What we stand forFour principles

Public signals only

Everything we publish comes from AIS broadcasts and open records — never private data, trackers, or anything a vessel didn't already transmit itself.

Sourced & confidence-scored

Ownership that is reported but not documented is labelled exactly that. Every claim carries a source and a confidence rating.

Safety before scoops

We publish patterns over time, never a live pin that could put a person in danger. No real-time personal location, ever.

Open by default

The same dataset that powers this broadsheet is available through our API — for researchers, insurers and other journalists.

How it worksFrom radio signal to story

Vessels broadcast their own position

Under international maritime law (SOLAS), large vessels continuously transmit identity, position, speed and heading over AIS — an open radio protocol anyone can receive. We listen to that public signal. We don't plant trackers or access anything private.

We match signals to notable yachts

Each vessel has a public MMSI and IMO number. We maintain a curated register of the most notable pleasure craft and their reported owners, built from open records and reporting.

We enrich with public specs & photos

Builder, length, flag, value estimates and photography are compiled from public maritime databases and open sightings, then fact-checked before publication.

We aggregate patterns, not surveillance

Our stories are about patterns over time — seasonal migrations, favorite anchorages, ownership structures. We avoid presenting information in a way that could help anyone physically locate a specific person in the moment.

We publish — and open the data

Reporting goes to the Journal; the underlying dataset is available through our API for researchers, insurers and other journalists.

Corrections & right of reply

See something we got wrong?

If you’re an owner, representative or subject and believe something is inaccurate, write to the editor. We log corrections transparently and amend material shown to be wrong.

editor@celebyachts.com

Read the full Terms and Privacy Policy.