Ask the harbor
Ask a plain-English question about the harbor or about using Slipside, and get an answer drawn only from the harbor guide and this help center.
Also known as: ask the harbor, ask a question, AI, assistant, chatbot, where is the fuel dock, how do I, search, help me find, foghorn, tow
Ask the harbor is at the top of the Harbor Guide segment of the Cruising tab. Type a question the way you would ask another sailor.
Using it
Type into the box, for example “Where can I get diesel?”, or tap one of the four suggestions: Where’s the fuel dock?, How do I trigger the foghorn?, Who do I call for a tow?, Guest dock rules?
The answer appears underneath in a few sentences. Under it is the line that sets the boundary: AI answer from the harbor guide. For live conditions or emergencies, hail Harbor Patrol on VHF 16.
What it knows
Two things and nothing else: the harbor guide for the harbor you are looking at, and the articles in this help center. That is deliberate. It will not invent a phone number, a VHF channel, a set of hours or an address, and when the answer is not in what it has, it says so and points you to Harbor Patrol on VHF 16 or LA County Beaches & Harbors.
It answers questions about using the app too. Ask it how to turn on wind alerts or how to add crew to a race and it will name the tab and screen to open, and the help article to read for the rest.
It will not answer about another harbor, even one it could describe, because a confident answer about the wrong harbor is worse than no answer.
What it is not for
Anything live. It has no idea what the wind is doing, whether the entrance is rough, or whether the fuel dock is open right now. For live conditions use the Conditions tab; for anything urgent, hail Harbor Patrol on VHF 16.
No account is needed.
Still stuck? In the app, open Profile, then Help & Support, and use Send to support. Otherwise email support@slipside.app.