Terms of Service

What this document is, and what it isn't

This page sets the terms for using captainoffshore.com. It covers what you can and can't do with the website itself — the articles, the service pages, the design, the contact form. It applies to anyone who visits the site, reads the content, or contacts us through it.

This page is not a contract for services. If you hire Offshore Captain Services LLC to deliver your boat, coach you on the water, or consult on a purchase, that engagement is governed by a separate written agreement signed by both you and Captain Tom. Visiting this website or submitting the contact form doesn't create that agreement — the engagement starts when both parties sign the service contract.

In plain terms: this document covers the website. The service agreement covers the work.

Who these terms are from

These terms are issued by Offshore Captain Services LLC, a Michigan limited liability company, operating the website at captainoffshore.com. Throughout this document, "we," "us," and "our" mean Offshore Captain Services LLC. "You" and "your" mean anyone using the site.

For questions about these terms, contact us at tom@captainoffshore.com or by mail at 21932 Thorofare Rd, Grosse Ile, MI 48138.

Acceptance of these terms

By using captainoffshore.com — reading articles, viewing service pages, submitting the contact form, or otherwise interacting with the site — you agree to these terms. If you don't agree with any part of them, please don't use the site.

We may update these terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect any changes. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the updated terms. Significant changes will be noted clearly when they happen.

How you can use the content

The articles, photos, illustrations, and other content on captainoffshore.com are produced by Offshore Captain Services LLC. We're glad people read it — that's why it's here. You're welcome to:

• Read it

• Share links to specific pages with others

• Quote short excerpts for non-commercial purposes, with proper attribution

• Reference the content in your own writing or conversations

What you can't do without our written permission:

• Copy substantial portions of articles and republish them, in whole or in part, on other websites

• Use our content to train commercial AI models or language models

• Use our photographs or illustrations for any purpose other than personal viewing

• Scrape the site programmatically, except by legitimate search engine crawlers operating within the bounds of our robots.txt file

• Reuse the design, layout, or visual identity of the site

• Use the Offshore Captain Services name, logo, or any associated marks in a way that suggests endorsement, affiliation, or partnership without our written permission

If you'd like to do something with the content that isn't on the "welcome to" list, email us at tom@captainoffshore.com and we'll talk about it.

Content is informational, not advice

The content on this site — particularly the articles in From the Helm — is intended to be informational and to share the perspective of a working USCG-licensed Master Captain with thirty-six years on the water. It is not professional advice tailored to your specific vessel, route, conditions, or circumstances.

Boating is an activity that carries inherent risks. Reading an article about docking, anchoring, radio operation, weather assessment, or any other operational topic doesn't make you qualified to perform those operations safely on your own boat in your own conditions. The techniques and principles discussed on this site work in the contexts where Captain Tom has applied them — they may or may not work in your specific situation.

If you rely on the content of this site to make decisions about operating your vessel, you do so at your own risk. We are not responsible for any incident, damage, loss, or injury that results from your reliance on the information presented here.

The right way to use the content of this site is the same way you'd use any other source of professional perspective: as input to your own informed judgment, not as a substitute for it. If you need advice specific to your vessel and situation, hire a qualified captain — whether that's us or someone else — to work with you directly.

About the contact form

When you submit the contact form, you're sending a message to Captain Tom's email inbox. The submission isn't an offer to enter into a contract for services, and Captain Tom's response isn't an acceptance of any such offer. It's a conversation about whether we might work together. Any actual engagement happens through a separately signed service agreement.

By submitting the contact form, you confirm that the information you've provided is accurate, that the email address you've supplied belongs to you, and that you're sending the message in good faith for a legitimate purpose.

We don't owe you a response to a contact form submission, though in practice Captain Tom responds to all legitimate inquiries within a reasonable time.

Third-party links and services

This site contains links to other websites — including Facebook, Google Business Profile, Cal.com (for optional scheduling), and external resources occasionally referenced in articles. We aren't responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of those external sites. When you follow a link to a third-party site, you've left ours, and their terms apply.

If you use the optional Cal.com scheduling link, your interaction with Cal.com is governed by Cal.com's own terms of service and privacy policy, not by ours.

Site availability

We make reasonable efforts to keep captainoffshore.com available and functional, but we don't guarantee uninterrupted access. The site runs on third-party hosting (Framer), and outages, errors, or downtime are possible. We may also take the site offline for maintenance, updates, or other reasons without prior notice.

If you need to reach us when the site is unavailable, the most reliable method is to call Captain Tom directly at 248.497.5791.

Disclaimers and limitations of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

The site is provided "as is." We make no warranties, express or implied, about the website's content, accuracy, completeness, fitness for any particular purpose, or availability. Information may be outdated, incomplete, or incorrect despite our efforts to keep it current and accurate.

Limitation of liability. Offshore Captain Services LLC, its members, employees, agents, and contractors are not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of (or inability to use) the website, your reliance on its content, or any errors or omissions in the content. This limitation applies even if we've been advised of the possibility of such damages.

These limitations do not apply to liability that cannot be excluded by law. They are not intended to limit any rights you have that cannot be waived under applicable consumer protection law.

Indemnification

If your use of the website causes any third-party claim against us — for example, if you use our content in a way that violates someone else's rights — you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Offshore Captain Services LLC and its members, employees, agents, and contractors against that claim, including reasonable legal fees.

Governing law and venue

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, without regard to its conflict-of-laws provisions. Any legal action or dispute arising from these terms or from your use of the website will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Wayne County, Michigan. You agree to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

Severability

If any part of these terms is found to be unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the rest of the terms remain in effect. The unenforceable portion will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable while preserving its original intent.

Entire agreement

These terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Offshore Captain Services LLC regarding your use of captainoffshore.com. They supersede any prior agreements or communications regarding website use.

These terms do not modify, replace, or supersede any separate service agreement you may sign with us. Service agreements stand on their own terms.

Contact

For questions about these terms, contact:

Offshore Captain Services LLC Captain Thomas P. Ketelhut 21932 Thorofare Rd Grosse Ile, MI 48138 Email: tom@captainoffshore.com Phone: 248.497.5791