Introducing User Accounts
Personalized vessel alerts, a watchlist you control, notification preferences, and more — all tied to your free Homer Ships account.
Everything You Get With an Account
A Homer Ships account is free and unlocks powerful tools for tracking the vessels that matter to you.
Vessel Watchlist
Favorite the vessels you care about most. Organize them with custom tags and set priority levels so the most important ones always stand out.
Smart Alerts
Set up alert rules for your favorite vessels tied to specific geofenced areas. Get notified on arrival, departure, or both — with configurable cooldowns to avoid alert fatigue.
Notification Preferences
Choose how and when you're notified. Configure notification channels, set quiet hours so you're not disturbed overnight, and opt into digest mode for a summary instead of individual alerts.
Timezone Support
All times are displayed in your preferred timezone. Defaults to Alaska time, but you can change it in your settings if you're following Kachemak Bay from afar.
Your Profile
Set a display name, manage your email, and update your password. Your profile is private and only visible to you.
Secure & Convenient
Choose your preferred sign-in method. We support traditional email/password login as well as secure social login via Google, Facebook, and GitHub.
How It Works
Getting Started
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1
Create your account
Sign up with your name and email. It's completely free.
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2
Verify your email
Check your inbox for a verification link. This keeps your account secure and unlocks all features.
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3
Build your watchlist
Browse vessels and add your favorites. Tag them however you like — "fishing fleet", "ferries", "family" — and set priority levels.
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4
Configure alerts
Set up alert rules for your watchlist vessels. Choose geofenced areas, trigger on arrival or departure, and set cooldown periods.
Understanding Alerts
Geofenced Areas
Alerts are tied to geofenced areas — defined zones within Kachemak Bay such as the Homer Harbor, the Spit, or the deep water dock. When a vessel on your watchlist enters or leaves one of these zones, your alert fires.
Cooldown Periods
To prevent alert fatigue, we use a cooldown period. After an alert fires for a specific vessel and zone, it won't fire again until the cooldown expires. You can set this global cooldown in your account settings (default: 60 minutes).
Minimum Dwell Time
Set a minimum dwell time on your alert rules to avoid false triggers. A vessel must remain in the geofenced area for the specified duration before the alert fires — useful for filtering out vessels just passing through.
Your Settings
Profile Settings
- Display name — how your name appears across the site
- Email address — used for login and notifications
- Password — change it anytime from your settings page
Account Settings
- Timezone — defaults to America/Anchorage; change it if you're elsewhere
- Alert cooldown — global minimum time between repeated alerts (default: 60 minutes)
- Notification channels — choose how you receive alerts, with quiet hours and digest options
Security & Sessions
- Active Sessions — view all devices currently logged into your account and log out of them individually or all at once
- Social Connections — link or disconnect your Google, Facebook, or GitHub accounts for easier access
Social Sign-In & Linking
We've made it easier to access your account by integrating with popular social providers. You can sign up instantly using your existing accounts, or link them later for convenience.
Linking Your Accounts
Already have an account? You can link your Google, Facebook, or GitHub profiles in your Profile Settings. This allows you to use any of these methods to sign in to the same Homer Ships account.
Facebook Email Caveat
Important: Facebook does not always provide an email address during sign-in (depending on your Facebook privacy settings). If this happens during registration, we won't be able to create your account via Facebook.
The Solution: Create your account first using Google, GitHub, or traditional email/password. Once logged in, visit your settings to link your Facebook account.
Ready to Get Started?
Create your free account today and start tracking the vessels that matter to you in Kachemak Bay.