No ensign etiquette at Henely

Rascal Joe

Rascal Joe

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Up and down the river at Henley for the first night of the Festival. 200/300 boats in and around the floating stage. Apart from the EA launches only three of us struck our Ensign at 2100 (being the earliest of 2100 or Nautical Twilight).
Shame to see (another) wonderful tradition ignored...
 
Byron
You are right, of course. But it's also part of our Naval heritage and that is what made this country so great. Perhaps, if the government ever sees the wisdom of requiring boat owners/users to hold a license, the test will include nautical etiquette along with the more pressing need for sailing in safety...
 
Rascal Joe said:
Up and down the river at Henley for the first night of the Festival. 200/300 boats in and around the floating stage. Apart from the EA launches only three of us struck our Ensign at 2100 (being the earliest of 2100 or Nautical Twilight).
Shame to see (another) wonderful tradition ignored...
Click to expand...

How many pirate flags have you counted?
 
dash300 said:
How many pirate flags have you counted?
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Whilst it is not illegal to fly a skull and crossed bones flag it does rather smack of a childish attempt to draw attention to oneself or one's boat; accordingly I would ignore any such behaviour.
We have a wonderful maritime tradition and should be proud to fly the appropriate Red or Blue (if holding a warrant) Ensign.
 
Rascal Joe said:
Up and down the river at Henley for the first night of the Festival. 200/300 boats in and around the floating stage. Apart from the EA launches only three of us struck our Ensign at 2100 (being the earliest of 2100 or Nautical Twilight).
Shame to see (another) wonderful tradition ignored...
Click to expand...

Should be part of BSS. Ensign being flown incorrectly and your BS is revoked for a year!
 
Rascal Joe said:
Up and down the river at Henley for the first night of the Festival. 200/300 boats in and around the floating stage. Apart from the EA launches only three of us struck our Ensign at 2100 (being the earliest of 2100 or Nautical Twilight).
Shame to see (another) wonderful tradition ignored...
Click to expand...

Hey Joe......where you going with that gun in your hand? apologies to Jimi.................is it Madness tonight?? If so give my love to the Nutty Boys, best live band around
 
Rascal Joe said:
Up and down the river at Henley for the first night of the Festival. 200/300 boats in and around the floating stage. Apart from the EA launches only three of us struck our Ensign at 2100 (being the earliest of 2100 or Nautical Twilight).
Shame to see (another) wonderful tradition ignored...
Click to expand...

oh so what?

It was only introduced to save money anyway, I can actually afford a new ensign when it wears out!
 
Elessar said:
oh so what?
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So what? So how many times did Calshot Coastguard launch emergency services because so ignorant newbie to boating had left their ensign up which was lazily flapping over their stern light thus giving a strange signal? At least twice when I was on duty.
The 'so what I can afford a new one' is indicative of how much things have changed since the 60s and before. Previously only gentlemen were Yotties. Yobbos with fat wallets hadn't bought their way in and people were judged on their boating skills not on how close to a jelly mould their boat looked.
 
byron said:
So what? So how many times did Calshot Coastguard launch emergency services because so ignorant newbie to boating had left their ensign up which was lazily flapping over their stern light thus giving a strange signal? At least twice when I was on duty.
The 'so what I can afford a new one' is indicative of how much things have changed since the 60s and before. Previously only gentlemen were Yotties. Yobbos with fat wallets hadn't bought their way in and people were judged on their boating skills not on how close to a jelly mould their boat looked.
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Yep Byron. Things have changed. You launch a lifeboat on an EPIRB or DSC alert not a flag.
Get over it.
 
byron said:
So what? So how many times did Calshot Coastguard launch emergency services because so ignorant newbie to boating had left their ensign up which was lazily flapping over their stern light thus giving a strange signal? At least twice when I was on duty.
The 'so what I can afford a new one' is indicative of how much things have changed since the 60s and before. Previously only gentlemen were Yotties. Yobbos with fat wallets hadn't bought their way in and people were judged on their boating skills not on how close to a jelly mould their boat looked.
Click to expand...

The 'so what, I can afford a new one' reference here has got nothing to do with the decline in standards since the 1960's but instead, is a reaction to the penny pinching diktat of some self important, desk bound politician at the 'MOD' during the Strategic Defence Review of 1660. Then, in a token gesture to cut the budget deficit, the Navy was ordered to strike its ensigns at night to save the wear and tear on them.

Unfortunately the only situation when an ensign should be struck (as mandated by international maritime law) is to signal a vessel's surrender and to secure said vessel a statutory right to have hostilities against her cease immediately. So to make the Navy feel better about having to strike its ensigns which went entirely against the grain and tradition, a silly ceremony was invented.

But if you are not bound by the constraints of the MOD, and you have no wish surrender to anyone, then do the truly traditional thing and fly your ensign 24 hours a day.
 
Elessar said:
Yep Byron. Things have changed. You launch a lifeboat on an EPIRB or DSC alert not a flag.
Get over it.
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Mark 1 eyeball is still number one as are reports from the public of strange lights. Of course if you insist you have greater experience of maritime S.A.R. than me then I shall bow to your judgement.
I have 'got over it' and accept that I hail from a different era this doesn't alter the fact that Yachting is no longer the bastion of good manners. Is it so very wrong to remember a gentler age when people took a pride in traditions and skills?
Please leave us old timers to our fond memories and enjoy yourself in the brashness of todays boating for perhaps we are wrong and you are right to discard our values.
 
byron said:
it so very wrong to remember a gentler age when people took a pride in traditions and skills?
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But lowering your ensign at dusk is not the tradition. It is a penny pinching expediency imposed on the Navy by politicians.

If you're going to be an old timer, why go back 50 years and not 500?
 
byron said:
Mark 1 eyeball is still number one as are reports from the public of strange lights. Of course if you insist you have greater experience of maritime S.A.R. than me then I shall bow to your judgement.
I have 'got over it' and accept that I hail from a different era this doesn't alter the fact that Yachting is no longer the bastion of good manners. Is it so very wrong to remember a gentler age when people took a pride in traditions and skills?
Please leave us old timers to our fond memories and enjoy yourself in the brashness of todays boating for perhaps we are wrong and you are right to discard our values.
Click to expand...

Now I'm sort of with you. I love the maritime traditions and flag etiquette, and the reasons behind those traditions and language fascinate me. I most certainly don't discard those values, I share them. And as an instructor I proudly pass them on.

But......

You can't possibly say that anyone's eyeball would raise an eyelid leave alone call the Calvary at Henley if an ensign was up at 2102.

And whilst I love sharing the traditions, I dislike judging people who don't live by them as inferior. Especially if whilst making that criticism, Henley isn't even correctly spelled.
 
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