Blue Rinse Brigade

[tome]

Had a nightmare last night

Imagined I'd joined a fancy yacht club and traded in my proud faded red duster for one of those blue better-than-you jobbies. I think it was a recent thread about defaced red ensigns that may have triggered this...

With apologies to those who might be offended, but doesn't the red ensign represent the very best of British tradition (merchant marine, Atlantic convoys, torpedoes, sacrifice and stiff upper lips) and who would foresake this for a blue rag which means very little to anyone in the UK and nothing at all in foreign ports? I know that it is a wonderful sight, albeit increasingly rare, to see a British flagged merchant vessel or large yacht in foreign parts.

Give me a moment to put my tin hat on

 

[Will]

Spot on. The days when the blue ensign had any sort of exclusivity are long gone. I ran a chandlery in Devon for a while - I lose count of the number of times that customers debated, within my earshot, of whether a blue or a red ensign would "look nicer" on their boat. A sad state of affairs indeed.

 

[Guest]

Round here there are several other types of vessel which wear blue ensigns - RMAS for instance. I once saw the QE2 wearing a blue ensign in the Channel, too. Something to do with the old man having rank in the RNR or RNVR I believe. I've also seen some pretty dirty red ensigns attached to all manner of old rust buckets with which I would not wish to be associated. But there you go, you pays yer money and takes yer choice.

 

[MikeKopman]

I have to say that one sees many, many red ensigns on some absolutely magnificent yachts these days. Check out Monaco, St Tropez, Portofino et al.... red ensigns all over the place. OK, most of them are from the Cayman Islands tho' (even tho the boats have probably never been within 1000 miles of the place!)

Mike Kopman
YM

 

[Mirelle]

Well, no, not really

As Cornishman points out, when we HAD a merchant marine, it was a point of great pride if one's ship flew a blue ensign; it signified that the Master, (and, I seem to remember, one other officer aboard) held commissions in the RNR (not the RNVR that was for yachtsmen!)

A good many former British merchant service seamen would be surprised to read your post!

You might be surprised to know that there is not, currently, any requirement for British nationals to serve aboard ships which fly the red ensign on the new tonnage tax register and indeed my company manages one which has a crew of Ukrainians apart from one Glaswegian cadet!

And if you must fly an ensign in home waters, which was once considered rather poor form anyway, please don't fly a faded one.

 

[tome]

Re: Well, no, not really

Mirelle

I pose the question as a former British merchant service seaman. Sadly, most of the ships became Norwegian (NIS) or Panamanian flagged.

I shall continue to wear my (slightly faded) red duster with impunity and pride, both in home and foreign waters.

May I enquire as to the colour of your ensign?

 

[Mirelle]

Re: Well, no, not really

Blue, obviously. I'm now trying to work out who you were with, if the ships went to NIS and Panama. Blue Star?

 

[tome]

Confirmed Blue Rinse!

Neither Blue Star nor Blue Circle

Aeroplanes and flags do it, pigs might, but ensigns don't. They're worn, blue or red.

Apologies to any RNR (but not YC warrant holders) who might have been offended by my post...

 

[Mirelle]

Pot and kettle

You "wear" a red ensign, but quiibble over archaic terminology! In this day and age, ships fly ensigns -see just about any trade publication!

 

[graham]

Re: Pot and kettle

We "fly " a multicoloured fish from the port spreader and "wear"a skull and cross bones on the other side (cant remember what that side is called at the moment ).

I draw my conclusions from how well a boat is sailed not which shade of rag flaps about down the back somewhere .

 

[Mirelle]

Well said

That is indeed the point. My worst flag disaster was entering Belgian territorial waters with a Dutch courtesy flag still hoisted. Police launch was very un-amused!

 

[oldgit]

ReWhats wrong with

a nice new flag, Say blue with a circle of stars on it and maybe nice EU motif somewhere on it.Really fancy one of those would go nicely with my other blue one with mouse n cocktail glass.IMHO

My wife reckons I spend to much time on here.

 

[tome]

Pot and kettle

Nice one Graham, you've cut to the quick.

I'll continue to "dangle" me duster as I see fit, and will "adorn" my speaders with whatever pornogarphic images I can muster. That's wot I mean by Blue Rinse.

TomE

 

[graham]

Re: Pot and kettle

I once saw a boat at the Bristol Harbour Regatta with a blow up doll astride the main boom .I dont think they had a blue ensign from memory,possible I suppose!

Personally I would be wary of wearing a blue ensign(Iam not entitled anyway) as I allways get the impression onlookers are hoping they will make a cock up of some sort .