Privacy policy.

Last updated: 1 October 2026

This policy explains what personal information Yachtlaunch collects, why we collect it, who we share it with and what your rights are under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA). We've kept it as short and plain as we can. If anything is unclear, just ask us at info@yachtlaunch.com.

Who we are

Yachtlaunch is run by YACHTLAUNCH Pty, 32 Summit Road, Salt Rock, 4420, South Africa. We give practical, personalised support to people entering or progressing in professional yachting: visa guidance and application support, crew flights and travel, one-to-one mentorship, and training and career guidance.

Under POPIA we are the "responsible party" for the personal information described in this policy. That means we decide what is collected and why, and we are accountable for looking after it.

You can reach us at info@yachtlaunch.com or on WhatsApp at +27 73 858 7657.

What we collect

When you fill in a form on this website

We only ask for what we need to help you:

• Contact form: your full name, email address, WhatsApp or contact number, current location, current yachting experience or position, the service you need and anything you tell us in your message.
• Visa enquiry: your first name and surname, email address, WhatsApp or contact number, nationality, current location, which visa you're looking for and anything else you choose to tell us.
• Flight enquiry: your full name, email address, WhatsApp or contact number, where you're flying from and to, your approximate travel date, the purpose of the trip and anything else you add.

With each form we also record a few technical details: the page you sent it from, when you sent it, how you found us (for example a search engine, Instagram or one of our ads, if you arrived through one) and the result of a spam check. These help us keep out spam and understand which of our channels are working.

When you contact us on WhatsApp, by email or by phone

We receive your name and number or email address as they appear on that service, and whatever you send us, such as messages, voice notes or attachments. We use this only to help you.

When you become a client

If you go ahead with one of our services, we may need more information to deliver it, for example your CV and qualifications for mentorship, your travel details for a flight booking, or the documents an embassy or consulate needs for your visa application. We'll always tell you what we need and why.

Passports and ID documents

We do not collect passport copies, ID documents or any other identity documents through this website, and our forms have no way to upload them. Please don't send them through a form.

If you go ahead with visa support, we'll review your enquiry first and then email you to tell you exactly which documents we need and how to send them to us securely. We only ask for the documents your application actually requires, we use them only to prepare and submit that application, and we keep them only for as long as we need them to provide the service. After that we delete them, unless the law requires us to keep something for longer.

Why we use your information, and on what basis

POPIA only allows us to use personal information for a lawful reason. Ours are:

• To respond to your request. When you send us an enquiry, we use your details to reply and to talk through how we can help.
• To provide the services you engage us for. Visa support, flights and travel, mentorship and training guidance all need some personal information to deliver.
• With your consent. For example when you send us a form, or ask us to put you in touch with a partner. You can withdraw your consent at any time. This won't affect anything we did before you withdrew it.
• For our legitimate interests. Keeping this website secure and free of spam, and understanding how visitors find and use it so we can improve it.
• To meet our legal obligations. For example keeping financial records.

We won't use your information for anything unrelated without telling you first, we don't send marketing messages without your permission, and we never sell your information.

Who we share it with

We use a small number of service providers (called "operators" under POPIA) who process information on our behalf. They may only use it to provide their service to us and must keep it confidential and secure:

• SebenzaOnline builds and hosts this website and runs Sebenza Dash, the lead management system that receives and stores your form submissions and sends them on to us.
• Cloudflare Turnstile checks that forms are sent by a person and not a bot. To do this it processes technical information such as your IP address and browser details.
• Google (Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics), once we switch on website analytics, to measure how visitors use the site. See "Cookies and analytics" below.
• WhatsApp (Meta), if you choose to contact us on WhatsApp. Your messages are then also covered by WhatsApp's own terms and privacy policy.
• The everyday business tools we use to run Yachtlaunch, such as our email provider.

Beyond these providers, we share your information only when you engage us for a service that needs it, and only what that service needs:

• Embassies, consulates and visa application centres, when we help you apply for a visa.
• Airlines and travel partners, including our flight partner's travel team, when we arrange flights or travel for you.
• Other partners, such as a training school, only if you ask us to connect you with them.

We may also disclose information where the law requires it. We never sell or rent your information to anyone.

Information sent outside South Africa

Some of the providers above store or process information on servers outside South Africa. Visa applications and international flights also involve sending information to other countries by their nature, for example to a US or Schengen embassy or consulate, or to an airline.

When this happens, we make sure the transfer is allowed under POPIA: the recipient is bound by laws or agreements that protect your information to a similar standard as POPIA, or the transfer is needed to carry out the service you've asked us for, or you've agreed to it.

How long we keep it

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the reason we collected it:

• Enquiries are kept for as long as is useful to follow up with you, then deleted.
• Client records are kept while we're working with you, and afterwards only as long as we need them to answer questions about our work or as the law requires (for example, financial records for tax).
• Passport copies and other identity documents are kept only for as long as we need them to provide the service, then deleted.

How we keep it safe

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your information against loss, misuse and unauthorised access. For example:

• this website uses an encrypted (HTTPS) connection;
• our forms are protected by a spam check and do not accept document uploads;
• only the Yachtlaunch team members who need your information to help you can see it;
• documents are requested by email after your enquiry and sent using the secure method we explain to you;
• our operators are required to keep your information confidential and secure.

If we ever have reason to believe that someone has accessed your personal information without permission, we'll tell you and the Information Regulator, as POPIA requires.

Your rights

Under POPIA you have the right to:

• ask whether we hold personal information about you, and ask for a copy of it;
• ask us to correct or update information that is wrong or out of date;
• ask us to delete information we no longer have a lawful reason to keep;
• object to us using your information, including for direct marketing;
• withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on it;
• complain to the Information Regulator.

To use any of these rights, email info@yachtlaunch.com. We may need to confirm who you are before we act on a request, and we'll respond as soon as we reasonably can.

If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, please talk to us first so we have the chance to put it right. You can also complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa): website inforegulator.org.za, email enquiries@inforegulator.org.za.

Cookies and analytics

Cookies, and similar storage in your browser, are small pieces of information a website saves on your device. This site uses them sparingly:

• Cookie notice. Once you dismiss the notice, your browser remembers that so it doesn't keep appearing.
• How you found us. Your browser remembers for up to 30 days whether you arrived from a search engine, another website or one of our ads, and that is included with any form you send us. It is not used to track you on other websites.
• Spam protection. Cloudflare Turnstile may use cookies or similar technology when a form loads, to tell people and bots apart.
• Analytics. Once switched on, Google Analytics (loaded through Google Tag Manager) uses cookies to count visits and show us which pages are useful. This gives us statistics; we don't use it to identify you personally.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings at any time. The site will still work, although our forms need JavaScript switched on for the spam check.

Children

Our services are for people preparing for a career at sea, and most of the people we work with are 18 or older. If you're under 18, please ask a parent or guardian to contact us with you or on your behalf: POPIA requires a parent or guardian's consent before we use a child's personal information. Parents and guardians are always welcome to get in touch. If we learn that we've received information from someone under 18 without that consent, we'll delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time, for example when we change how we work or which service providers we use. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated at the top.

Information Officer and contact details

Our Information Officer is Cameron Baker. For any privacy question or request, contact:

Yachtlaunch (YACHTLAUNCH Pty)
32 Summit Road, Salt Rock, 4420, South Africa
Email: info@yachtlaunch.com
WhatsApp: +27 73 858 7657