Blue Ensigns

[boatmike]

Having just joined the Cruising Association I need to decide if I will fly their defaced blue ensign in the Med or not. Part of me says that when in the Med most locals don't understand and will think I am Australian (or worse )
The old red duster is recognised everywhere and I am enclined to stick with it and just fly the club burgee.
What does the forum think?

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[moodycruiser]

Fly the burgee - more likely to spot you're a member in the anchorages /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Tony

 

[piscosour]

got stopped by the coastguard in the aegean wearing a blue ensign this summer. It was all very complicated until I got the old red duster out of the locker and held it up for him to see. "Have a nice day" came the reply. I would wear the burgee in harbour to be identified to other CA members and the red one out at sea.

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[ccscott49]

I wear the Burgee, but not the ensign, rather proud of my old red duster!

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[Keith]

the bluey fades like hell to, ends up looking like your in the RAFYC.......keith

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[tome]

Agreed, I'm a CA member but proud to fly the red duster. Looks better, too!

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[chrisb]

its really just a bit of snobbery.in most cases you simply buy it. the faded red duster is distinctive and in many places is less common than the blue

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[boatmike]

Thanks everybody for confirming what I had already thought. So if you see a Prout Snowgoose called PEREGRINE heading out of the Rhone towards Corfu next year at anchor somewhere I shall be wearing the old red duster and a CA burgee. Come over for a drink!

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[boatmike]

Good lord! Would not want that to happen!

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[Talbot]

Be very interested to hear in a year's time whether you consider that the membership of the CA has provided benefit commensurate with the costs?



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[Robin]

In the eye of the beholder

Where pray is the snobbery in a CA blue ensign? There are no special requirements or interviews to join the CA, it is an 'association' (just like the AA is), it is not a club, it's not even expensive to join.

We fly our club defaced blue ensign in local waters and when in club company but at sea these days we fly the red ensign for the simple reason that it flys better (no emblem in the fly to make it collapse) and it is considerably cheaper to replace.

IMHO there is a lot of serious c$$p talked on here about blue ensigns and the real snobbery is actually from the 'have nots' and especially the 'wear a red till it fades away to look like 30 years at sea' brigade.

Rant over. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>

 

[chrisb]

Re: In the eye of the beholder

it does not bother me which ensign you fly . the fact that we choose to discuss it implies that one might be better than the other .snobbery seems to be a particularly british pastime and we british seem to be alone with our tiers of private ensigns-goodluck to you white blue red defaced or not

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[chrisb]

what really annoys me is that i cannot fly my welsh dragon as an ensign legally and for that matter display my boats name and port of registry in welsh although i can and have chosen a french name and spelling

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[Shakey]

Likewise you cannot fly St George's Cross as an ensign (it also is the flag of an Admiral) or St Andrew's Cross (It is also a signal flag).

The bog standard ensign of the UK of GB and NI is the red ensign as specified in the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

I'm surprised you can't name/register a boat in Welsh though, it's an official language of the UK isn't it? French certainly isn't!

<hr width=100% size=1>It could have been worse - it could have been me.

 

[Moose]

The RAFYC ensign is actually dark blue.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.phantom37.co.uk>http://www.phantom37.co.uk</A>
Moose

 

[mikewilkes]

< my boats name and port of registry in welsh although i can and have chosen a french name and spelling >

Why not????

Mine is in Gaelic.


<hr width=100% size=1>Mike

 

[chrisb]

gotr carried away -name is ok in welsh but the port of registry must be in english

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[catmandoo]

Before the union of Parliaments I understand that the Scottish navy flew a red ensign with a saltire in the corner . Any body know if this is true ?

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[chrisb]

the ensign whether blue or red contains representations of both the scottish and english national flags. the welsh flag is not incuded. i question why we welsh should be expected to fly an ensign whether blue or red that does not include our national symbol.

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[catmandoo]

History unfortunately did not recognise a Welsh navy perhaps?

So why not a defaced red ensigh with a dragon in the bottom corner just like the 3 legs of the I of Man which used to belong to Scotland by the way via the Lord of the Isles

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