club flags --port or stbd spreader

[Fr J Hackett]

Bu**er to much gin burgee at the masthead, another flogging I expect

Hope it's only rum and the lash, not to keen on t'other

 

[Ubergeekian]

You WEAR an ensign, at least on a ship or boat.

Its only "flown" ashore.

Ah. A keen player of the game!

 

[VicS]

Ah. A keen player of the game!

Maybe but I only just read that bit about being flown ashore on the RYA website!

 

[Tom Price]

So . . .

. . . you're now as equipped - or confused - as me!
Any clarification would be welcome please.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Worried About Humiliation and Reducing My Status Further

Are you allowed to wear a burgee if not a member of a club and if so what is proper form or style in order to not be confused with a genuine club burgee; rectangular, square?

Would it be derisible to use a house flag, owners association, hoisted as a burgee if triangular?

Yours in desperation,

BlowingOldBoots aka VW

 

[Tom Price]

Burgees?

If your Rival Owners' Association sells a burgee as a class flag then treat it as a house Flag and fly it accordingly i.e at the port crosstree. Certainly Westerly Owners have no choice of shape.
If you want to be pedantic then try telling your Class Sec he got it wrong and it should be rectangular!

A rally Flag is a banner (copied from racing 'battle flags') flown in the fore triangle by the Organiser - but I see that the RVYC on the Is of Wight expects everybody to have one.
Must be deafening in a gale!

 

[VicS]

Are you allowed to wear a burgee if not a member of a club and if so what is proper form or style in order to not be confused with a genuine club burgee; rectangular, square?

Would it be derisible to use a house flag, owners association, hoisted as a burgee if triangular?

Yours in desperation,

BlowingOldBoots aka VW

You can fly a burgee without being a member of a club, but you obviously should not fly a burgee of a club to which you do not belong.

Dinghy sailors often use a plain burgee as a wind direction indicator .
When not racing they use a triangular burgee but when racing they use a rectangular one.

I used to have a plain triangular burgee on an aluminium stick that I hoisted to the masthead as a wind direction indicator before I fitted a Windex ( and a VHF aerial).

If your club offers you a triangular flag treat it as a burgee and fly it from the masthead if possible, other wise on the starboard flag hoist.
If you are offered a rectangular flag fly it from port as a house flag.

It is not the done thing to fly the burgees of more than one club simultaneously although you could of course fly the burgee of the senior or more appropriate club at the time and the house flag of the other.

As far as I know there is no reason why a house flag has to be rectangular so I suppose you could fly a triangular burgee to port as a house flag. ???

Read the revised version of C4 on the RYA website and make of it what you will. Tradition, etiquette, or a load of cobblers.

 

[Tom Price]

h dear . . .

[QUOTE=VicS:
"You can fly a burgee without being a member of a club"

If you dig further back in time the triangular burgee, with logo, was a symbol of belonging a club and non-club organisations or groups should adopt a square or rectangular shape; many don't, hence OP's confusion.

"Dinghy sailors often use a plain burgee as a wind direction indicator .
When not racing they use a triangular burgee but when racing they use a rectangular one."

Have never known them to change over or even carry both!

"If your club offers you a triangular flag treat it as a burgee "and fly it from the masthead if possible, other wise on the starboard flag hoist."

Do read the OP's dilemma which is with an association NOT a club. How treated depends on it origin NOT its shape!! And certainly never from the starb'd spreaders which is the signal position, according to the RYA.

"If you are offered a rectangular flag fly it from port as a house flag."

If you are offered ANY flag which does not represent a club with rules of membership, conduct of behaviour, annual subscription and, usually, a clubhouse ashore, then it is subservient to whatever else is flapping around - including pedants waving ambiguous RYA rulebooks - and should be hoisted to port.

"As far as I know there is no reason why a house flag has to be rectangular. . ."

To differentiate it from a club burgee of course SO worn elsewhere!

"I suppose you could fly a triangular burgee to port as a house flag. ???"

Got there at last!!

"Read the revised version of C4 on the RYA website and make of it what you will."

Someone should ring 'em on Tuesday and find out!

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Absolutely fascinating stuff and a great game to play either just for the fun of it or because its part of our sailing tradition. The reason for the burgee is that my Windex has deteriorated and is in bits and I fancied a burgee for a change.

Clyst - apologies for drifting the post, it just seamed an appropriate thread to extend your query.

All the best,

BlowingOldBoots

 

[VicS]

Absolutely fascinating stuff and a great game to play either just for the fun of it or because its part of our sailing tradition. The reason for the burgee is that my Windex has deteriorated and is in bits and I fancied a burgee for a change.

Clyst - apologies for drifting the post, it just seamed an appropriate thread to extend your query.

All the best,

BlowingOldBoots

Perhaps you can get a windsock type of wind direction indicator. That should avoid any confusion with a burgee, be it a proper club burgee an Owners association "burgee" a dinghy racers pennant ( you'd not want to be mistaken for a racing dinghy or you'll have all the mobos for miles around trying to run you down).

Personally, although I do now have a Windex ( Hawk to be pedantic), I find telltales on the shrouds to be almost as good and a lot easier to see if the neck is getting a bit stiff.

 

[Leighb]

Re racing/not racing. When I had my One Design, if cruising I always hoisted the Club burgee, but when racing hoisted a square racing flag.

I have no idea if anyone noticed or was aware of the significance though. I don't race my cruiser so no longer have the worry.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Personally, although I do now have a Windex ( Hawk to be pedantic), I find telltales on the shrouds to be almost as good and a lot easier to see if the neck is getting a bit stiff.

I agree. I use them more than anything else.

 

[st599]

Mine is swallow tailed. Looks better.

 

[Porthandbuoy]

Thank you everyone. I am now considerably better informed . . . but none the wiser.

 

[Tom Price]

You bet it wasn't noticed - nobody else understood. Why? Because changing itsy bitsy burgees doesn't happen in the real world!

Didn't your One Design have a red flag at the blunt end? THAT means 'cruisng', universally.
Grab it and stow it at/before the 10-minute gun:THAT means 'racing', also universal.
Retired from the race? Stick it back again. THAT means 'no longer racing'.

For years I have looked for just that to tell me who was doing what. Get a grip!!

And threads on the shrouds? The optimum steering position when beating is down to leeward watching the luff of the jib; telltales don't work in the lee of the main.

 

[VicS]

Mine is swallow tailed. Looks better.

Just to explain to those who dont know that's the Commodores burgee.

It means st599 is boasting that he is Commodore of his Yacht Club

The Rear Commodore also has two balls but the Vice commodore has only one ( the Commodore has no balls at all).

 

[rudolph_hart]

Just to explain to those who dont know that's the Commodores burgee.

It means st599 is boasting that he is Commodore of his Yacht Club

The Rear Commodore also has two balls but the Vice commodore has only one ( the Commodore has no balls at all).

Yerbut, what about some yacht clubs that issue a rectangular version of their burgee (sans balls) to their ex-commodores?

I'll get me coat....

 

[Athene V30]

Just to explain to those who dont know that's the Commodores burgee.

It means st599 is boasting that he is Commodore of his Yacht Club

The Rear Commodore also has two balls but the Vice commodore has only one ( the Commodore has no balls at all).

In RNSA we take it one stage further - as above for Commodore / Vice / Rear but in each Branch of the Association there is a Branch Captain who has the standard burgee with 2 balls in the hoist. This burgee is only to be flown in his area - last year when I went to Portsmouth I had to swap my burgee part way on leaving 'my' patch!

 

[Ubergeekian]

And threads on the shrouds? The optimum steering position when beating is down to leeward watching the luff of the jib; telltales don't work in the lee of the main.

When you're sailing close hauled you don't need the telltales because you, um, watch the luff of the jib.

 

[Tom Price]

I must have a word with your Committee! I would expect RNSA, of all people, to observe due protocol.

As for Past Commodores, no probs - provided they only use them as teatowels . . .