Electronic signing, built into yacht delivery.
HELM provides purpose-built electronic signing for the people involved in a Yacht.Delivery passage: clients, captains, crew, suppliers and other authorised stakeholders. Contracts, approvals, acknowledgements and handovers are signed where the delivery is managed, and every completed record can be verified.
It is part of our operational ecosystem, not a general-purpose public e-signature service.
Paperwork stays attached to the delivery
Delivery documents usually scatter: a contract in one inbox, an approval in a message, a handover note on paper somewhere. In HELM they stay on the delivery record. Invited signers review and sign online, you can see what has been signed, and a completed document remains available with a reference you can check later.
Delivery contracts
The delivery agreement is signed before departure by the parties who need to sign it.
Approvals
Decisions that need an owner or client to agree, captured against the delivery rather than in an email thread.
Acknowledgements
Vessel instructions, condition notes and snag acknowledgements signed at the point they are agreed.
Handovers
Handover acceptance signed on completion, with a record that can be produced later.
From document to verifiable record
- 01
The document is prepared against the delivery
A contract, approval, acknowledgement or handover document is raised inside the delivery record, so the paperwork and the passage are never separate things.
- 02
Signers are invited by email
Each party you invite receives a private link to their own signing view. Only the people invited to that document can open it.
- 03
Identity is confirmed before signing
Every signer, including authenticated HELM users, confirms the invited email address by one-time code before the document can be opened for signing.
- 04
The document is reviewed and signed
The signer reads the document in full, records their consent to sign electronically, then signs in the browser. Nothing is printed, scanned or posted.
- 05
The completed record is sealed and verifiable
On completion the document is sealed with a checksum and a reference. Anyone holding both can confirm the record independently on our verification page.
Signed, sealed and checkable
These are the controls a completed HELM document carries. They are the same controls our public verification page checks against.
Consent record
Each signer's agreement to sign electronically is recorded as part of the completed document.
Verified signer identity
Every signer, including authenticated HELM users, confirms the invited email address by one-time code before signing. The confirmation is recorded with the signature.
UTC timestamps
Signing events are timestamped in UTC, so the sequence of the record is unambiguous.
IP address
The IP address seen at the point of signing is captured with the signing event.
Document checksums
The document is checksummed, so a change to the file after signing does not go unnoticed.
Hash-chained event history
The events behind a document are chained together, so the history cannot be quietly reordered or edited.
SHA-256 completion check
A final SHA-256 checksum is issued with the reference, and can be checked on the verification page.
Attached to the delivery
The completed record stays attached to the delivery it belongs to, alongside tracking, expenses and reports.
What we do not claim
HELM does not claim to be a qualified electronic signature service, and we make no claims about how a signature will be treated in any particular jurisdiction. What we do describe is the record itself: consent, verified signer identity, UTC timestamps, IP address, document checksums, a hash-chained event history and a final SHA-256 checksum you can verify. Every signer, including authenticated HELM users, confirms the invited email address by one-time code before signing. Where your transaction needs qualified signatures or specific legal formalities, use the systems your advisers require.
Verify a signed documentEveryone the delivery actually involves
- Clients and owners signing the delivery agreement and accepting handover
- Captains and crew acknowledging instructions and delivery documentation
- Builders and yards signing vessel instructions and snag acknowledgements
- Suppliers and authorised stakeholders where a document requires them
Signing is invitation-only, document by document. A signer sees the document they were invited to and nothing else.
Where it fits
HELM is the managed record behind a Yacht.Delivery passage: live position, logged expenses with receipts, reports and documents. Signing is the part of that record where a decision becomes formal. It is included with the managed delivery service where applicable, not sold on its own.
Common questions
Is HELM Electronic Signature a qualified electronic signature service?
No. HELM does not claim to be a qualified electronic signature service. It provides purpose-built electronic signing for Yacht.Delivery's managed deliveries, with a consent record, verified signer identity, UTC timestamps, IP address, document checksums, a hash-chained event history and a final SHA-256 checksum that can be verified independently.
Who can sign a document in HELM?
Only the people invited to that specific document. That is typically the client or owner, the captain, crew where relevant, and suppliers or other authorised stakeholders connected to the delivery. Every signer, including authenticated HELM users, confirms the invited email address by one-time code before signing.
Can a completed document be checked afterwards?
Yes. Every completed document carries a reference and a SHA-256 checksum. Entering both on our verification page confirms whether the record matches the sealed document.
Is electronic signing sold separately?
No. Electronic signing is part of the managed delivery service where applicable. It is not a standalone product and it is not offered as a general-purpose public e-signature service.
Plan a delivery with the paperwork already handled
Tell us the vessel, the ports and the timing. We come back with crew, a passage plan and a fixed service fee, and the contract is ready to sign in HELM.