Blue ensign dick'ed

[awol]

I had just lowered the RNSA burgee when I was called by swmbo to attend to something urgent in the cabin. I went below, leaving the blue ensign flying.

I, too, would be speechless! What crass ignorance and/or ill manners to lower the burgee before the ensign. That your correction (totally justified) was so unexpected leads me to believe ignorance was more likely. You could blame your predecessors for failing to teach you the rudiments of flag etiquette.

 

[NormanS]

What does "dick'ed" mean?

 

[Poignard]

I, too, would be speechless! What crass ignorance and/or ill manners to lower the burgee before the ensign. That your correction (totally justified) was so unexpected leads me to believe ignorance was more likely. You could blame your predecessors for failing to teach you the rudiments of flag etiquette.

I'm so ashamed

 

[Sandyman]

I'm so ashamed

A man of your standing & seniority.............so you should be Splice the Mainbrace

 

[Poignard]

A man of your standing & seniority.............so you should be Splice the Mainbrace

Bloody good idea! Come round!

 

[Sandyman]

Bloody good idea! Come round!

Old Shippers 'call round'................... DTS ...............where's my request form? Need a M & M

 

[jac]

Give where this thread has drifted, and reluctant to start another ensign saga, I wonder whether this is the place to ask a serious question?

I have just joined an Association, members of which are entitled to have/fly/wear a defaced Blue Ensign, and I am about to apply to a Club with the same rights. My motives are related to sailing (access to information and expertise, and rallies) and accommodation rather than the ensign.

My question is whether I might cause offence to members of the Association/Club at rallies if I forego the opportunity and continue to use my red ensign. I'm happy to fly burgees at the appropriate time but would rather not have a locker full of different ensigns. Equally, I really don't want to upset anybody, on the basis that if I join the club I should follow the rules, including any unspoken ones.

I'd particularly appreciate the views of members of clubs etc that have blue ensigns.

Neither organisation requires anything other than the money for subs to join, so the blue ensign would denote nothing more than a willingness to use some of my disposable income in a particular way. It neither implies nor precludes any particular level of sailing skills, so getting back to the OP any tendency to dick'ededness is entirely innate.

Mark

My 2p as a member of a club with a blue ensign.
We bought and fly the blue ensign as a matter of course more out of respect for the club. I think if you join a club you should join it. We also have the club initials plastered on our stern.
However some members don't fly the defaced blue and it makes no difference to me and I don't know anyone else who is bothered.

So I would sum it up as:

It's polite to wear it if you are entitled. It's also polite to not be bothered if someone who IS entitled to wear it, decides not to.

 

[Tomaret]

I would be astounded if anyone cared in the slightest.

On the other hand you can bet that if I got my big purple one out they'd be apoplectic.

Are we still talking flags?

I'd be delighted if nobody cares, but hardly astounded after 24 pages of posts (albeit with some about jump jets) if some did.

 

[Poignard]

Are we still talking flags?

I'd be delighted if nobody cares, but hardly astounded after 24 pages of posts (albeit with some about jump jets) if some did.

I suppose one advantage of flying a British ensign in foreign ports is that officials will assume you don't speak their language and address you in English or, better still, ignore you.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I suppose one advantage of flying a British ensign in foreign ports is that officials will assume you don't speak their language and address you in English or, better still, ignore you.

I guess that if you sail around the UK or most of Europe, no-one gives a flying fig.

In some parts of the world it still matters very much and I will try to be sympathetic when watching those whose boats wear 'made up' or 'mickey mouse' ensigns get the run around by the endemic petty bureaucracy of some of those countries. After my previous post (that was accused of being 'Churchillian' in tone), I still fail to see how people just don't get the fact that the ensign has a legal standing and meaning. You might get away with cocking a snook at officialdom in the liberal West, but I suggest that people ignore international law at their ,peril. Your boat (when registered and wearing a UK ensign etc) gains status and privilege and good luck to those who don't care...

Of course I suspect that they are really having a bit of internet fun, but I write to put the record straight for those who are new and don't understand the real significance of these things.

 

[ex-Gladys]

What does "dick'ed" mean?

Contraction of Richard Head...

 

[Mark-1]

Your boat (when registered and wearing a UK ensign etc) gains status and privilege

Seemingly respect for the rules doesn't always extend to actually reading them: Status & Privalage of being a UK flagged vessel is not dependent on being registered nor is it dependent on wearing a flag. Uk flagged status is automatic (based on ownership) and the only time you legally need to wear a flag is on request, and entering and leaving 'port'. (Assuming we're talking about leisure yachts here.)

From memory you can also wear a made up flag so long as you're not pretending it's the flag of another nation or entering a 'port'.

 

[Sandyman]

S. Uk flagged status is automatic (based on ownership) and the only time you legally need to wear a flag is on request, and entering and leaving 'port'.

Really ? Try that in may foreign waters & see what happens.

 

[Mark-1]

Really ?

Yup:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/21/section/5

 

[jordanbasset]

I would be astounded if anyone cared in the slightest.

On the other hand you can bet that if I got my big purple one out they'd be apoplectic.

You should get the best post of the thread for services above and beyond the call of duty to the art of the double entendre

 

[dom]

Yup:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/21/section/5

Golly you're right, nobody cares!

I'm going to fly (not posh enough to wear sadly) a 'Starfleet Command' Star Trek ensign and see if anybody notices.

 

[Mark-1]

Golly you're right, nobody cares!

I'm going to fly (not posh enough to wear sadly) a 'Starfleet Command' Star Trek ensign and see if anybody notices.

Ok, but don't blame me if you get murdered by Klingons.

 

[Sandyman]

Yup:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/21/section/5

Have you sailed in Europea waters & beyond? It don't work like that,

 

[Mark-1]

Have you sailed in Europea waters & beyond? It don't work like that,

The definition of the UK ensign is in the MSA so if you're going to argue the MSA is invalid abroad then there is no valid flag for a UK ship outside Uk waters and JM's claim is *still* completely wrong, but for different reasons.

 

[Bru]

... Or should I say "can't be arsed". That seems to be the accepted phrase in these parts, although I have never heard it used in the real world......

You haven't had the dubious pleasure of spending time in my company then! "Can't be arsed" is part of my everyday vocabulary (and has been since long before the Internet).

In fact, I frequently can't be arsed

Back to the flags, Pagan wears the red ensign (a nice big one after somebody slagged off the modest affair that we sported on Erbas!) out of respect for and in memory of my ancestors and relations who sailed, and on occasions died, under those colours

We are entitled to fly a defaced blue through membership of the Cruising Association but to be honest I can't be arsed!