jamesjermain
Well-Known Member
Re: benefits of flying an ensign at all.
There's no legal requirement to fly an ensign if you are British and in British waters. If you go foreign, it is a legal requirment to fly an ensign in waters belonging to a foreign country. The reason, and it is very much to your advantage, is that it indicates not only that you are a visitor, but that you are bound by the laws of Britain not France, Germany, Spain etc. This means you don't have to have a licence, abide by any equipment regulations or other local laws. The exception is if you pass out of coastal waters into inland waters when you must obey local laws. You do, however, have to carry a passport and ships registration papers (Part 1 or Part 3) to prove you are entitled to fly the British ensign. To avoid difficulty you should also carry proof of VAT paid, insurance documents, radio licences and a bill of sale to prove ownership.
A red ensign is also a safer bed aboard as some harbour masters don't understand our arcane flagging system.
Also, flying an ensign in the UK avoids the occasional brush with customs launches who might think you are entering the country clandestinely - it happened to me at the end of a long distance race when we entered Falmouth at night.
There's no legal requirement to fly an ensign if you are British and in British waters. If you go foreign, it is a legal requirment to fly an ensign in waters belonging to a foreign country. The reason, and it is very much to your advantage, is that it indicates not only that you are a visitor, but that you are bound by the laws of Britain not France, Germany, Spain etc. This means you don't have to have a licence, abide by any equipment regulations or other local laws. The exception is if you pass out of coastal waters into inland waters when you must obey local laws. You do, however, have to carry a passport and ships registration papers (Part 1 or Part 3) to prove you are entitled to fly the British ensign. To avoid difficulty you should also carry proof of VAT paid, insurance documents, radio licences and a bill of sale to prove ownership.
A red ensign is also a safer bed aboard as some harbour masters don't understand our arcane flagging system.
Also, flying an ensign in the UK avoids the occasional brush with customs launches who might think you are entering the country clandestinely - it happened to me at the end of a long distance race when we entered Falmouth at night.
