FAQ

For members

I clicked my sign-in link and it didn't work.

Links are single-use and expire after about 15 minutes. Request a fresh one from the sign-in page. See Signing in.

I signed in but see "no access."

Your account is fine, but it isn't a member of this club. Ask an admin for an invitation, and make sure they use the email you sign in with. See Joining a club.

Why can't I skipper a boat I used to?

Usually a certification expired, the boat's required level changed, or an endorsement was revoked. See Certifications & skipper status.

How do I find when a boat is actually free?

Open the Calendar and pick a day. On a phone, Free to book lists every boat with water left that day — boats you're cleared to skipper first — with tap- able chips for the gaps that are genuinely open. If the day's quiet, it points you at the next free one. See The club calendar.

A sail I'm crewing lost its skipper. Can I take over?

If you're cleared to skipper that boat and free at that time, yes — open the sail (or find it under Open sails on the calendar) and choose Take the helm before the club's grace deadline. That confirms the sail, as long as its crew still meets the boat's rules. See Reservation states.

The boat won't let me book a time I expected.

The time may fall outside the boat's availability windows, the boat may be in a blackout or set to maintenance, or the slot's already taken. See Booking a sail.

I picked the wrong boat or time. Can I change my booking?

While the sail is still a draft, yes — open it and choose Edit sail to change the boat, time, purpose, or notes. If the boat or time changes, crew and guests are notified automatically. A confirmed sail can't be edited; cancel it and book again. See Editing a draft sail.

The sail I want to join is full. Can I still get aboard?

Join its standby list from the sail's page. If a confirmed crew member drops out, the first person on standby who's free at that time is automatically confirmed onto the crew and notified. See The standby list.

Zeil says I'm already on another sail at that time.

You can only be committed to one sail at a time. If you're the skipper or confirmed crew on an overlapping sail, Zeil won't let you book another boat, accept an invite, or take the helm for that window. Drop out of the other sail (or cancel it) first, or pick a time when you're free. Pending invites, join requests, and standby spots don't block your time — only confirmed commitments do. See No double-booking.

I was removed from a sail I never asked to leave.

If a skipper or admin approved a pending join request of yours on another sail that overlaps one you were already requested on, on standby for, or confirmed crew on, Zeil automatically pulled you off the older one rather than blocking the approval — you can't hold two overlapping sails at once. You're notified in-app and by email explaining why. You can ask to join that sail again if it still has an open spot. See One sail at a time.

Can I bring a friend who isn't a club member?

On boats where the club has set a guest limit, the skipper, an admin, or any confirmed crew can invite a guest by email. The guest confirms by signing a waiver from their personal link. If you don't see a Guests box on the sail, guests aren't enabled for that boat. See Bringing a guest aboard.

Why did my confirmed sail get cancelled on its own?

A confirmed sail that loses its only eligible skipper (and isn't fixed by the club's grace deadline before the start) is cancelled automatically. See Reservation states.

Can I trust the Sail Brief?

Treat it as a helpful summary, not an authority. The skipper is always responsible for the go/no-go call. See Weather & Sail Brief.

Can I use Zeil like an app on my phone?

Yes. Add your club's address to your phone's home screen and Zeil opens full-screen with its own icon — no app store needed. See Signing in.

How do I stop the weekly emails?

Turn off the digest in Profile → Preferences. See Notifications.

How do I sign up for a sailing course?

If your club runs a sailing school, its course schedule is public at yourclub.zeilapp.com/courses — browse it without signing in, then register from a course page. Open-enrolment courses take you straight away; others need the club's approval. See Courses & the sailing school.

For admins

A member says they can't book — what do I check?

Confirm the boat is active, the time falls within its availability windows (or the boat has none configured), there's no blackout over the time, the slot isn't already reserved, the member isn't already skipper or confirmed crew on an overlapping sail, and (for skippering) the member's certifications and endorsements are current. See Availability and Certifications & endorsements.

How do I turn on courses for my club?

Flip the Sailing school switch in Club settings (it's off by default). That unlocks Admin → School and publishes your public course schedule at /courses. See Courses & the sailing school.

How do I temporarily take a boat out of service?

Set its status to maintenance rather than deleting it — that hides it from booking but keeps its history, and you can reactivate it later. See Fleet management.

How do I let someone help me run the club?

Promote a trusted member to admin under Members & roles. You can demote them again anytime, and the audit log records the change.

The Sail Brief feels generic. How do I improve it?

Confirm your home location and timezone are set, then write specific local-knowledge notes. See Tuning the Sail Brief.

Times are showing an hour off.

Check your club's timezone in Club settings — it governs how every time is displayed.