These terms govern use of the Whitstable Yacht Club website and its enquiry features. They do not replace the separate booking terms, safety information or operator conditions that apply to a specific vessel or trip.
NORTHING is the public-facing name of this website. The website operator is Whitstable Yacht Club, using the operator details shown in this notice.
1. Operator and scope
This website is operated by Whitstable Yacht Club, Sea Wall Whitstable Kent CT5 1BX. VAT ID: GB 201640519. The website provides editorial route information, comparison material and an enquiry channel for water-based leisure experiences. By using the website you agree to these terms.
2. Information is for planning, not a confirmed booking
Route descriptions, duration bands, vessel categories, indicative planning prices and editorial guidance are intended to help you form an enquiry. They are not a promise that a particular vessel, operator, departure, route or price is available. Photographs illustrate the character of water travel and should not be read as a guarantee that the pictured vessel or location forms part of a specific offer.
Weather, tide, harbour directions, local restrictions, vessel availability and safety decisions can materially affect an itinerary. The final operating details are those confirmed for the specific trip.
3. Enquiries and contract formation
Submitting the website form asks us to respond to your brief. It does not itself create a booking or require either party to proceed. If a bookable option is available, you will receive the information necessary to understand the service, price, payment requirements, cancellation terms and the identity of the contracting provider before you become bound.
A contract is formed only through the process stated in the final booking information, for example when an offer is accepted and any required payment is made. Where a separate vessel or experience provider contracts with you, that provider’s terms will also apply.
4. Prices and payment
Amounts shown on this website are indicative planning bands unless expressly stated otherwise in a final booking communication. Final prices may vary with vessel, date, duration, route, group size, fuel, berth or harbour charges, catering and other agreed elements. Any mandatory charges that apply to a specific booking should be disclosed before you are asked to commit.
Payment method, deposit requirements, balance dates and refund arrangements are set out with the specific booking. We do not authorise optional charges through pre-selected consent.
5. Consumer rights and cancellation
Nothing in these terms excludes or restricts rights that cannot lawfully be excluded under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or other applicable consumer law. Where a trader supplies a consumer service, the law may require the service to be carried out with reasonable care and skill and may provide remedies if the service does not match what was agreed.
The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 provide cancellation rights for many distance and off-premises contracts, subject to exceptions. In particular, the statutory 14-day cooling-off right does not necessarily apply to services related to leisure activities where the contract provides for a specific date or period of performance. The cancellation position for a particular trip will therefore be stated in the booking terms before contract.
6. Your responsibilities
You must provide accurate information relevant to the enquiry, including the number and ages of guests where requested and any access, medical or mobility information that the operator reasonably needs for safe participation. You and your group must follow lawful safety instructions, boarding procedures and restrictions issued by the vessel operator or crew.
You remain responsible for arriving at the agreed boarding point at the required time with any documentation or clothing specified for the trip. If you are booking for other people, you are responsible for passing on material booking and safety information to them.
7. Changes, weather and force majeure
Water-based services can be affected by weather, tide, sea state, harbour restrictions, mechanical issues, crew availability and other events outside reasonable control. A provider may need to delay, reroute, substitute a vessel or cancel where safety or operational circumstances reasonably require it. The consequences for payment or rebooking are governed by the specific booking terms and applicable law.
Neither these terms nor a separate contract remove rights or remedies that the law gives you where a service is not provided as agreed.
8. Website use and intellectual property
You may use the website for personal, lawful information and enquiry purposes. You must not interfere with its security, attempt unauthorised access, submit harmful code or use automated means in a way that materially disrupts the service. Text, layout, graphics and other site content are protected by applicable intellectual property rights and may not be commercially reproduced without permission unless the law allows it.
9. Liability
We do not exclude liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation. Subject to those limits, responsibility for a separately contracted trip is allocated under the booking contract and applicable law.
Editorial route information should be used as a starting point rather than navigational or safety advice. Operational decisions are made by the relevant qualified operator or crew for the actual vessel and conditions.
10. Complaints and disputes
If you have a concern about the website or our handling of an enquiry, contact us using the operator details on this site. If the concern relates to a separately contracted trip, the booking information will identify the provider and any relevant complaints process. These terms do not prevent you from using any statutory complaint or enforcement route available to you.
11. Governing law
These website terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. If you are a consumer resident elsewhere in the United Kingdom, you may also benefit from mandatory protections of the law that applies where you live. Courts with jurisdiction under applicable consumer and civil procedure rules may hear disputes.
12. Changes
We may update these terms to reflect changes to the website, our services or the law. The version that applies to a separately concluded booking is the version incorporated into that booking at the time the contract is formed.