Ensign?

[Fr J Hackett]

I have had French customs make a note, when checking my boat, for presence of the ensign on several visits.
They have also stopped some boats in our cruising group when returning from Le Havre & heading to Eastbourne & obviously seen the ensigns whilst out in the French side of the Channel. If not flown correctly comments could be expected.

I was entitled to fly a defaced blue ensign and did but after a half hours explaining to a group of French customs and harbour police just what it was and the little triangular flag at the top of the mast and translating the warrant for them with much amusement, I decided on future visits I would fly the red ensign to avoid a possible repeat.
They enjoyed the banter and the coffee and no doubt the break from doing other things as we sat in the cockpit on a sunny afternoon and no doubt they entered it all in their duty log as something different.

 

[dgadee]

You are demonstrating the English view of our ensign. A French and English couple were talking to me while awaiting making a payment. The French asked what the ensign was and were entertained by the idea of it. The English couple ignored the topic.

I really don't care but it keeps the crew happy and officials have yet to object to a non English ensign. Indeed the opposite seems to be the case.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

You are demonstrating the English view of our ensign. A French and English couple were talking to me while awaiting making a payment. The French asked what the ensign was and were entertained by the idea of it. The English couple ignored the topic.

I really don't care but it keeps the crew happy and officials have yet to object to a non English ensign. Indeed the opposite seems to be the case.

Au contraire I am expressing a British and legal viewpoint although it might also be a French on as I am also a French national and use my French passport on the occasions I am required to enter the UK as it gives me a perverse pleasure. If I succumb to the temptation of buying another yacht then I will take great pleasure and pride in wearing the French tricolour as my ensign at a size appropriate to the vessels length although the French would consider that ostentatious as they tend to wear handkerchief sized ensigns.

 

[[2574]]

I was entitled to fly a defaced blue ensign and did but after a half hours explaining to a group of French customs and harbour police just what it was and the little triangular flag at the top of the mast and translating the warrant for them with much amusement, I decided on future visits I would fly the red ensign to avoid a possible repeat.
They enjoyed the banter and the coffee and no doubt the break from doing other things as we sat in the cockpit on a sunny afternoon and no doubt they entered it all in their duty log as something different.

I’ve had an identical experience in Camaret.

 

[Pete7]

And blues are not always defaced. Mine is not. They are always flown with a warrant, I’d dispute the ‘most’ bit too, or maybe that’s a Solent thing. Every Royal club wears them here, none of the others, that's by coincidence and geography then?

Are you sure? I have a warrant, but for a different purpose. Normally it's the Yacht Club that holds the warrant and members have a permit to wear the Ensign with a burgee.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I’ve had an identical experience in Camaret.

Lorient for me

 

[Daydream believer]

I could have handed them a certificate for growing the largest cucumbers and they wouldn’t have known. .

I am quite partial to a gherkin myself. I expect that Viago would have something to say to the contrary - but what does he know.

 

[Daydream believer]

I've been boarded twice by Douanes, never noticed so much as a passing glance at the blue thing dangling off the stern...

I tend to use the heads when it is that cold

 

[RunAgroundHard]

... or being ashamed of their country? ...

A bit of that I think. Flags are such a visible sign of commune from the abhorrent to the admirable and a strong indicator of personal association when flown or rallied around. There are matters of UK governance that might make people be ashamed of the UK, but that should not mean that they leave. If a persons protest is limited to not wanting to wear an ensign, then it is harmless enough but a rather ineffective display of disagreement. Flags are powerful symbols.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

A bit of that I think. Flags are such a visible sign of commune from the abhorrent to the admirable and a strong indicator of personal association when flown or rallied around. There are matters of UK governance that might make people be ashamed of the UK, but that should not mean that they leave. If a persons protest is limited to not wanting to wear an ensign, then it is harmless enough but a rather ineffective display of disagreement. Flags are powerful symbols.

They certainly are to the stupid and bigoted.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

They certainly are to the stupid and bigoted.

... and the clever and bigoted.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

... and the clever and bigoted.

A mute and debatable point

 

[DownWest]

Bit boggled about this ... I am a bit ambivalent about the Royals, but not enough to want them out. Charles seems to be looking at downscaling.

Associating the royals with the flag for vessels is missing several points. Maybe the OP wants to think again what he is objecting to?

 

[jamie N]

One should fly the flag of one's nation. In the "UK" it's questionable if that's allowed.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

One should fly the flag of one's nation. In the "UK" it's questionable if that's allowed.

Bollocks

 

[dunedin]

Have you the most recent statistics of flag crime?

I doubt there are any issues in British waters - especially as no need for a UK vessel to show any ensign in local waters.

But in a fairly limited time spent in French (Atlantic coast) waters we had two ensign related challenges from officialdom:
- at a junior sailing event at Les Sables d’Olonne the “port police” threatened to fine the drivers of various coach RIBs for lack of an ensign. We had to rustle up a red ensign from a visiting yacht and tie on. Coach RIBs now tend to have a national flag made up as an outboard cover. (The racing dinghies were not required to find an ensign)
- departing Les Minimes at La Rochelle for a day sail, having just refuelled, we were chased out by an official boat which came up to our stern wanting to speak. Looking back I realised I had failed to refit the ensign staff, removed for space on the fuel dock. I promptly slotted in place and apologised profusely. Fortunately the courtesy flag was already in place.

 

[Hydrozoan]

Little Sister at #14 notes - quite rightly of course - that many people have died under other countries' ensigns. Although the present British ensign dates to 1801, I associate it most strongly with the great losses of merchant seamen (not just English, or even British) sailing under it in WWII and tend to respond to it (and to many other of our flags) as a symbol of individual and shared sacrifices, rather than under the more ambiguous general notion of national pride.

Whilst the constitution of the UK might in future change in a direction or directions more acceptable to the OP, it is currently the correct ensign and representation of our polity. He can IMO wear it as such without demur and with respect, whatever changes he as an individual might wish to see - for which other modes of 'campaigning' exist, thanks in part to the aforementioned sacrifices.

 

[thinwater]

This is comically abstruse to an American. We just fly the flag. A yacht club member may chose to add a burgee ... and that is overtly effete.

 

[Tranona]

No, it's not. But a Scots ensign is definitely Scottish, not English.

Yes, NI has luckily moved on. Though when my current wife gets angry with me her favourite insult is, "You've lived too long in NI".

Not sure why you insist on calling it an "ensign" when it is not - it is just a flag. An ensign is a sign of the state of registry and nothing to do with the country of residence or citizenship of the owner or skipper but the flag state of the BOAT, not your "wife's ensign" - people do not have ensigns.

Of course nothing to stop you making up fantasies.

 

[john_morris_uk]

This is comically abstruse to an American. We just fly the flag. A yacht club member may chose to add a burgee ... and that is overtly effete.

It’s comically abstruse to some of us in the UK too. The red ensign is the flag for UK registered boats. More than that. so long as you’re staying in UK waters your boat doesn’t even havre to be registered.

But instead of putting a red ensign up some people put tea towels or strange flags that aren’t recognised internationally in order to make some petty personal political point. IMHO it’s a silly affectation.

When in Scottish waters, I put a saltire up…. But it is at the st’bd spreader as a mark of respect.

Before anyone points out that our boat often wears an undefaced blue, we also have a red ensign and often put that up instead. Mostly to avoid the inverted snobbery of a few when they see our little boat with an undefaced blue on the stern.