Blue Ensigns - what's the point?

[petem]

Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

Surely the point of flying a flag is to show the country of registration of one's vessel.

IMHO, blue ensigns serve only two purposes:-

1) They show that the skipper belongs to a snooty yacht club that he has probably gained membership of by knowing the right people or having a lot of cash.
2) They give Ray Bulman something to talk about every other month.

I therefore propose that everyone should fly our national Union Flag. This will avoid confusion and the devisiveness that a variety of ensigns create.

Alternatively, different coloured ensigns should be awarded by the queen to individuals, a bit like an OBE or Knighthood for services to boating.

Am I right or am I just being a pleb? Answers on a postcard please.

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[lanason]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

No...no.....no ........ you've got it all wrong.

just fly the burgeee - thats all you need /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Adrian
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[petem]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

burgees = good
blue ensigns = bad

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[h4nym]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

lol - let's get real - how many of us - if we could fly a blue -would continue to fly a red?

any

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[rich]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

you got it in one!

<hr width=100% size=1>rich )

 

[byron]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

<font color=blue>Am I right or am I just being a pleb? </font color=blue>

You are just being a Pleb, worse still, a Pleb displaying an inordinate lack of knowledge of privileged ensigns.

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[trev]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

I would suggest you read up on our British nautical heritage. Learn how each ensign evolved and what they stand for. I am proud to fly my 'blue', which I earned-not just from joining a club! I know there are quite a few 'posers' out there but some of us are genuine mariners and proud of it.

<hr width=100% size=1>Trev

 

[Blue_Blazes]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

Snobbery, IMHO.

<hr width=100% size=1>One of these days I'll have a boat that WORKS

 

[byron]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

If you think it is snobbery do not wear your Red Ensign as technically it is the senior one. Basically all three the Red, White and the Blue are Fleet flags with the Red being the senior fleet.

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[h4nym]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

Trev

How did u earn it?

H

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[alanporter]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

Without wishing to offend, isn't it time that Brit yotties entered the twenty first century ? You are already three years too late.

<hr width=100% size=1>Alan Porter

 

[byron]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

I agree, lets chuck our nautical traditions and bring ourselves down to the scabby levels of the continentals.

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[milltech]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

Most things in life involve some sort of snobbery. Most of the people on this forum have elected to spend their money on large, expensive, gas guzzling monsters with neither use nor purpose other than personal pleasure, and which create a very satisfactory amount of envy amongst those who haven't managed the same level of achievement.

Whilst thinking there's nothing much wrong with that myself, I do think it's inappropriate to throw stones at those who express their wish to be a bit uppity in a slightly different way. It's all life on the greasy pole whichever way you look at it.

Personally I have a luvverly blue ensign, neatly folded in a box, waiting for somewhere to be flown.


<hr width=100% size=1>John
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[ccscott49]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

The cruising association, is not a snotty club and iss open to all, I will be proud to wear my defaced blue, when I fill in the forms etc. But will also wear my red. I will not throw Britains marine heritage out the window for some crappy european flag and yes, you are being a pleb.

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[byron]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

One way of 'earning' a blue is to have been in the R.N. then join the RNSA. One could also have been say the Royal Artillery and join their club thus wearing a blue defaced with cannons. There are a zillion ways of earning a defaced or even plain blue. If you were Merchant Navy and schooled on the Worcester then you can join there and have a defaced blue.
All part of Britain's wonderful nautical heritage envied by the world and mis-understood by Plebs.

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[alanporter]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

Byron. When you say "envied by the world", don't you really mean "laughed at by the world" ?

<hr width=100% size=1>Alan Porter

 

[byron]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

The Royal Canadian Navy have a track record second to none. WW2 saw them punching twice their weight as any student of naval warfare will tell you. The RCN strictly uphold traditions they so proudly achieved. As you are ex-RCN I can only assume your remarks are made just to bait people. If not I can only assume you are attempting to foster the belief that Canucks are Yanks with the brain extracted /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

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[ccscott49]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

If Byron had meant laughed at, that's what he would have said. Britains marine heritage is not laughed at, I can assure you of that. Most of the worlds navies are modelled on ours. Lets not get carried away of course, we no longer have much of a merchant or Royal navy, but it's still there. I for one am very proud of our traditions. The only people who laugh, are those without traditions, it's easy for them, the Spanish certainly maintain their naval traditions, don't doubt that for one minute, especially when dealing with the Guardia.

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[alanporter]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

Oops, it looks like I have offended. I didn't mean to. However, when seen from afar, the squabbles about the red and blue ensigns do seem rather amusing. My own philosophy of life and tradition is that, if one looks too much at the past, one can neglect the present and the future. But that's just me. Do please accept my sincere apologies if I have offended you. Fair winds to all.

<hr width=100% size=1>Alan Porter

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Blue Ensigns - what\'s the point?

Because you look back at tradition doesn't mean you are blinkered to the future or present, to forget the lessons of history is a very bad thing, history has a habit of repeating itself, to live in it is also bad, but you can learn from it. I don't think I neglect the present or the future. It's also normally those who squabble about these things (red v blue) over here, that know nothing about them.

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