Vessel Vanguard operates globally with team members in the United States, Italy, and New Zealand. Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. When we transfer data from the EEA or UK to the US or other countries, we rely on appropriate safeguards including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission.

9. Your rights

For all users

• Opt out of marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in our emails
• Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Ask us to correct inaccurate information
• Ask us to delete your personal information (subject to legal obligations)

EEA and UK residents (GDPR)

You have additional rights under GDPR, including:

• The right to restrict or object to processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent
• The right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

California residents (CCPA / CPRA)

California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect and how we use it, the right to delete personal information, the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (we do not sell personal information), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising these rights.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@vesselvanguard.com. We will respond within 30 days.

10. Security

Vessel Vanguard is ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant. We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include encrypted data storage and transmission, access controls, and regular security reviews.

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Children's privacy

Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

12. Third-party links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including our partner products (SeaKits, Dockmate, SeaLogs). This Privacy Policy does not apply to those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you by email or a notice on our website. Your continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

Vessel Vanguard Group, LLC
7370 College Parkway, Suite 102, Fort Myers, FL, United States
Email: support@vesselvanguard.com