Privacy Policy

Last updated 16 October 2026.

Upwind ("we", "us") is the data controller for the personal data described below. This policy explains what we collect, why, and what rights you have over it. Contact us any time at support@upwindcrew.com.

What we collect

• Your account email, used for login and account communication.
• Your career profile: bio, About me and hobbies text, uploaded CV file, saved screening-question answers, and job search criteria (vessel size, position, location, visa status, salary, rotation preference) — all entered by you.
• Certificates and identity documents you upload to the Certificates tab (for example your ENG1, STCW certificates, passport and visas), with any names and expiry dates you give them. When you add one, it is read by our AI provider (Anthropic) to name it and find its expiry date; only that name and date are kept from the reading. They're stored in private files only you can open, and are only sent to a boat or agent when you send them yourself from your own email or messaging app. Emails you paste in to draft a reply are processed to write the reply and are not stored.
• The list of recruitment agencies you tell us you're registered with, and any screening questions you save for them.
• Staged applications: job details you've scanned or that our Yotspot watcher found, together with the AI-generated cover letter, screening answers, and match-fit score for each.
• Optional application details (name, phone, nationality, date of birth, gender, location, experience, visa and positions), stored so the extension can fill agency application forms for you.
• Usage counters (how many scans/letters you've used this month) and your plan tier.
• Billing information — handled entirely by Stripe. We never see or store your card details ourselves, only your subscription status and plan.
• A hashed access token for the browser extension (we can't recover the original token from what we store).

Passports, visas and other ID documents are only stored if you choose to add them to the Certificates tab, purely for convenience: so they're ready to send to a new employer or agent when one asks. Beyond reading each one to name it and find its expiry date (above), we don't use them for anything else, and you can delete them at any time. Your profile itself stays career and professional information only.

How we use it

To generate tailored cover letters, screening answers, and job-fit scores (via our AI provider, Anthropic); to match scanned jobs against your saved criteria and agencies; to run the optional Yotspot auto-scan through your browser extension; to manage your subscription and enforce plan usage limits; and to operate and improve the Service generally.

Who we share it with

We use a small number of sub-processors to run the Service. We do not sell your data to anyone.

• Supabase — our database, authentication, and file storage provider (your CV and certificates are stored in private files, accessible only to you).
• Stripe — payment processing and subscription billing.
• Anthropic — processes your bio and job details to generate cover letters, screening answers, and match scores, and reads certificates you add to name them and find their expiry dates.
• Vercel — hosts the Upwind website and server functions, and counts page visits (Vercel Web Analytics: no cookies, no cross-site tracking, visitors are not identified).

The browser extension

The extension reads pages within your own already-logged-in browser session and sends extracted job/profile information to our servers using your personal access token. It never transmits your Yotspot password to us — we never see it. During a check it opens a Yotspot tab in the background, reads the search results and matching job pages, then closes the tab. On a Yotspot job page it also fills in Yotspot's own cover-letter field and, when you press "Apply" or "Apply to approved" on jobs you have approved after reading their cover letter, clicks Yotspot's own "I'm Interested" button — that is the only submit action it ever performs, and only on Yotspot's own page. It never submits a form on any agency's own site.

On agency websites you have allowed in its settings (currently Superyacht Crew UK, Inspired Crew, Saltwater Recruitment, YOA, Burgess and Kraft Yacht Crew), the extension can also fill in their application forms using the application details and CV you have saved. It never presses submit on those sites; you do that yourself.

Cookies

We use a small number of functional cookies to keep you logged in. We don't use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

If you arrive from a link with a campaign tag (for example from our Instagram), your browser remembers that tag and the site that sent you for the rest of that visit only, and it's saved with your account if you sign up. We use it to count which channels bring new members. It's cleared when you close the tab.

How long we keep it

We keep your data for as long as your account is active. If you ask us to delete your account, we'll delete your personal data (profile, CV, certificates, staged applications, and related records) within 30 days, except where we're required to keep billing records for legal reasons.

Your rights

Under UK/EU data protection law you can ask us to: give you a copy of your data, correct it, delete it, or export it in a portable format. Email support@upwindcrew.com and we'll action your request within 30 days. There's no self-serve delete button yet — for now these requests are handled by us directly.

International transfers

Some of our sub-processors (including Anthropic and Vercel) may process data on servers outside the UK/EEA. Where that happens we rely on their standard contractual safeguards for international transfers.

Children

Upwind is intended for working professionals and isn't directed at anyone under 18.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time; continued use of the Service means you accept the update.

Contact

Questions or requests about your data? Email support@upwindcrew.com.