Red ensign: where it works without courtesy flag?

[billskip]

When a visitor in somebody else’s country you should be empathetic and courteous. If not don’t go?

Yer right, maybe football hooligans, buy boats nowadays.

 

[bergie]

However if you’re seriously that strapped for cash, get an old singer sewing machine with a crank handle (often available free or almost free) and scrounge a range of coloured cloths from and make your own courtesy flag for the next country while on passage. Don’t laugh, I’ve heard it’s been done.

A reasonable option is also the courtesy flag sets you can download from No Foreign Land website and send to a printer. You end up with a bedsheets that contains the courtesy flag of a given cruising ground (say, North Atlantic, the Med, or Caribbean). Then you just need to cut them out and sew in a flag line.
We did this for our Berlin-to-Caribbean cruise (via Shetland and the Outer Hebrides), and it has worked nicely. Sure, we're unlikely to need the Greenland flag unless a navigational error occurs, but the unit cost was low.
We were even able to produce the Orkneys flag by combining a spare Norwegian flag with two spare Q flags.

 

[[70521]]

If you are going for a Scottish "ensign" I always think you should do the Scottish white "ensign", as it doubles the volume of spilt G&T (no whisky gets disturbed).
But yes in France, as well as a regional courtesy flag (eg Brittany) we fly a saltire as house flag on the port spreader. And an Ecosse sticker on the car.

An Ecosse car sticker is essential. I am thinking of getting several tee/sweat shirts made up with 'Je suis écossais' across the front. Thankfully, Mrs Sandy speaks fluent French having spent time at the University of Rennes 2 as part of her degree.

 

[Dellquay13]

I have a vague recollection of once contemplating a last-minute trip to the Netherlands, and lacking a Dutch courtesy flag discussing how we could mount our French courtesy flag turned through 90 degrees.

When I first trailed a motorboat to France, with its tiny flagstaff and the smallest red duster, I couldn’t find a French flag small enough. I had to get a Dutch courtesy flag, cut it in half, flip it 90deg and sew up the rough edge.
I was proud to use it in good faith, and to be a British boat abroad.

 

[Mark-1]

Worth listening to the advice of that very experienced sea dog JM.

Who completely failed to answer the question.

 

[Mark-1]

Forget “rules”

It's still worth knowing what the rules are, even if you choose to ignore them.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Who completely failed to answer the question.

Sometimes people ask the wrong question without realising it.

 

[doug748]

Struggling to find information about the area that is considered suitable to fly red ensign without the necessity of a local courtesy flag.
Obviously, in Britsh waters, around Channel Islands and Gibraltar are quite clear - no local courtesy is required for a British vessel. But what about Overseas territories?

Basically, what I'm asking is if Red Ensign territory list is where British vessel does not need to fly a local courtesy flag (e.g. British vessel navigating Aguilla, Bermuda or Turks and Caicos does not need to fly a local national flag as courtesy). Some might argue that one can display their courtesy and still fly a local flag, but do we have to?

I can only think you have upset somebody by the tone of some of the contributions

My two penn'orth is that in Red Flag states it may be less of a priority but outside of the Channel area I would still try to make an effort.

.

 

[jamie N]

If you are going for a Scottish "ensign" I always think you should do the Scottish white "ensign", as it doubles the volume of spilt G&T (no whisky gets disturbed).

Perfect....