Red Ensign on Backstay

I used to have a varnished flagstaff (ensign staff) mounted on the taffrail with my ensign fluttering in thd breeze; and very pretty it looked too. Then I fitted a Monitor windvane so the ensign staff had to go and the ensign has since been dangled from the port backstay. It works well enough except with a wind over the port quarter, when the ensign has an annoying habit of getting caught in the upper block of the mainsheet tackle. But the problem is gradually curing itself as the ensign gets bits torn off. One day it will be too short to get caught. :rolleyes:
 
VicS said:
Having a complete set of deck level lights ( they were actually fitted before the tricolour) enables me to use them when they are more appropriate. When a mast top light would be lost among back ground shore lights for example.
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I take your point. I'm thinking of fitting one on the aft pulpit too, but placing it so the windvane doesn't get in the way isn't obviously easy. I really don't want to sprout poles.

Twisterowner said:
I suppose you mean a tricolour. What stern light do you show when motoring? (Assuming ypu have an engine and do motor.)
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The original setup, which I have, is a bicolour at the bow (with switch labelled "Nav"), a tricolour at the masthead ("Tri") and an all round white at the masthead ("Motor"). The idea, I think, was to enable use of one filament for sailing or anchoring and two for power, in the days before LEDs. I wish they had fitted a stern light as well, because low level sailing lights would be occasionally useful.

johnalison said:
I have driven my Audis around for over ten years. I get tailgated, cut up, and generally given grief by almost every make of vehicle you could think of, including Audis, thus proving somebody's point above.
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I have, inter alia, a slightly scruffy British Racing Green MX5 which I bought to pander to my mid-life crisis. I don't drive it particularly fast, but it's amazing how many white van men and boring bourgemobiles (thank you for that term, Zaphod B) will risk their lives and, annoyingly, mine to get past at all costs.

I would also rather give myself a reversed sailing curfew and only sail at night in preference to dangling my ensign from the backstay, looking as if I were ashamed of it and only displayed it with regret.
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Doesn't the wind blow it out? I can't see much difference between a backstay sloping forward a bit and a flagstaff sloping backwards a bit. What I really want is nice big flagstaff on which I can fly (hah!) a Dutch-sized Scottish flag, very nearly brushing the water. If I ever get rid of the wind vane I may fit one to the top of the rudder.
 
Daydream believer said:
IThe Dutch always seem proud to display the largest cleanest ensign they can fly & any thing less than 1metre drop seems unacceptable, especially on any boat less than 20 feet.
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I think it's perfectly acceptable for other nationalities to have large ensigns. The Americans, in particular, seem so keen on excessively large flags it makes one wonder if they feel insecure about something. But variety is the spice of life, and we can not just tolerate, but appreciate the diversity of the world's cultures, and the curious customs that are to be found abroad.

On the other hand, I consider an oversized red (or white or blue) ensign most unseemly. What of the world famous British reserve and understatement? Our national ensign should be flown, not flaunted. Those displaying such poor taste are not just letting themselves down, they're letting the side down. It's just not British!
 
I've moved mine to the radar post on the transom this year, the ensign is well above water level and hopefully I'll remember to display it - not one for flags and all that jazz.
 
On our old gaff cutter we used to "wear" our red ensign from the outer end of the gaff. With the resulting unfortunate incident.
(A confession I posted in YM a few years ago):-

"In the 1970s, my enthusiastic novice-sailor fiancée joined our group of “young friends” aboard our wonderful old gaff cutter. Benbecula’s boom protruded well abaft the stern so we flew our red ensign from the gaff, hoisted on a light nylon halyard.

That day we were moored in St. Mawes, being watched by many interested onlookers. As my crew busied themselves with halyards for headsails,mainsail, gaff, topsail-pole hoist and foot-rope etc., I instructed my girl to stand on starboard and pay-out the ensign halyard, keep it tensioned and not let go.

As the main went-up smoothly, she paid-out expertly, keeping the ensign flying proudly. The breeze filled the main, lifting the boom and swinging it over the starboard gunwale.

Mindful of my instructions, fiancée held on tight to the ensign halyard. But as she weighed under eight stone, she was lifted off her feet by the boom and swung out over the water. All we could see of her were her wellingtoned-feet. The halyard held – for seconds.
Powerless to help, we could only watch as the halyard parted and she slid in apparent slow motion down from behind the mainsail. First we saw her legs; then midriff, chest and finally her astonished face as it appeared – then disappeared into the water. Hands still grasping the snapped halyard!

Much dashing across the deck and arms-outstretching retrieved the unfortunate girl. Her shock turned to rage, then as she saw the funny side of it she joined in the roaring of laughter from around the harbour.

Nothing damaged but her pride and an annoyingly wayward ensign.

She has been my “ex” for over a decade now – I wonder if she actually never forgave me?!!"
 
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lw395 said:
There are too many boats around where the silly varnished flagstaff puts the flag in exactly the right place to obscure the sternlight.
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After cursing my ensign entangling in my self-steering vane I came up with this idea:-

A stainless steel clamp-socket affixed to the starboard quarter taff-rail/pushpit. This means my ensign no longer interferes with said wind-vane.

During the day I fly my ensign on a staff inserted into the socket.
At night I remove staff and insert my stern light affixed to a short length of SS tube.

Sorted

Ooops, just seen all the similar ideas in above posts.
And I thought I was clever!!:o
 
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I wouldn't consider a stern light relying on plug/socket connections.
Why not just paint a red ensign on the wind vane?
 
Having an easily detachable light with a plug/socket has the advantage that it can be brought inboard if it needs a new lamp or other repair and so avoid the risk of dropping bits of the lamp or tools overboard.
 
Twisterowner said:
Having an easily detachable light with a plug/socket has the advantage that it can be brought inboard if it needs a new lamp or other repair and so avoid the risk of dropping bits of the lamp or tools overboard.
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and its not somewhere vulnerable to being bashed in marinas or trodden on. For the same reason I prefer my individual side lights to a bicolour mounted on the pulpit, although they do have some disadvantages.

No problem with the plug and socket. Its even one of the old fashioned deck sockets although I guess if I was fitting it , or any other deck sockets, now I would use the Bulgin ones
 
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