Ensign protocol: The question - Red or Blue?

Highland Bear said:
The RAFYC was established by RAF Officers at Calshot and moved to Hamble after WW2. I'm ex-RAF, as are quite a few of the membership, but the Club is now open to all. To say we have nothing to do with the RAF is not entirely true.

I sailed for the first time ever in 1972, in "Contrail" a yacht of the RAFSA, from the RAFYC pontoons at Hamble.

Like most things "services" RAFSA is a smaller organisation these days, sadly.
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Knew somebody would have more detail.

Do the RAF provide funding or are the club officers RAF past or present? Does the RAF own the real estate? Does RASFS still berth its boats or run its operations from there?

Please amplify what links (other than the flag) The RAF Yacht Club has with the RAF?
 
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Well, thank you everyone - over nine pages - so much opinion, but.....does the question remain?

Yes, the OP 'is' a member of a club and yes I do fly the red and actually it's new - this year, the old 'red' was past it.

Like some of us...I suppose!

Thanks again and have a great sailing season....under red or blue!
 
jrc1983 said:
Technically the blue Aussie/Kiwi flag should ONLY be flown by their respective navies (as a Jack, not an ensign) and on state buildings and the like, not by Joe Public and certainly not on any kind of vessel. Red is the civil ensign and is that which should be flown by craft afloat and by the public. For example in early colour photos of public events in Aus/NZ, e.g. Royal tours, you'll see the general public waving little red ensigns and buildings decorated with the same,
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Well, that is weird. I have seen several Aussie yachts arriving in Portugal in the past six months. All with a Blue ensign. None had Red.
 
chinita said:
Well, that is weird. I have seen several Aussie yachts arriving in Portugal in the past six months. All with a Blue ensign. None had Red.
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Must 2nd that.

Would go to get it straight from the horses mouth but unfortunately the last horse has just bolted going north - as is half of Lagos!

Chinta, best we have a beer down Earls Court Road where half the Aussie Race hangs out - possibly during the Lions Tour - on second thoughts, possibly not!
 
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chinita said:
Well, that is weird. I have seen several Aussie yachts arriving in Portugal in the past six months. All with a Blue ensign. None had Red.
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That doesn't surprise me, but to be 'proper' it should be the Australian Red Ensign in the same way as a UK yacht should fly a red ensign (those with Admiralty warrants and corn flake packet tokens excepted). I do believe that these days the authorities are somewhat more lax in use, basically that the only craft where flying the correct flag is actively enforced and where it is specified in the most recent shipping acts are those vessels which are required to be registered.
As I mentioned earlier, the Australian national flag was at one time solely restricted for use by the various offices of government, indeed at one time it was actually illegal for an Australian citizen to fly it, which is why in old photographs you'll see the Aussie red (civil) ensign decorating buildings, people waving them etc.
So yes, it may no longer be illegal for a yacht to fly it, as a pleasure craft may be too small to fall within the appropriate regulations. But certainly for bigger stuff I believe it remains the case.

I should say all this is being dredged up for the far recesses of the grey matter, and one of the reasons I took some interest in vexillology was because I was once on a ship in Melbourne which was strikebound for a couple of days because we were flying the Aussie blue ensign as a courtesy flag instead of the correct red one (twas the only one we had in the flag locker - company supplied), the result being we all became somewhat better acquainted with the regulations of the day.
Saying that, Aussie wharfies are perhaps the most lazy, bolshie, thieving, grossly overpaid wastes of space I've ever encountered, and they'd look for absolutely any reason to strike, not that we complained of a few extra days in of course!
 
jrc1983 said:
Saying that, Aussie wharfies are perhaps the most lazy, bolshie, thieving, grossly overpaid wastes of space I've ever encountered, and they'd look for absolutely any reason to strike, not that we complained of a few extra days in of course!
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Funny expect they speak as well of you!

But with your love of the Aussies probably better you don't come with Chinita & me to Earls Court Road.
 
nortada said:
Funny expect they speak as well of you!

But with your love of the Aussies probably better you don't come with Chinita & me to Earls Court Road.
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I've got no problem with the rest of the colonial element, but some of the stunts our friends on the docksides pulled had to be seen to be believed, naturally they were always backed to the hilt by their (very powerful) union, which wasn't surprising as the whole thing was a closed shop.
 
I flew a red when I had a red hulled boat then changed to blue when I painted her blue. On red now as I have a white hull but might change mid season to blue again.
Why not keep different colours on board
 
nortada said:
Knew somebody would have more detail.

Do the RAF provide funding or are the club officers RAF past or present? Does the RAF own the real estate? Does RASFS still berth its boats or run its operations from there?

Please amplify what links (other than the flag) The RAF Yacht Club has with the RAF?
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The answer to nearly all your questions is "No" Visit www.rafyc.co.uk if you want more info.
 
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