Privacy Policy

About This Policy

Hatteras Community Sailing (“we,” “our,” or “the organization”) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in Buxton, North Carolina on Hatteras Island. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect information you provide when using our website at sailhatteras.org and participating in our community sailing programs.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and using your data only to support our nonprofit mission of community sailing access on the Outer Banks.

Information We Collect

Program Registrations and Bookings: When you register for a community program, we collect your name, email address, phone number, the program selected, your preferred date, number of participants, and any special requests or notes.

Contact Inquiries: When you use our contact form, we collect your name, email address, optional phone number, and your message.

Payment Information: We do not store payment card numbers or financial data on our servers. All payment processing is handled by Stripe, Inc., a PCI-compliant payment processor. Please review Stripe’s Privacy Policy for information on how payment data is handled.

Website Usage: We may collect anonymized information about how visitors interact with our website to improve our programs and community outreach. We do not use advertising trackers or sell website data.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Confirm and administer your program registration or booking
• Communicate with you about your participation, schedule changes, or cancellations
• Respond to contact form inquiries
• Process payments through our Stripe integration
• Improve our programs and community outreach efforts
• Fulfill our legal and tax obligations as a 501(c)3 nonprofit

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We do not use your information for advertising purposes. We are a nonprofit organization and your data is used only to support our sailing programs and mission.

Data Retention

We retain program and booking records for a period of 7 years to comply with nonprofit financial record-keeping requirements. Contact inquiry records are retained for 2 years. You may request deletion of your personal information at any time by contacting us, subject to our legal retention obligations.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to help the site function correctly and to understand how visitors use it. We use:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to work (e.g., session handling, booking flow). These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies (Google Analytics 4): We use Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymous information about how visitors navigate our site — pages viewed, time on site, and general geographic region. This data is aggregated and never linked to your identity. IP addresses are anonymized. You can opt out using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

We do not use advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, or any third-party tracking for marketing purposes.

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• Stripe: For secure payment processing. Stripe is PCI-DSS compliant. We do not store card data. See Stripe's Privacy Policy.
• Google Analytics 4: For anonymous website usage analytics to help us improve our programs and community outreach. Data is anonymized, IP addresses are not stored in identifiable form, and data is not linked to individual users. See Google's Privacy Policy.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate personal information
• Request deletion of your personal information, subject to retention obligations
• Opt out of any non-essential communications from us

Children’s Privacy

Our youth sailing programs serve children as young as 8 years old. We collect information about youth participants only from their parents or legal guardians. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13. Youth program registration must be completed by a parent or legal guardian.

Non-Discrimination Policy

Hatteras Community Sailing is committed to providing an inclusive, welcoming environment for all members of our community. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

All of our programs — youth sailing, adult instruction, regattas, and community events — are open to every member of the community regardless of background or identity. No child is turned away for inability to pay. Financial assistance is available; please contact us to learn more.

This non-discrimination commitment applies to program participation, volunteer opportunities, membership, employment, and all organizational activities.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us: