What information is collected from me?

The kinds of information we collect from you will vary, depending on how you use our Web site. It is possible to browse our sites without submitting any personally identifiable information ("personal information") at all, but if you choose to take advantage of some of our products and services, you may be asked to provide information such as a user name and password, your real name, e-mail address, phone number, address, , and-for certain e-commerce transactions-your credit card information.

Whenever we ask for this kind of information, we strive to provide a link to this Privacy Policy to help you understand how your personal information will be used before you decide whether to disclose it.

In addition to the information you choose to submit, our systems are set up to gather certain anonymous data to help us better understand how our sites are being used and how we can improve them. This automatically gathered data includes your computer's IP or "Internet Protocol" address, statistics about how visitors navigate through our sites, and information provided through the use of "cookies" (which are described in more detail below).

How is my information used?

The use of your information depends on the context in which it is collected. Therefore, pay special attention to the categories below that relate to the features of our sites that you wish to utilize.

Also be aware that Sailboat-Direct may at times be legally compelled to disclose certain information, by means such as subpoenas or court orders.

Cookies:

These are small files that we send to and store on your computer so that we may recognize it as a unique machine the next time you visit our sites. Our cookies are used for three reasons:

(1) to keep track of your information for your own convenience;

(2) to help us optimize your online experience by altering our content depending on your particular needs or browsing patterns, and to provide you with advertisements, products, and services of interest to you; and

(3) to help us understand the size of our audience and their traffic patterns within our network.

Registration

The information you provide when you become a registered user of our site is used primarily to help us customize your online experience.

Your e-mail address serves as a unique identifier in our record system, and it is used together with your password to prevent unauthorized access to any information you choose to store on our site.

The data you give us about your personal preferences and demographics may be used to help us offer content, advertisements, products, and services that are most likely to appeal to you.

Unless you specify that you'd prefer not to hear from us, we might also use the e-mail address you provide at registration to contact you for promotional, administrative, or other reasons.

You may have these communications terminated.

Solicited Information

You may occasionally see contests, surveys, and other features of our Web site that ask you to provide us with information.

When you choose to respond to these requests, the information you offer may be used for several reasons. These include the uses set out in the Registration section, above.

They also include providing information to third parties as necessary for prize fulfillment and other aspects of any contest or similar offering.

If we are going to use your personal information for any other purpose, we will notify you of that purpose and give you a chance to opt out before responding to our survey, contest form, or other request, or to not respond to or participate in the survey, contest or other request.

User-Initiated Communication

Our Web sites enable you to send e-mail to us or to third parties, and to participate in public bulletin boards and discussion groups.

Whenever you choose to initiate these kinds of communication with us, or anyone else, you may expect to be contacted in return.

Also remember that our bulletin boards and discussion groups are open to the public: what you post there can be seen by anyone and is not protected by our site. Please use your own discretion when deciding what to post publicly and whom to contact.

Referrals

If you participate in any referral service we may offer, we will use the information you submit to determine which of our participating professionals may be able to serve your needs.

We may then forward your name, contact information, and other responses to our sign-up form to the selected professional(s), who may then contact you using that information.

We may also use any information that you provide in accordance with the uses set out in the Registration section, above.

Automatically Gathered Data

The information gathered automatically by our system-such as your computer's IP address, the kind of browser you're using, and a record of your navigation through our site-may be used by Sailboat-Direct site so we can understand how to make our sites convenient and useful to our audience.

Collected Data

We may link information collected from you through various means, including information collected automatically and through the use of cookies and registration information, or other personal information you provide to help us offer content, advertisements, products, and services that are most likely to appeal to you.

If you have indicated that you want to be contacted by third parties, we may use this information to select which names to provide to a particular third party in order to present you with products and services that are most likely to appeal to you, but we will not disclose this type of information, other than your contact information, to any such third party.

What choices do I have regarding the use of my information?

Reading this Privacy Policy should help you understand how any information you share with us might be used.

If you feel concerned about any of these uses, you might elect not to participate in certain services, features, or products that we offer.

We will never collect personal information about you without your knowledge, so the decision whether or not to share this information is completely up to you.

How do I "opt-out"?

You also have the ability to terminate e-mail correspondence from us at any time.

You will either be given the chance to opt out of direct mailings when you disclose your e-mail address to us,

or you can simply login to your account and disable the different communication choices.

You will be automatically removed from the mailing lists.