Dipping your ensign...

Sybarite

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Marine courtesy dictates that you dip your ensign once to a merchant marine boat and three times to a naval boat.

I occasionally did this for a naval boat and nearly always they responded accordingly.

Once there was a naval boat visiting from an African state and so I dipped. There was great screaming on board the frigate when it was clear the crew had no idea what the officer was getting on at.

Nowadys they just don't seem to bother at all. Anybody else dip?

John

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Robin

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Met a Royal Yacht Squadron guy once who had his ensign rigged with shockcord and a pulley system led to the wheel so he could control it from there - honest I kid you not! I think he was navy, probably Admiral.

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Benbow

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3 times ?

I thought you lowered your ensign, navy boat lowers and raises theirs, you raise yours. Only done this once, in the Clyde, the instant we lowered ours a rating could be seen dashing aft. In busy waters they must watch every boat in fear that they are about to be 'dipped at' and must curse us yotties who are really just having a laugh !

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tome

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Last ship I dipped to was HMY Britannia, and she returned the salute.

Never heard of dipping 3 times.

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Superstrath

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3 times is an act of war and the correct response it to put a shell through your topsides.
With reference to the recent thread centred around "courtesy", a US warship passed me while we were at anchor off Gib, just at dawn. I was unaware that we were showing our ensign, the lookout having gone off for a cuppa and hoisted it on the way back. The US ship started morsing (sp?) DIP at me by aldiss (always an entertaining communications device), which I found perplexing, until I twigged what they were demanding. I took a long look at all the slovenly sailors draped along the rails in mix-and-match fatigues, ciggies dangling from lips, and thought I'd just not bother. It's a mark of respect, after all.

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Gordonmc

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It did cross my mind as I watched HMCS Chicoutimi pass by with her escorts Arran up the Clyde on Sunday.
Somehow I thought they would have other things on their minds.

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bedouin

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On a more practical note - how do you 'dip' an ensign? Particularly one like mine that is permanently attached to a short jack staff?

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milltech

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Have you devined the latest Boat Show \"must have\"?

I can see it now, nice little electric motor fitted to the jack-staff and a remote at the helm. With such effortless courtesy who could go wrong?

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Robin

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Re: Have you devined the latest Boat Show "must have"?

Well who better than to market it? How about some pics of it in use on your Lifeboat?

I can't remember what boat that guy had, I think it was a big motorsailor, maybe a Hallberg Rassy or similar, it had a BIG white ensign on a long staff, not like most yachts plug in ones.

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bob_tyler

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Many years ago off Bembridge, sailing in a southerly direction, I dipped to one of HM's submarines which was wearing it's ensign at the stern prior to entering Pompey.

A matelot was smartly dispatched along the casing to acknowledge the dip. When he had dipped I hoisted, he then hoisted and, after a quick glance at the conning tower, signalled me with a V-sign before proceeding back to the tower. Can't say I blamed him.

I used to go to watch Cowes week in my 18'6" Caprice and always dipped to the guard ship and to HMY Britannia if they were there, on first arrival. So did almost everyone else. The salutes were always acknowledged.

Courtesy has gone out of the window these days. See arguments between raggies and stinkpots for example.

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Robin

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<<<Courtesy has gone out of the window these days. See arguments between raggies and stinkpots for example>>>

I think it is very wrong that mobos have stopped dipping their ensigns to raggies, there's just no end to it all, where will it end, in tears I'm sure.

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Koeketiene

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In all honesty... I'd rather you didn't!

Most of the times we'd meet yotties dipping their ensign when we're sailing in or out of a port, and quite frankly, since ships now sail with an on average 75% complement - we have other things on our mind at that time.

It's all right for a yacht sailing into the Solent for a jolly, but please don't take the piss. I could not spare the personnel comming alongside in Pompey.

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Robin

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If it was a French submarine I bet the ensign a) was very tiny and b) had been there since it was launched!

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Goldie

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I often dip to salute the white ensign as worn by the RYS, but have yet to have the salute acknowledged other than by studied concentration elsewhere, or by a look of sheer bewilderment. As regards the RN, I take Yanita's point that there is a time and a place when one really should not expect a reply, and I'm sure it's a right pain in the sterntube; BUT, if the RN and RYS really do wish to discontinue this courtesy, then they should let it be known formally.

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