Blue Ensigns

[msvob34]

I have noticed some yaghts fly a blue Ensign is this a privilage or can anyone get the right ?

 

[Guest]

I think that you've just started the longest thread ever to appear on Liveaboard forum!

 

[twisterkai]

It's not a privilage as such, just for those who feel the need to join 'Royal' yacht clubs and certain other institutions. The ensign can only be flown when the 'warrant' holder is on board which is usually the owner. No warrant holder, no defaced blue ensign - so if someone else has borrowed the boat and they don't hold the necessary warrant then a standard red ensign must be flown.

On the subject of ensigns, there appears to be an increasing number of boats flying a dodgy blue thing with gold stars. They are not recognised within the merchant shipping acts and as such are illegal - technically you could face a large fine. If you see a yacht etc flying one my advice would be to burn it!!!! - The flag, that is!

 

[Courageous]

[ QUOTE ]
If you see a yacht etc flying one my advice would be to burn it!!!!

[/ QUOTE ] Ah, now ya talkin my kinda language, and embibe in a little rapin' an pillagin' while yer over there! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[chrisb]

It is an honour and a priveledge only available to an elite few to fly the cherished blue ensign.That is why this question comes up with monotomous regularity.

 

[mikeotteau]

If it really really bothers you just fly it. I have never seen the "Flag Police" yet. Anyone who queries it should be told to *!$ Off.

 

[Talbot]

If you are wearing a Blue or white ensign, then the RN are legally allowed to board and inspect the warrant to prove that you are entitled. If you are not entitled, they are allowed to confiscate the ensign.

 

[srm]

Ah, but which Blue ensign would you like to wear sir?

Not only does it come in plain dark blue, or with lots of lovelly patterns on the fly. I think there is also a pale blue version with a bulls eye on it. Oh yes, and if madame would prefer red you can also order one with a pretty design on the fly if she prefers this to the common Merchant Navy version.
All you need to do is join the appropriate club and apply for a warrant.
However, a gentle word of warning, they can really confuse forigners, and in our local back yard you may well get customs officers thinking that you come from outside the EU and as such are even fairer game for a rummage and fine.

 

[Koeketiene]

[ QUOTE ]
If you are wearing a Blue or white ensign, then the RN are legally allowed to board and inspect the warrant to prove that you are entitled.

[/ QUOTE ]

Like we really have nothing better to do /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Might check on a white one outside the Solent, but to be honest have only ever seen one "out there" - outside the Solent.

 

[sailorman]

used to be one @ Waldringfield on the Deben

 

[bobgosling]

YACHT CLUBS USING A SPECIAL ENSIGN

Yachts belonging to members of the following Yacht Clubs may, subject to certain conditions, obtain a Warrant to wear a Special Ensign.

WHITE ENSIGN

Royal Yacht Squadron.................................................Royal Yacht Squadron, Castle Cowes,PO31 7QT

BLUE ENSIGN

Royal Albert Yacht Club...............................................17Pembroke Road, Portsmouth, PO1 2NT
Royal Brighton Yacht Club...........................................253 St Kilda Street,Middle Brighton, 3186 Victoria,Australia
Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club ................................... 4-5 Waterloo Crescent, Dover, CT6 1LA
Royal Cruising Club.....................................................Bywaters, Taylors Lane, Bosham, West Sussex,PO18 8QQ
Royal Dorset Yacht Club ............................................. 11 Custom House Quay, Weymouth, Dorset,DT4 8BG
Royal Engineer Yacht Club..........................................86 Training Squadron, Army Apprentice College, Chepstow, Gwent, NP6 7YG
Royal Geelong Yacht Club .......................................... PO Box 156, Geelong, 3220 Victoria, Australia
Royal Gourock Yacht Club .......................................... Ashton Gourock PA19 1DA
Royal Highland Yacht Club..........................................Westmanse House, Lichrenan Tanyuilt, Argyl, PH35 1HG
Royal Marines Sailing Club..........................................Poole, Dorset, BH15 4NQ
Royal Melbourne Yacht Club ....................................... Lower Esplanade, St Kilda, 3182
Royal Motor Yacht Club...............................................Panorama Road, Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset,BH13 7RN
Royal Naval Sailing Association .................................. Royal Naval Club, 10 Haslar Marina,Haslar Road, Gosport, PO12 1NU
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Yacht Club ................. The Naval Club, 38 Hill Street, London,W1X 8DB
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron...........................Squadron Rooms, Westhaven, PO Box 46128 Herne Bay, Auckland, New Zealand
Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club ......................... The Club House, Rhu, Dunbartonshire,G84 8NG
Royal Perth Yacht Club of Western Australia ............... PO Box 5, Nedlands, West Australia 6009
Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club.................................Clyde Quay Boat Harbour, PO Box 9674, Wellington,New Zealand
Royal Queensland Yacht Club.....................................POBox 21, Manly, Queensland 4179, Australia
Royal Scottish Motor Yacht Club ................................. 5 St Vincent Place, Glasgow, G1 2DJ
Royal Solent Yacht Club..............................................Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, PO41 0NS

Sect.6 YACHT CLUBS USING A SPECIAL ENSIGN

Royal South Australia Yacht Squadron ........................ North Haven 5018, South Australia
Royal Southern Yacht Club ......................................... Hamble, Southampton, SO3 5HB
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron .................................... PO Box 484, Milsons’ Point, NSW 2061,Australia
Royal Temple Yacht Club ............................................ 6 West Cliff Mansions, Ramsgate, Kent,CT11 9WY
Royal Thames Yacht Club ........................................... 60 Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7LF
Royal Western Yacht Club of England ......................... West Hoe, Plymouth, PL1 3DG
Royal Western Yacht Club of Scotland ........................ Lochabar, 20 Barclay Drive, Helensburgh,Dunbartonshire, G84 9RB
Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.....................................Marieville Esplanade, Sandy Bay, Tasmania 7005
Royal Yacht Club of Victoria ........................................ 120 Nelson Place, Williamstown, 3016, Australia
Sussex Motor Yacht Club ............................................ 7 Ship Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1AD

BLUE ENSIGN DEFACED BY BADGE OF CLUB

Aldeburgh Yacht Club ................................................. Aldeburgh, Suffolk
Army Sailing Association ............................................. c/o MOD (ASCB), M Block, Clayton Barracks,Aldershot, Hants
Bar Yacht Club ............................................................ 1 Mitre Court Buildings, Temple, London, EC4Y 7BS
City Livery Yacht Club ................................................. Shortlands, Bromley, Kent BR2 0LG
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia .................................. New Beach Road, Darling Point, New South Wales 2027
Royal Air Force Yacht Club .......................................... Riverside House, Hamble,Southampton,SO3 5HD
Royal Akarana Yacht Club...........................................PO Box 42004, Orakei, Auckland 5,New Zealand
Royal Anglesey Yacht Club ......................................... 3 Cadnant Court, Rating Row, Beaumaris,Anglesey, Gwynnedd, LL58 8AL
Royal Armoured Corps Yacht Club .............................. Bovington Camp, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 6ND
Royal Artillery Yacht Club.............................................Tamberton, Upton Lovell, Warminster, Wilts,BA12 0JP
Royal Australian Navy Sailing Association ................... New Beach Road, Edgecliffe, New South Wales 2027, Australia
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club ......................................... PO Box 894, Hamilton HM DX, Bermuda
Royal Bombay Yacht Club...........................................PO Box 206,Apollo Bunder, Fort Bombay 400039
Royal Burnham Yacht Club ......................................... The Quay, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex,CM0 8AO
Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club .............................. Le Boulevard, Bulwark, St Aubin, Jersey,Channel Islands, JE5 8AD
Conway Club Cruising Association ............................. 5 Furlong Lane, Totternhoe, Nr Dunstable,Beds
Royal Corinthian Yacht Club........................................Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex
Royal Cornwall Yacht Club .......................................... Greenbank, Falmouth, Cornwall
Royal Dee Yacht Club ................................................. 16 Holford Crescent, Knutsford, Cheshire,WA16 8DZ
Royal Forth Yacht Club................................................Middle Pier, Granton Harbour, Edinburgh
Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club of Western Australia Keane’s Point, Peppermint Grove, Western Australia 6011
Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club...........................................Queensway, Gibraltar
Royal Harwich Yacht Club...........................................Woolverstone, Ipswich, IP9 1AT
Household Division Yacht Club ................................... HQ Welsh Guards, Wellington Barracks,Birdcage Walk, London SW1E 6HQ
Royal Irish Yacht Club ................................................. Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin
Royal Jamaica Yacht Club .......................................... Kingston, Jamaica
Little Ship Club............................................................Bell Wharfe Lane, Upper Thames Street,London EC4R 3TB
Little Ship Club (Queensland Squadron) ..................... 119 Bank Street, Newmarket, Queensland 4051, Australia
Royal London Yacht Club ............................................ The Parade, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7QS
Medway Cruising Club ................................................ Boyses Hill Farm, Newington, Sittingbourne,Kent, ME9 7JF
Royal Malta Yacht Club ............................................... Couvre Port, Fort Manoel, Manoel Island, Gzira,Malta
Royal Mersey Yacht Club ............................................ Bedford Road East, Rockferry, Birkenhead,Merseyside, L42 1LS
Royal Motor Yacht Club of New South Wales..............Wunulla Road, Point Piper, New South Wales 2027
Royal Nassau Sailing Club .......................................... PO Box SS 6891, Nassau, Bahamas
Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club ............................... Cultra, 7 Seaford Road, Co Down, Ireland
Royal Northumberland Yacht Club .............................. 36 Longridge Drive, Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear
Royal Ocean Racing Club ........................................... 20 St James’s Place SW1A 1NN
Parkstone Yacht Club..................................................Pearce Avenue, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset,BH14 8EN
Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club ........................ Madeira Road, Plymouth, PL1 2NY
Poole Yacht Club ........................................................ New Harbour Road West, Hamworthy, Poole,Dorset
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club .................................... PO Box 99, Newport Beach, New South Wales 2106, Australia
Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club.................................160 Wolseley Road, Point Piper, 2027 New South Wales, Australia
Severn Motor Yacht Club ............................................ Bath Road, Broomhall, Worcester, WR5 3HR
Royal Southampton Yacht Club .................................. 1 Channel Way, Ocean Village, Southampton, SO1 1XE
Sussex Yacht Club ...................................................... 85-89 Brighton Road, Shoreham by Sea, Sussex
Royal Suva Yacht Club ................................................ PO Box 335, Suva, Fiji
The Cruising Association.............................................CA House, 1 Northey Street, Limehouse Basin, London, E14 8BT
The House of Lords Yacht Club .................................. House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
The Medway Yacht Club ............................................. Upnor, Rochester, Kent
The Poole Harbour Yacht Club....................................38 Salterns Way, Lilliput, Poole, Dorset,BH14 8JR
Thames Motor Yacht Club...........................................The Green, Hampton Court, East Molesey,Surrey
Royal Torbay Yacht Club ............................................. Beacon Hill, Torquay, Devon
Royal Ulster Yacht Club...............................................101 Clifton Road, Bangor, Co Down
Royal Welsh Yacht Club .............................................. Porth yr Aur, Caernarvon, Gwynedd
Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club .......................................... 1 Windsor Crescent, Bridlington, YO15 3HY
Old Worcesters Yacht Club .......................................... Les Heches, St Peter in the Wood, Guernsey, Channel Islands


RED ENSIGN DEFACED BY BADGE OF CLUB

Brixham Yacht Club.....................................................Overgang, Brixham, Devon, TQ5 8AR
Royal Dart Yacht Club ................................................. Kingswear, South Devon, TQ6 0AB
Royal Fowey Yacht Club ............................................. Fowey, Cornwall, PL23 8IH
House of Commons Yacht Club..................................RYAHouse, Romsey Road, Eastleigh, Hants, SO5 4YA
Lloyd’s Yacht Club ...................................................... London, SW6 5DP
Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club ......................... PO Box 298, Paget PG BX, Bermuda
Royal Lymington Yacht Club ....................................... Bath Road, Lymington, Hants, S41 9SE
Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club .......................... Royal Plain, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0AQ
Royal St George Yacht Club........................................Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin
St Helier Yacht Club .................................................... South Pier, St Helier, Jersey
Royal Victoria Yacht Club ............................................ Fishbourne, Isle of Wight, PO33 4EU
Royal Windermere Yacht Club ..................................... Fallbarrow Road, Bowness in Windermere, Cumbria, LA33 3DJ
Royal Yachting Association ......................................... RYA House, Romsey Road, Eastleigh, Hants, SO5 4YA
West Mersea Yacht Club ............................................. 116 Coast Road, West Mersea, Colchester,Essex

 

[boatmike]

Ya missed the Auzzie Navy mate!

 

[Talbot]

I can remember a fellow midshipman doing this in the west Indies back in the 70s - was a good way of getting some sailing!

 

[trouville]

I dident think my club would be on your list but it was!!!!! Almost no one thinks we have a yacht club!!

I dont fly mine very often in fact almost never as it causes other British boats to shout at me! now im sailing a reall sailing boat but not very long its even worse!! i have to produce my warrent

I think the reds a very pleasent colour it should cost less as well but somethings gone wrong with the priceing

I must add that many boat ive met with a blue not only dont offer a g&t but dont even say hello? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[absit_omen]

Nice wind up from novice sailor. Bio says ex military, sailed in the Baltic etc and claims not to know about ensigns! Must have been a dopey crew, glad he was never on my boat.

Anyway, what are all you lubbers doing on my liveaboard forum? Especially the Navy Officer from St Albans!!!!!!

 

[Koeketiene]

[ QUOTE ]

Anyway, what are all you lubbers doing on my liveaboard forum? Especially the Navy Officer from St Albans!!!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Please accept my most sincere apologies - I will never darken your doorway again. Pray, do tell how I have upset you. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Sammo]

I`ve sailed with a blue ensign
T`was on my grandpa’s boat
And we were all so proud of it
When we were afloat

Through summer gales or lazy days
We sailed her far from land
And always there our Blue ensign
Would make us feel so grand

Yes grandpa taught us sailing
Then one fine summer’s day
Whilst sailing in the Solent
The poor sod passed away

He left me all his sailing stuff
Packed in his ditty bag
But though I searched it thoroughly
I couldn’t find that flag

I asked my sister had she seen
The flag so blue and Posh
She said she thought that grandma
Had put it in the wash.

But grandma had the flag no more
I asked her had it shrunk
“No” she said “it`s in the bin”
“With all his other junk”

Years later I was back at sea
A working for the Queen
And my boat had a motto
Which said “we come unseen”

Living down beneath the waves
Our ensign out of sight
Confident, because we knew.
The one we had was white.


……….

 

[absit_omen]

Yanita, just an inter service friendly dig!

Trouville, you are welcome to a G&T on my boat anytime (as is anybody who gives me an excuse to pour a couple!).

 

[SQUIRRELS]

I recall a friend winding up a 'blue ensign' yacht, by saying something like , oh it only costs 40p to be entitled to fly a blue ensign. How's that they asked, well he explained 10p per letter for the yacht club your a member of, stick it to your transom and there you go, up with the blue one! Let's just say the recipient was well taken in and almost fell off the pontoon with rage...happy days /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Sammo]

So who`s got one?
I know Talbot has and Trouville and perhaps Absit_omen,

Who else??

……….