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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 28 July 2026

1. About this policy

This Privacy Policy explains how FirstShift collects, uses, stores and protects personal information when you visit FirstShiftSailing.com, contact us, enquire about coaching or other services, or follow a link to the FirstShift publication on Substack.

For the purposes of this policy, “FirstShift”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to FirstShift and its operator, Stuart Greenfield.

The person responsible for the management of personal data is:

Stuart Greenfield
FirstShift — Yacht Racing Intelligence
Website: FirstShiftSailing.com
Email: stuart@greenfield.co.uk

2. Information we may collect

Depending on how you use the website, we may collect the following information:

  • Your name

  • Your email address

  • Your telephone number, where you choose to provide it

  • Information included in a contact form, coaching enquiry or direct message

  • Details relating to a yacht, race, sailing programme or coaching requirement that you voluntarily provide

  • Technical information such as your browser type, device type, approximate location, IP address and website activity

  • Cookie preferences

  • Information about how you arrived at and used the website

  • Correspondence between you and FirstShift

Please do not submit confidential, sensitive or unnecessary personal information through the website.

3. How information is collected

We may collect information when you:

  • Complete a contact or enquiry form

  • Contact us by email, telephone or social media

  • Enquire about coaching, consulting or other services

  • Accept or reject cookies

  • Browse the website

  • Click a link leading to Substack or another external service

  • Subscribe to FirstShift through Substack

Some technical information may be collected automatically by Wix and by any analytics or security services enabled on the website.

4. Why we use personal information

We may use personal information to:

  • Respond to questions and enquiries

  • Discuss or provide coaching, consulting or sailing-related services

  • Administer our relationship with clients and prospective clients

  • Operate, maintain and secure the website

  • Understand how visitors use the website

  • Improve the website, articles and services

  • Keep appropriate business and financial records

  • Prevent fraud, misuse and technical problems

  • Comply with legal or regulatory obligations

  • Establish, exercise or defend legal claims

We will not sell your personal information.

5. Lawful bases for processing

Under UK data-protection law, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Consent

We may rely on your consent where you voluntarily provide information, agree to receive communications or accept non-essential cookies.

You may withdraw your consent at any time.

Contract

We may process information where it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into an agreement, or to provide coaching, consulting or another service you have requested.

Legitimate interests

We may process information where it is reasonably necessary to operate and improve FirstShift, respond to enquiries, maintain records, protect the website and communicate with clients or prospective clients.

We will consider your rights and interests before relying on legitimate interests.

Legal obligation

We may process or retain information when necessary to comply with tax, accounting, legal or regulatory requirements.

6. FirstShift subscriptions and Substack

The FirstShift publication and its free and paid subscriptions are provided through Substack.

When you subscribe, comment, make a payment or otherwise interact with FirstShift through Substack, Substack may collect and process information including:

  • Your name or account name

  • Your email address

  • Your subscription status

  • Payment and transaction information

  • Reading, email-opening and link-engagement information

  • Comments, replies, survey responses and other interactions

  • Device and technical information

FirstShift may be able to view certain subscriber and engagement information through its publisher account.

Substack processes information both for its own purposes and, in some circumstances, on behalf of FirstShift. Your use of Substack is also governed by Substack’s own privacy policy and terms.

Payments for paid subscriptions are processed through Substack and its payment providers. FirstShift does not normally receive your complete debit-card or credit-card details.

You should review Substack’s privacy information before subscribing or providing information through its platform.

7. Wix and website hosting

FirstShiftSailing.com is created and hosted using Wix.

Wix may process technical and personal information required to host, secure and operate the website. This may include IP addresses, device information, browser information, cookies, website activity and information submitted through Wix forms.

Information may be stored or processed using Wix and its contracted service providers in different countries, subject to the safeguards applied by those providers.

8. Cookies and analytics

The website may use cookies and similar technologies for:

  • Security

  • Website functionality

  • Remembering privacy choices

  • Performance monitoring

  • Website analytics

  • Understanding visitor behaviour

  • Embedded or third-party content

Where required, non-essential cookies will not be used unless you have given consent through the website’s cookie banner.

More information is available in our Cookie Policy.

9. Email and marketing communications

We will only send direct promotional or newsletter communications where there is an appropriate lawful basis for doing so.

FirstShift newsletters and subscription emails are normally delivered through Substack. You can unsubscribe from those emails using the unsubscribe link included in the message or through your Substack account settings.

We may still send non-marketing messages where necessary to respond to an enquiry, administer a service or communicate with an existing client.

10. Sharing personal information

We may share information where reasonably necessary with service providers that help us operate the website or provide our services. These may include:

  • Wix

  • Substack

  • Payment processors used by Substack

  • Email and communications providers

  • Website analytics providers

  • IT, security and hosting providers

  • Accountants, legal advisers or professional advisers

  • Government, regulatory or law-enforcement authorities where legally required

Service providers are only given the information reasonably necessary for their role.

We may also disclose information where necessary to protect our rights, users, systems or property, or in connection with the sale, transfer or reorganisation of the FirstShift business.

11. International transfers

Some of our service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, the relevant provider may rely on adequacy regulations, approved contractual protections or another legally recognised transfer mechanism.

Further details about international processing by Wix and Substack can be found in their respective privacy documentation.

12. Data retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

As a general guide:

  • Routine enquiries may be retained for up to two years after the most recent communication

  • Client and contractual records may be retained for up to six years after the end of the relevant financial year or relationship

  • Financial and tax records may be retained for the period required by law

  • Cookie-consent records may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to demonstrate and manage consent

  • Subscriber information held through Substack is retained in accordance with the operation of the publication, your subscription choices and Substack’s policies

We may retain information for longer where a dispute, legal claim, investigation or regulatory requirement makes this necessary.

13. Data security

We take reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal information against:

  • Unauthorised access

  • Accidental loss

  • Improper use

  • Alteration

  • Disclosure

  • Destruction

However, no website, email service or online transmission method can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

14. Your data-protection rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:

  • Ask whether we hold personal information about you

  • Request a copy of your personal information

  • Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information

  • Ask us to delete information in certain circumstances

  • Ask us to restrict the use of information

  • Object to certain types of processing

  • Withdraw consent

  • Request the transfer of information in certain circumstances

  • Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions.

To exercise a right, contact:

[CONTACT EMAIL]

We may need to confirm your identity before responding.

You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concern directly before you make a complaint.

15. Children

FirstShift is not specifically directed at children.

We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children through this website. Anyone under the age of 18 should obtain permission from a parent or guardian before submitting personal information or purchasing a paid service.

16. External websites

The website contains links to Substack, social-media platforms, sailing organisations, manufacturers and other third-party websites.

We do not control the privacy practices, security or content of those external services. Their own privacy policies apply when you use them.

17. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when the website, our services, technology or applicable law changes.

The current version will be published on this page, together with its last-updated date.

18. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy or the use of your information should be sent to:

Stuart Greenfield
FirstShift — Yacht Racing Intelligence
Email: [CONTACT EMAIL]

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