Flying the Scottish red ensign

AuntyRinum said:
I do.
On your bike matie, I've had enough of your trolling. This is a public forum, and my only interest in answering you at all is to put correct information on here for anyone new to boating who may read your nonsense. I've done that.
Click to expand...

Have you put any information here? I'm terribly sorry, but I seem to have missed it.

What rules do you think are broken by flying the Scottish merchant flag at times when it is not compulsory to fly an ensign?
 
webcraft said:
I am not aware of you having posted any actual 'information' on this subject.

- W
Click to expand...
OK. For the benefit of anyone new to boating and this forum who may be reading this thread, Webcraft and JumbleDuck are regular contributors to these fora and are well known for advocating an opposite view to the general trend. They seem to spend a lot of time in The Lounge forum.
I have no idea what sailing or boating experience they have but, in my opinion, whatever they say about ensigns should be taken with a huge pinch of salt.
Whatever they may tell you, there is no such thing as a Scottish red ensign, it is not the correct ensign to wear on a British vessel, and it seems to be the invention of a flagmaker or flagmakers intent on makng a few bob out of Scottish people. Most In the Scottish boating fraternity are more canny than that, according to my wife who is Scottish.
 
AuntyRinum said:
OK. For the benefit of anyone new to boating and this forum who may be reading this thread, Webcraft and JumbleDuck are regular contributors to these fora and are well known for advocating an opposite view to the general trend. They seem to spend a lot of time in The Lounge forum.
Click to expand...

I have made precisely one post in the Lounge, by mistake. I deleted it.

Whatever they may tell you, there is no such thing as a Scottish red ensign, it is not the correct ensign to wear on a British vessel, and it seems to be the invention of a flagmaker or flagmakers intent on makng a few bob out of Scottish people. Most In the Scottish boating fraternity are more canny than that, according to my wife who is Scottish.
Click to expand...

http://www.theonion.com/article/area-man-passionate-defender-of-what-he-imagines-c-2849
 
Bit of a mountain out of a molehill I think.

Is it a legally and technically correct option as an ensign - of course not.
Is it really doing anyone any harm or is it a danger in itself - of course not.

We are talking leisure boating in the local area here. I'm sure that you would not see anyone making a living in a professional capacity (such as a CalMac ferry skipper) acting in contravention of the rules as they would value their professional reputation and MCA ticket over point proving - but so as long as you are not claiming to be a professional seaman (and certainly not engaged in any 'merchantable' capacity) whilst acting in this way I would see it as no more than a technical infringement requiring no further action.
 
Last edited:
Once upon a time long ago, I sailed with a Captain, It was D.O.T back then or even B.O.T. who regularly flew a Welsh Dragon. as a Courtesy Flag when ever we went to Swansea.
 
JumbleDuck said:
That's speculation. Neither you nor I can know why anyone chooses a particular flag.
Click to expand...

I can never know why anyone does anything like choose a particular flag.
I would speculate a chap flying a Scottish flag or Ensign is Scottish, and wished to be identified as Scottish. As to the rest of his thoughts and reasons who knows.

Although I have to admit if some other chap was flying a skull and crossbones, it is unlikely he is actually a pirate.
Perhaps I should amend my comment to.

If a chap hoists Scottish color's he is just saying where he is from.
 
Last edited:
I only fly the skull and crossbones when I am intending some serious piracy. I think it is disrespectful to fly it when one intends a peaceable passage. It is generally most useful when you spy a Scottish ensign flying from your soon-to-be victim and you intend to relieve him of a significant proportion of his whisky cabinet while giving him a lecture about the benefits of proper whiskey from the land that invented it and everything else the Scots hold dear!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top