Ensign etiquette

jonjo said:
.....that there are is a sizable contingent of yachting nutters afloat who have a strange compulsion to broadcast their political view about regional politics to the world with absurdly sized regional flags. In the case I highlighted above the Breton flag was 5' x 4'.
Click to expand...

A tad intolerant of innocent others, I think. One hesitates to imagine the poster's apoplexy should he chance upon someone doing something hugely immoral and antisocial, of which he strongly disapproves, like 'using the wrong knot' or 'leaving a fender dangling'.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" - Voltaire
Click to expand...

I note the above tolerant chappy was French. The Breton/French boaters you encountered live around there. It's their country, their estuary, their laws, thier boat and their bluddy flag. You, it seems, were an ill-mannered guest. Perhaps you shouldn't go to places where the locals have customs and practices that differ from your preferences.

'Etiquette' is a borrowed word. Like so much of the English language that pertains to civilised behaviour, it originated in France.

I'm normally a laissez-faire sort myself, but for you, dear Jonjo, I could be persuaded to make an exception.

:(



ps
Friends.....
jonjo has not made any friends yet.
Click to expand...

Uh-huh!
 
Last edited:
bilbobaggins said:
It's their country, their estuary, their laws, thier boat and their bluddy flag. You, it seems, were an ill-mannered guest.
Click to expand...
Oh boy, I have only been back 6 days and already had my first head on crash with the lunatic fringe of the YBW.com online cyber cult.

Let's look at the essentials. Having never contributed an opinion on flag etiquette here in years I post a realife example of how at a distance of 500m I spotted a yacht flying a massive Breton flag where the tricolor should be. This alerted me to the potential for bad boat handling in a narrow channel. My instinct was good and the yacht was driven by someone who did not understand the basics of COLRegs.

Now from that basic statement a member of YBW.com lunatic fringe deduces that:

1 - I was ill mannered.
2 - I am intolerant of local customs.
3 - I am an unsuitable person to sail away from my home waters.
4 - My blood pressure jumps at the sight of a bad knot or dangling fender.

Oh boy only on YBW.com

As to purile competitions to accumulate online friends, Bilbobaggins you are in the wrong place, try FaceBook. You might also want to reflect on why the Archbishop of Westminster is having sleepless nights about the detrimental affect of the internet on vulnerable people like yourself.
 
Last edited:
He almost KNEW that leaving the Yealm was going to go wrong - he was tied to a pontoon with a hell of a lot of tide running, and he only has a puny (and unreliable) outboard - chances were he'd end up going sideways at some stage (and he did). However, I understand that the "switching ensigns" trick is one he does routinely!
 
jonjo said:
In the case I highlighted above the Breton flag was 5' x 4'.
Click to expand...

To lighten the mood a little (and, BTW, I fully sympathise with your dismay at the conclusions jumped to - OTT to say the least)

A very long time ago we were bringing a small yacht back from the Baltic, through the Kiel Canal. We took on bonded stores, which were delivered to us in a sealed case with an armed guard to make sure we didn't breach it. (What a contrast with France in those days!)

To our dismay, we were told we could not ship the stores without a special pennant that we had to display on the journey through the canal to show we were carrying these stores. Having no such pennant we dispatched a crew member into the town to buy one. This was a long pennant, a bit like one of the international "substitutes" and the only one to be had was from a ship's chandler - designed for a big ship.

The boat was 30 foot long and the hoist of the pennant reached from the spreader almost to the deck. If we had put a sheet on it, it could have served as a rather eccentric reaching sail.

Well, we flew it obediently until we reached Holtenau and provided a lot of innocent amusement for a lot of idle deckhands on passing ships along the way. I always remember one - a Finnish freighter - with a couple of blokes lounging around right at the stern. They roared with laughter, leaning over the stern and pointing, and yelled out in a comradely fashion what I suspect was the only English they knew - "it's a long way to Tipperary!"

Nothing like a big flag to turn heads. :)
 
jonjo said:
Oh boy, I have only been back 6 days and already had my first head on crash with the lunatic fringe.... a member of YBW.com lunatic fringe deduces that:

1 - I was ill mannered.
2 - I am intolerant of local customs.
3 - I am an unsuitable person to sail away from my home waters.
4 - My blood pressure jumps at the sight of a bad knot or dangling fender.

Oh boy only on YBW.com
Click to expand...

Welcome home! You know you luv it really.....

:D
 
bilbobaggins said:
P'rhaps not, when aforesaid 'muggle' is hoisting his upside-down blue ensign in his droopy underpants, in an acclaimed northern Scilly Isles anchorage. It's enuff to make grizzled RN Seaman Officers weep into their breakfast tonics ( G-style ).

Speaking of which, I seem to recall that 'a serving naval officer' is empowered to confiscate a blue ensign improperly worn, or where the warrant holder is not on board, or there's no warrant document on board..... and I think that extends to Officers ( RM ).

Puts a new light on 'Stop and search' powers.....

:D
Click to expand...

Don't have warrants anymore...
Permit holder doesn't have to be on board but must be in 'effective control'
a naval officer on active duty would need some other valid reason to board and search your vessel, unless of course you were doing something overtly wrong...like flying it upside down..
As well as confiscate the ensign from someone not entitled to use it he could also take the matter further and you can incur a sizeable fine...
Last time I looked it was £500..
Just as well our ships are kept busy doing more important things.

Hope Mr Brown never cottons on to this...He would see it as a good opportunity for further 'revenue generation'. You might suddenly find QHM's volunteers empowered with stop and search authority and an instant on the spot fines machine...
The possibilities are frightening
No doubt the House of Commons Yacht Club would be exempt, and able to claim the cost of their ensign and burgee -- if not the whole yacht-- on expenses ;-)
 
Beadle said:
They knocked us off our perch to such effect that we had to burn down the White House to set thing straight.
Click to expand...
And we burnt the book collection of the library of congress, a point still made today during every guided tour of the present day library of congress.
 
Well, I saw a yacht wearing a white ensign this afternoon. As I remarked to swmbo, one hallberg rassy and a couple of fast dinghies, that's what the Andrew's come to these days. :D
 
Shambles said:
I have noticed an increasing ignorance of basic procedures lately.

Recently a MC was alongside in Weymouth (No name no packdrill). She was flying two blue ensigns - one from an ensign staff aft and one from his gantry. In addition there was a red ensign flying from the pulpit (jack staff).

Curious as to this strange display I enquired the owners reasons. His reply:- "I didnt know it mattered, I bought a blue one because it matches the boat!!"

I am not going to get too concerned about this but it poses the question if his knowledge on this matter is so lacking, whats he like on other aspects; boat handling, safety, tides, weather etc?
Click to expand...
why are you so worried about a shambles, what is this, wishful thinking
 
Funny thing ensign etiquette...it's like speeding on the roads...anyone going slower or faster than me in an "idiot".

The ensign police don't seem to have discovered the western fringe of the UK or they'd have a fit...Welsh, Scottish, Cornish flags, no ensigns, ensigns permamently fitted to backstays, various flavours of blue, Irish courtesy flags flown in Wales (because they forgot to take it down when returning), the English flag flown by Welshmen (!!!)...I've seen it all...but nobody seems to get too bothered. Is it just a South Coast thing??
 
Lizzie_B said:
Don't have warrants anymore...
;-)
Click to expand...

er - not true unless the thingy I have for flying my Blue, called a warrant - isn't a warrant!!!

Anyway you are all missing the point I flew the Blue for two years abroad because
as an RNSA member I could easily spot other members and it always resulted in a hangover.
It was also good at confusing Merkins (Yanks) which is always a good thing - most thought we were from New Zealand.
 
Shambles said:
I have noticed an increasing ignorance of basic procedures lately.
Click to expand...

Well done 'Shambles', so early in your forum life and you've really got the wires a'hummin.

If I thought you were an old hand posting under a pseudonym I would vote for you for 'The 2009 Troll 'award.

Anyway thanks for the entertainment
 
I am proud to have sailed for many years deep sea under "The Red Duster". Especially going to Cuba through the Ring of Steel in 1962, really pissed the Americans off and its not a pleasent experience seeing the 6" shell inside its barrel pointing at you from 25 feet during our transit. Be proud of our flags Even Blue ones.
 
Whilst I agree the Red Ensign has many patriotic associations, don't you feel it's all been debased by the "flag of convenience" policy that's in place today - For example, Spanish trawlers, with Spanish names and Spanish crew registered in Falmouth, and the government touting for more foreign vessels to fly our flag for commercial reasons? I'm sorry, but sadly times have changed, and the allegiance to the flag that was there in the past, is becoming a thing of the past, and I for one don't feel the ensign represents "we are British and proud of it" in the way it once did.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top