Editorial & Fact-Checking Policy

Salty and Windy publishes practical sailing information for aspiring sailors, boat buyers, owners, liveaboards, and coastal cruisers. This policy explains how we choose topics, research claims, review sensitive guidance, use editorial tools, disclose commercial relationships, and correct mistakes.

Salty and Windy, as the publication’s editorial brand, is responsible for applying this policy across the site.

Our Editorial Principles

We aim to make every page:

Useful: The article should help a reader understand a real sailing question or make a better-informed decision.
Clear: Technical ideas should be explained without hiding uncertainty or oversimplifying important risks.
Accurate: Factual claims should be checked against appropriate and reasonably current sources.
Independent: Commercial relationships should not determine our conclusions.
Transparent: Readers should be able to understand who is responsible for the content, when it was updated, and where its limits are.

How We Choose Topics

We select topics based on genuine reader needs, gaps in the site’s sailing coverage, recurring questions, search-performance data, and areas where a clearer guide could add value. Search demand can help us prioritize a subject, but it does not justify publishing a page that is repetitive, misleading, or written only to target a keyword.

Research and Source Selection

The source mix depends on the topic. We prefer primary and authoritative information where it is available, including:

official maritime, weather, regulatory, and public-safety bodies;
manufacturer manuals and current product documentation;
recognized sailing and boating organizations;
technical standards and qualified specialist guidance;
official destination, harbor, and local authority information; and
credible secondary sources that clearly explain their evidence.

We do not treat a search-result snippet, anonymous forum comment, retailer description, or AI-generated answer as sufficient evidence for a safety-critical or time-sensitive claim.

Fact-Checking by Risk Level

Not every statement carries the same consequences. We apply more scrutiny to claims involving:

navigation, weather, heavy-weather tactics, and emergency procedures;
life-saving equipment and vessel safety;
marine systems, structural condition, and maintenance;
insurance, finance, taxes, legal obligations, and border requirements;
product compatibility, pricing, availability, and specifications; and
location-specific anchorages, regulations, hazards, and facilities.

Where a qualified instructor, marine surveyor, technician, medical professional, insurer, lawyer, local authority, or current official publication is the appropriate source, we say so. General educational content must not be presented as a substitute for professional advice or the judgment of the vessel’s responsible skipper.

First-Hand Experience and Attribution

We do not invent first-person sailing stories, boat ownership, passages, qualifications, tests, or product experience. A page may use direct and conversational language, but any claim of personal use or experience should belong to an identified contributor and be accurate.

When first-hand experience is not available, we frame the page as researched editorial guidance and identify the evidence, assumptions, and limits that matter to the reader.

Use of AI-Assisted and Digital Tools

Salty and Windy may use digital or AI-assisted tools to support tasks such as outlining, organizing research, checking consistency, and improving language. These tools do not replace human editorial responsibility.

A human editor remains responsible for defining the page’s purpose, reviewing the final copy, checking consequential claims, removing fabricated or unsupported material, and deciding whether the content is suitable for publication. We do not knowingly publish unreviewed automated drafts or use automation as a reason to create large numbers of low-value pages.

Product Reviews, Affiliate Links, and Sponsorships

A commercial relationship does not guarantee coverage, a positive conclusion, or control over editorial wording. When a page includes an affiliate link, sponsored element, supplied product, or other material relationship, we aim to disclose it clearly where the reader will see it.

Product details can change. Readers should verify current specifications, compatibility, safety instructions, availability, and price with the manufacturer or seller before making a purchase or relying on a product aboard.

Updates and Content Maintenance

We review content when performance data, reader feedback, broken links, product changes, new official guidance, or editorial audits indicate that an update is needed. An updated date should reflect a meaningful review or change, not a cosmetic date refresh.

Older destination, product, legal, financial, and safety-sensitive pages may become outdated faster than general educational material. Their publication date should never be treated as proof that every detail remains current.

Corrections

When we confirm a material error, we aim to correct it promptly and review related passages that may rely on the same claim. Where the nature of the correction is important to understanding the page, we may add a correction or update note.

To request a review, use our Contact page and include the page URL, the statement concerned, and a reliable supporting source when possible.

Authorship and Accountability

Articles use the public byline Salty and Windy. The byline identifies the editorial organization responsible for the work; it does not claim that one named person personally tested every product, sailed every route, or holds unstated qualifications.

Learn more about the site’s purpose and publishing model on our About page.