Slowboat35
Well-known member
Just a gentle suggestion to those who value manners and protocol that "half mast" does NOT mean flag halfway up or down the flagpole...That is an unsightly error.
'Half mast' refers only to masts and free-standing poles designed for the display of flags. It does not refer to the short staffs such as we typically have on our boats.
Half Mast means the flag is briskly raised as normal to full-hoist and then lowered to either a flag's width below the peak and no more than one third of the way down the mast.
If your staff (as is the case on almost all yachts/boats) is not long enough to achieve this then it implies the flag should remain at full hoist on the staff and ideally be adorned with black ribbon(s) -( to be as long as the flag and attached near it's upper clew) . A black border sewn on would also be perfectly acceptable.
Think of it tis way...any proper flagpole/mast will be tall enough to achieve the one width/one third protocol. If the pole is too short is is likely not actually to be a flagpole or mast at all, more a staf as carried for instance by troops or the British Legion etc which is by necessity fixed on the pole. Lowering the flag on the staff in this case would clearly be inappropriate and look daft. Thus it should be decorated by black ribbons of mourning instead, or just flown as normal.
I'm only writing this as a suggestion to those who wish to do the thing properly and respectfully and without errors, as our late Lady Queen has endeavoured to to to us all her life.
Those with other ideas will doubtless do whatever they wish anyway and need not cast nastutiums on those who merely wish to be respectful and correct.
'Half mast' refers only to masts and free-standing poles designed for the display of flags. It does not refer to the short staffs such as we typically have on our boats.
Half Mast means the flag is briskly raised as normal to full-hoist and then lowered to either a flag's width below the peak and no more than one third of the way down the mast.
If your staff (as is the case on almost all yachts/boats) is not long enough to achieve this then it implies the flag should remain at full hoist on the staff and ideally be adorned with black ribbon(s) -( to be as long as the flag and attached near it's upper clew) . A black border sewn on would also be perfectly acceptable.
Think of it tis way...any proper flagpole/mast will be tall enough to achieve the one width/one third protocol. If the pole is too short is is likely not actually to be a flagpole or mast at all, more a staf as carried for instance by troops or the British Legion etc which is by necessity fixed on the pole. Lowering the flag on the staff in this case would clearly be inappropriate and look daft. Thus it should be decorated by black ribbons of mourning instead, or just flown as normal.
I'm only writing this as a suggestion to those who wish to do the thing properly and respectfully and without errors, as our late Lady Queen has endeavoured to to to us all her life.
Those with other ideas will doubtless do whatever they wish anyway and need not cast nastutiums on those who merely wish to be respectful and correct.
