Terms of Service

Effective: November 8, 2026

Welcome to the website of the Friendship Sloop Society (“the Society”, “we”, “us”), a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and celebrating Friendship sloops. These Terms of Service (“Terms”) apply to everyone who visits or uses fss.org (the “Site”). By using the Site you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you don’t agree, please don’t use the Site.

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we’ll change the date above; continuing to use the Site after a change means you accept the updated Terms.

1. Using the Site

You’re welcome to browse, read, and enjoy the Site for personal, non-commercial purposes. Please don’t:

  • try to break into, disrupt, or overload the Site, or get around its security or access controls;
  • copy large parts of the Site by automated means (scraping, harvesting member or registry information);
  • use the Site to send spam, advertising, or anything unlawful, harassing, or misleading;
  • pretend to be someone else, or post another person’s private information without their permission.

2. Accounts and membership

Some features (member pages, posting, galleries, the Officers Dashboard) require an account.

  • Give accurate information and keep it up to date. Accounts are for one person and may not be shared.
  • Keep your password private. You’re responsible for activity on your account; tell the webmaster at webmaster@fss.org if you think someone else has used it.
  • Membership benefits and obligations are set by the Society’s Constitution and the decisions of its officers.
  • We may suspend or close an account that breaks these Terms or is used to harm the Society or its members.

3. Payments, renewals, and refunds

  • Prices are in US dollars. Payments are processed by our payment provider, Stripe; the Society never receives or stores your full card number.
  • If a membership is set to renew automatically, it renews each year at the then-current rate until you turn renewal off. You can turn it off at any time from your account, or by writing to the Membership Secretary at membership@fss.org.
  • Membership dues are not refundable, including when a membership is cancelled part-way through a year.
  • Merchandise (burgees, decals, and the like) may be returned unused within 30 days of delivery for a refund of the purchase price. Contact the Chandlery at chandlery@fss.org first; return shipping is the buyer’s responsibility unless the item arrived damaged or wrong.
  • Donations are gifts and are generally not refundable. The Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; ask your own tax adviser how a donation or membership payment applies to you.

4. Content you post

Members can share community posts, comments, photos, profile details, and information about their boats (“your content”).

  • You keep ownership of your content. By posting it, you give the Society a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide permission to display, store, reproduce, and adapt it on the Site and in Society publications and communications (for example newsletters, yearbooks, and our social media), and to keep it as part of the Society’s historical record.
  • Only post content you have the right to share. If a photo shows identifiable people, make sure they’re happy to have it shared.
  • Be respectful. No harassment, hate, threats, obscenity, or content that is unlawful or infringes someone else’s rights. No anonymous posts: posts and requests for information must carry your name.
  • Officers review community content and may edit, decline, or remove any content at any time, without notice.
  • You’re responsible for your content. If someone makes a claim against the Society because of content you posted, you agree to cover the Society’s reasonable costs of dealing with it (see section 10).

5. Society content, photos, and publications

The Site’s design, text, the Sloop Registry compilation, yearbooks, newsletters, and photographs are owned by the Society or by their creators and used with permission. Photographs credited to a photographer (for example “© William Finch”) belong to that photographer.

You may view, download, and print material for personal, non-commercial use. Please ask the Publicity Committee at publicity@fss.org before reusing anything elsewhere, especially photographs.

6. Sloop Registry and boats for sale or charter

  • Registry information comes from owners, members, and historical records. It may be incomplete or out of date, and the Society doesn’t guarantee its accuracy. Owners can ask the Registrar for corrections at registrar@fss.org.
  • The Society does not sell or charter sloops, has no financial interest in any listed sloop, and makes no statement about the condition, value, or seaworthiness of any boat. “For Sale” and “For Charter” listings are a courtesy to members. Deal directly with the owner, and get your own survey and advice before buying or chartering.

7. Events and sailing

Event details are provided for convenience and may change. Sailing and on-the-water activities carry inherent risks. Taking part in any event, race, or rendezvous is voluntary and at your own risk, and may be subject to additional rules, waivers, or instructions from the organizers. Events run by other organizations are their responsibility, not the Society’s.

8. Links and sponsors

The Site links to sponsors and other websites we don’t control. A link or sponsor listing is not an endorsement, and we’re not responsible for those sites, their content, or their products and services.

9. Disclaimers

The Site and everything on it are provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose and accuracy. The Society is run largely by volunteers; we do our best to keep the Site accurate and available, but we can’t promise it will always be error-free or uninterrupted.

10. Limitation of liability and indemnity

To the fullest extent the law allows, the Society, its officers, volunteers, and members are not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential loss, or for any loss arising from your use of the Site, its content, listings, or events. Where liability can’t be excluded, the Society’s total liability to you is limited to the amount you paid the Society in the twelve months before the claim, or $100, whichever is greater.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Society, its officers, and volunteers from claims, losses, and reasonable costs (including legal fees) arising from your content or your breach of these Terms.

11. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Maine, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be handled in the state or federal courts located in Maine, and you agree to their jurisdiction.

12. General

If any part of these Terms can’t be enforced, the rest stays in effect. Our not enforcing a provision isn’t a waiver of it. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, are the whole agreement between you and the Society about the Site.

13. Contact

Questions about these Terms: info@fss.org

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