Helm

Helm — connector documentation

• MCP endpoint: https://helm.connectorbay.com/mcp
• REST API: POST https://helm.connectorbay.com/v1/tools/{tool_name}, described by the OpenAPI 3.1 spec at https://helm.connectorbay.com/openapi.json
• Transport: Streamable HTTP, stateless, MCP specification 2025-06-18 or later
• Authentication: none required. An optional Authorization: Bearer <key> raises rate limits.
• Health: https://helm.connectorbay.com/health · Tool schemas: https://helm.connectorbay.com/tools.json
• Publisher: Unify Dynamics LLC · connectorbay.com/helm · agent@connectorbay.com

What Helm is for

The recreational boating and sailing questions that come up before and during a day on the water — who has the right of way, what's a beam reach, how do I actually call for help, what gear does the law expect me to carry, how do I tie off a dock line, how do I read the sky before it turns on me — answered from one fully local reference, with no live weather feed, chart plotter or coast guard API in the loop.

What it does

Simplified COLREGs (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea) give-way basics — power vs. sail, the overtaking vessel always gives way, port-vs-starboard crossing, head-on meetings — framed explicitly as general safety education, not a license substitute (navigation_rules_overview); the standard points-of-sail diagram described in words, from in irons through close-hauled to running (points_of_sail_guide); an overview of visual, sound and VHF-radio distress signals, including the Mayday procedure on Channel 16 (distress_signal_guide); a general safety-equipment checklist, optionally with extra notes for a sailboat, powerboat, personal watercraft or paddle craft (safety_equipment_checklist); a boating-specific subset of four essential knots — bowline, cleat hitch, clove hitch, and figure-eight stopper (knot_guide); general docking principles covering approach angle, wind/current, fenders and line handling (docking_basics_guide); general signs of changing weather on the water (weather_reading_guide); a glossary of common boating terms — port, starboard, windward, leeward, tack, jibe and more (terminology_glossary); and a general pre-departure safety checklist (pre_departure_checklist).

What it is not

General safety education and a hobbyist reference, not a substitute for an official boating safety course, a hands-on sailing/skipper course, or your jurisdiction's boat operator licensing, registration and equipment requirements. The navigation-rules summary simplifies the full COLREGs (and the closely related U.S. Inland Navigation Rules) down to the handful of principles that matter most for everyday situational awareness — it leaves out most of the real rules' detail on lights, shapes, sound signals and restricted visibility, and it is not a certification to operate a vessel. The safety-equipment checklist is general; exact requirements (which items, how many, minimum sizes) are set by your country, state or waterway authority and vary by boat size and type. Helm covers only four knots relevant on the water; for the full 44-knot reference across every category, see the sibling Knots connector. For real coordinate, bearing, distance and dead-reckoning math, see the sibling Bearing connector — Helm covers boating rules, safety and terminology, not position-finding computation. Take a certified course, and check your local marine authority's current requirements, before you operate a boat.

Tools

Rules & Right of Way

navigation_rules_overview — Simplified COLREGs (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea) give-way basics: power vs. sail, the overtaking vessel always gives way, port-vs-starboard crossing rules, and head-on meetings. Explicitly general safety education, NOT a substitute for an official boating safety course or your jurisdiction's operator licensing requirements. Use for "who has the right of way, a sailboat or a motorboat", "what happens when two boats are crossing paths".

Safety

distress_signal_guide — Overview of internationally recognized distress signals: visual (red flares, orange smoke, raised arms, SOS), sound (continuous fog-signal, a gun at one-minute intervals), and VHF radio (the Mayday procedure on Channel 16, the internationally designated calling/hailing/distress channel). Use for "how do I call Mayday", "what channel do I use for a marine emergency", "what are the distress flare colors".

safety_equipment_checklist — A general recreational-boating safety equipment checklist: PFDs/life jackets, fire extinguisher, visual distress signals, sound-producing device, navigation lights, first aid kit, anchor, bilge pump, VHF radio, and a float plan. Requirements vary by boat size, type and jurisdiction -- this is general awareness, not a compliance guarantee. Use for "what safety gear do I need on my boat", "what do I need for a sailboat vs a jet ski". Args: boat_type.

pre_departure_checklist — A general pre-departure safety checklist: file a float plan, check the weather forecast, check fuel and fluids, confirm safety equipment is aboard and accessible, check navigation lights and electronics, check the bilge, brief everyone aboard, and secure loose gear. Use for "what should I check before I leave the dock", "pre-departure boat checklist".

Sailing & Rigging

points_of_sail_guide — The standard points-of-sail diagram described in words: in irons (the no-go zone), close-hauled, close reach, beam reach, broad reach, and running, each with the wind angle and what it feels like to sail. Use for "what's a beam reach", "what does close-hauled mean", "why can't I sail straight into the wind".

knot_guide — A boating-specific subset of four essential knots (bowline, cleat hitch, clove hitch, figure-eight stopper) with step-by-step instructions and typical on-the-water uses. For the full 44-knot reference across climbing, camping, fishing, decorative, household and rescue knots, see the sibling Knots connector. Use for "how do I tie a bowline", "what knot do I use to secure a dock line". Args: name.

Seamanship & Reference

docking_basics_guide — General, introductory docking principles: approach angle, using wind and current, fender placement, and line handling. Not a substitute for hands-on instruction with your own boat. Use for "how do I dock in a crosswind", "what fenders and lines do I need to dock".

weather_reading_guide — General signs of changing weather on the water: darkening/building clouds, a sudden wind shift, dropping barometric pressure, a sudden calm, a sun/moon halo, and distant thunder. General awareness only -- recommends checking an actual marine forecast before departure. Use for "what are signs bad weather is coming while I'm out on the water".

terminology_glossary — Definitions of common boating and sailing terms (port, starboard, bow, stern, beam, draft, windward, leeward, tack, jibe, helm, hull, keel, ...). Use for "what does leeward mean", "what's the difference between tacking and jibing". Args: term.

Conventions

• Read-only. Every tool reads public data or computes; nothing is written anywhere and nothing about the user is stored.
• Result envelope. ok: true with data, or ok: false with a structured error (bad_input, not_found, upstream_error). degraded lists optional sources that were unreachable.
• Rate limits. Free tier 60 tool calls/minute and 300/day per user (keyed on the user identifier supplied by the host agent, else client IP); Pro keys raise this. Over-limit calls return HTTP 429 with Retry-After. initialize and tools/list are never counted.

Support

agent@connectorbay.com · connectorbay.com/helm/support

Helm — Privacy Policy

Effective 24 September 2026. Unify Dynamics LLC ("we", "us"), Menlo Park, California.

What Helm is. Helm is a connector (an MCP server and REST API) that AI assistants and personal agents call on your behalf for a fully local recreational boating and sailing reference: simplified navigation-rule basics, points of sail, distress-signal procedures, a safety-equipment checklist, a boating knot subset, docking basics, weather-reading cues, a terminology glossary, and a pre-departure checklist. You interact with your assistant; the assistant sends us only the arguments needed for that one lookup.

What we receive. The arguments of each tool call — a boat type, a knot name, or a glossary term — the technical headers needed to serve the request (an IP address or a client identifier supplied by the assistant, and a Pro API key if you have one), and standard server logs.

Everything is answered from a bundled, hand-curated reference file and nothing is stored. No request is forwarded to any third party — there is no upstream call at all, live or otherwise — and no query is logged in request bodies, recorded, or used to train anything.

What we do not receive or store. We do not receive your conversation with the assistant or your name, and we do not build a profile from your queries: each request is answered independently and nothing carries over between requests. Rate-limit counters (a client identifier and timestamps) are held in memory for at most 24 hours. Hosting-provider access logs, which contain IP addresses and request paths but not request bodies, are retained for up to 30 days for security and abuse prevention.

Sub-processors. None — the entire dataset is bundled with the server and answered locally. Hosting: Vercel (United States regions).

Legal bases and your rights. Our processing is necessary to provide the service you request through your assistant. Because we store no personal data beyond short-lived logs, requests to access, correct or delete personal data are usually satisfied automatically; you can still contact agent@connectorbay.com and we will respond within 30 days. We do not sell or share personal information and do not use your data to train models.

Children. Helm is a general-audience service operated by the adult using the assistant.

Changes. We will post changes here with a new effective date.

Helm — Terms of Service

Effective 24 September 2026. These terms govern use of the Helm connector ("the Service") operated by Unify Dynamics LLC ("we", "us").

1. The Service. Helm returns a fully local recreational boating and sailing reference — simplified navigation-rule (COLREGs) basics, points of sail, distress-signal procedures, a safety-equipment checklist, a boating knot subset, docking basics, weather-reading cues, a terminology glossary, and a pre-departure checklist. It is accessed through an AI assistant or directly over MCP or HTTP.
2. General safety education only — not a course, license, or certification. Helm is a hobbyist and reference tool. Nothing in the Service substitutes for an official boating safety course, hands-on sailing/skipper instruction, or the boat operator licensing, registration and equipment carriage requirements of your country, state or waterway. The navigation-rules summary is a deliberate simplification of the full COLREGs and related Inland Navigation Rules, not a complete or certified statement of them, and following it does not make you compliant with any law. Before operating any vessel, take a certified course and confirm current requirements with your local marine authority.
3. Facts change; local rules govern. Safety-equipment requirements, licensing rules and other local regulations vary by jurisdiction and boat type and can change; the Service's general checklists are not a compliance guarantee. Always verify against your local marine or coast guard authority.
4. Acceptable use. Automated use within the published rate limits is welcome.
5. Availability. The Service is provided "as is" without warranty. We may change, limit or discontinue it at any time.
6. Data. Our Privacy Policy describes what we process. In short: your query is answered from a bundled reference file, and nothing is stored.
7. Pro keys. Optional Pro API keys are issued at our discretion, are personal to the holder and may be revoked for abuse.
8. Liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Unify Dynamics LLC is not liable for any loss, injury, or damage arising from use of, or reliance on, the Service — including any loss arising from navigation, safety-equipment, or other decisions made on the water using it. Our total liability is limited to US $100.
9. Governing law. California law; venue in San Mateo County, California.
10. Contact. Unify Dynamics LLC · agent@connectorbay.com · https://connectorbay.com/helm

Helm support

Email agent@connectorbay.com. We answer within two business days.

• MCP endpoint: https://helm.connectorbay.com/mcp
• REST API: https://helm.connectorbay.com/openapi.json
• Live status: https://helm.connectorbay.com/health

When you report a problem, include the question you asked your agent, roughly when, and which agent you used (for example Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini). Never send us passwords, account numbers or ID numbers. Helm never asks for them.