Terms of Service

1. About BladeSync

BladeSync is a rowing club management application ("the Service") developed and operated by Blackbeard Technologies Ltd ("Blackbeard Technologies", "we", "us", "our"), a company registered in England and Wales.

BladeSync is provided to members of participating adult rowing clubs across the United Kingdom (each a "Club") to facilitate the management of training sessions, crew assignments, boat inventory, fee administration, activity tracking, and related club operations.

By accessing or using BladeSync you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, you must not use the Service.

2. Eligibility & access

BladeSync is a members-only service. You may only use BladeSync if:

• You are a current paid-up member of a participating rowing club, or an authorised administrator acting on the Club's behalf; and
• Your account has been created or approved by an administrator of the Club.

Access is linked to your active club membership. If your membership lapses or is terminated, your access to BladeSync may be suspended or removed at the Club's discretion.

If you are under 18, you must have the consent of a parent or guardian to use BladeSync.

3. Accounts & authentication

BladeSync uses Google Sign-In (OAuth 2.0) as its exclusive authentication method. You must have a valid Google account to sign in. We do not store your Google password.

Your BladeSync account corresponds to your club membership record. You are responsible for:

• Keeping your Google account credentials secure;
• All activities that occur under your BladeSync account;
• Notifying the Club immediately if you suspect unauthorised access.

You must not share your account with any other person, or use another member's account.

4. Acceptable use

You agree to use BladeSync only for legitimate club management purposes. You must not:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law or regulation;
• Access, tamper with, or use non-public areas of the Service, its servers, or the systems of Blackbeard Technologies or its service providers;
• Attempt to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service or circumvent any security or authentication measures;
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service, including by transmitting malware, or placing an unreasonable load on the infrastructure;
• Harvest, collect, or store personal data about other members beyond what is necessary for authorised club purposes;
• Impersonate any person or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity;
• Use the Service to harass, abuse, or harm any individual;
• Attempt to reverse-engineer or decompile any part of the Service.

Blackbeard Technologies and the Club reserve the right to suspend or terminate access for users who violate these rules.

5. Third-party integrations

BladeSync offers optional integrations with third-party platforms. Use of these integrations is voluntary and subject to the respective third party's terms:

5.1 Strava

By connecting your Strava account, you authorise BladeSync to read your Strava activity data (including health metrics such as heart rate where available) and store it in the BladeSync database for the purpose of tracking training activity and calculating performance metrics within the Club. Strava's own Terms of Service govern your Strava account. You may disconnect the integration at any time from within BladeSync Settings or from your Strava account.

5.2 Google Calendar

By connecting Google Calendar, you authorise BladeSync to create and manage a dedicated calendar ("BladeSync Training") in your Google account, and to write, update, and delete events in that calendar corresponding to your training session assignments. Google's Terms of Service govern your Google account. You may disconnect the integration at any time from within BladeSync Settings, which will delete the BladeSync calendar from your Google account.

5.3 Stripe Connect (online payments)

BladeSync uses Stripe Connect to enable your club to accept online payments for fees and subscriptions. Your club connects its own Stripe account through BladeSync; Blackbeard Technologies acts as the platform facilitator and does not itself receive or hold your payment funds. When you make a payment, you submit your card details directly to Stripe via its secure payment form — BladeSync never sees or stores your card number, expiry date, or CVV. By completing a payment through BladeSync you agree to Stripe's Services Agreement and Privacy Policy. Blackbeard Technologies is not responsible for any failure in payment processing by Stripe or for the club's management of its Stripe account.

5.4 Firebase Crashlytics (crash reporting)

BladeSync uses Firebase Crashlytics on native Android and iOS builds to automatically collect crash reports when the app encounters an unexpected error. Crash data includes stack traces, device metadata, and your Firebase user ID. This data is used solely to diagnose and fix application errors. Crashlytics is not active on the web version. Crash data is processed by Google under the Cloud Data Processing Addendum. See our Privacy Policy for full details of the data collected.

5.5 Firebase Analytics (usage analytics)

BladeSync uses Firebase Analytics (powered by Google Analytics) across all platforms to collect usage data such as session frequency, screen views, and engagement metrics. This data is used solely to understand how the app is used and to prioritise improvements. Analytics data is not used for advertising or remarketing. Your Firebase user ID is associated with analytics events to analyse usage across sessions. Analytics data is processed by Google under the Cloud Data Processing Addendum. See our Privacy Policy for full details of the data collected.

5.6 General

Blackbeard Technologies is not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or practices of third-party services. Connecting a third-party service is at your own risk.

6. AI features

BladeSync includes AI-assisted features powered by Google's Gemini API:

• Smart Crew Suggestions – uses member names and skill flags to suggest crew assignments for training sessions. Suggestions are recommendations only; all final assignments are reviewed and approved by a human (squad captain or administrator).
• BROE Report Import – uses AI vision to extract structured data from uploaded PDF race-entry reports.

You acknowledge that AI-generated outputs may contain errors or inaccuracies, and that they should be reviewed before being acted upon.

7. Content and data you provide

You retain ownership of any personal data and content you provide to BladeSync. By using the Service you grant Blackbeard Technologies a limited, non-exclusive licence to process and store that data for the sole purpose of providing the Service to you and the Club.

You are responsible for ensuring that any data you enter (including data about other members in your capacity as an administrator) is accurate and that you have the right to provide it.

You must not upload content that is unlawful, defamatory, offensive, or that infringes the intellectual property rights of any third party.

8. Intellectual property

BladeSync, including its design, source code, software, trademarks, and all related materials, is the property of Blackbeard Technologies Ltd and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Nothing in these Terms grants you any right, title, or interest in the Service beyond the limited right to use it as expressly permitted herein.

The BladeSync name, logo, and brand are trademarks of Blackbeard Technologies Ltd. You may not use them without our prior written consent.

9. Availability & modifications

We aim to keep BladeSync available and reliable, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation. The Service is provided on an as-is, as-available basis.

We reserve the right to:

• Modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service at any time, with or without notice;
• Introduce new features or remove existing features;
• Perform maintenance that may result in temporary unavailability.

We will use reasonable efforts to notify the Club's administrators of significant planned changes or downtime.

10. Disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law:

• The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.
• Blackbeard Technologies does not warrant that the Service will be accurate, complete, reliable, secure, or free from bugs or viruses.
• Weather forecasts, activity data, and AI-generated suggestions are provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as the sole basis for any decision.
• Blackbeard Technologies is not responsible for any actions taken by club administrators or members based on information displayed in the Service.

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law (including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or fraudulent misrepresentation).

11. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Blackbeard Technologies Ltd's total aggregate liability to you in connection with these Terms or the use of the Service shall not exceed £100 (one hundred pounds sterling), regardless of the form of action or the basis of the claim.

In no event shall Blackbeard Technologies be liable for:

• Loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or business opportunities;
• Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages;
• Any damages arising from reliance on AI-generated suggestions;
• Any damages arising from the acts or omissions of third-party services (including Strava, Google, Stripe, or any other integration partner).

Nothing in this section limits your statutory rights or any liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

12. Governing law & disputes

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.

The courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms, provided that Blackbeard Technologies may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any jurisdiction.

If you have a complaint about the Service, please contact us at support@blackbeardtechnologies.com first. We will endeavour to resolve disputes informally before either party pursues formal proceedings.

13. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect any changes. Material changes will be communicated to active members via the app or email with reasonable notice before they take effect. Continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

If you do not agree with updated Terms, you must stop using the Service and notify the Club administrator to have your account deactivated.

14. Contact

For questions about these Terms or the Service:

• General: support@blackbeardtechnologies.com
• Privacy matters: privacy@blackbeardtechnologies.com
• Company: Blackbeard Technologies Ltd, England and Wales

See also our Privacy Policy for full details of how we handle your personal data.