Scottish house flag on the port spreader

[webcraft]

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On Fairwinds we fly the Scottish red ensign from the stern, but when we take our other boat abroad in three months' time I have explained to my partner that we will have no choice but to fly the red ensign.

We will fly a 'house flag' off the port spreader, but should it be a saltire, the Scottish red ensign - or maybe a defaced saltire with YES ?? Are there any limitations to what one can fly as a house flag on the prot spreader?



- W

 

[Old Bumbulum]

Unlike on the stern where you have no choice (legally) to fly anything but a correct ensign (ie not a "scottish" one, whatever that may be...) you can put whatever you like on the port spreaders.

 

[Quandary]

Wot you need Webby, is a small white flag with a red cross defaced with a two fingered salute?
Or perhaps a Saltire defaced by a thumbs up, there are lots of options, you want to choose one with enough originality to invoke lots of enquiries so that you can deliver your message.

 

[prv]

We will fly a 'house flag' off the port spreader, but should it be a saltire, the Scottish red ensign - or maybe a defaced saltire with YES ?? Are there any limitations to what one can fly as a house flag on the prot spreader?

As far as I can see, you can have whatever you like in that position.

I think a saltire is probably the best bet - a simple message of "Scotland :encouragement:". A red ensign with a saltire seems less relevant and potentially a bit confusing. A saltire with "yes" on it is unlikely to be understood by most people in the rest of the UK, let alone anybody at all in whatever country you're visiting. And I think it would tend to look ugly on purely aesthetic grounds; flags don't really combine well with words.

Pete

 

[[70521]]

Personally, I like to keep politics out of sailing.

 

[scottie]

Just don’t fly a large saltire near racing boats it might cause confusion

 

[JumbleDuck]

Unlike on the stern where you have no choice (legally) to fly anything but a correct ensign ...

There is nothing in law to prevent a non-ensign being flown at the stern. The law only says that if you do fly an ensign (and sometimes you must), it has to be one to which you are entitled.

 

[claymore]

As my daughter once succinctly put it - as I was asking whether to wear my blue shirt or my green one - "Who is looking at you anyway?"

 

[[70521]]

There is nothing in law to prevent a non-ensign being flown at the stern. The law only says that if you do fly an ensign (and sometimes you must), it has to be one to which you are entitled.

There are several boats who fly the ensign of the State of Devon or the State of Cornwall locally, I am sure they do it to wind each other up.

I fly the Pan-Celtic flag on the west coast of the Celtic fringe.

 

[RupertW]

I fly all sorts of flags on the port spreader, from the YBW forum burgee to little flags of guests' county or country or hobby, and a very big QPR flag. All a bit of fun.

But on the starboard side we often fly a couple of flags which are a bit more official, the country flag with the local area flag we are visiting too - so France and Brittany flag, Italy and Sardinian flag (which is a cracker of a flag), or Venetian which is even better with all its streamers. Currently have a Mallorcan flag but looking for a Menorcan one too.

Having just posted that I think I spend too much money on flags.

 

[pagoda]

While we sailed from Germany back to Scotland (Lerwick via Sweden /Norway) and round Ireland last year, we fly a small saltire from the back-stay -port side. As well as the normal stern Red Ensign.
Did that on a charter yacht from Grenada as well. It only drew some smiles. no hassle involved.

 

[JumbleDuck]

There are several boats who fly the ensign of the State of Devon or the State of Cornwall locally, I am sure they do it to wind each other up.

I am informed by a usually reliable source that there are boats in the Royal Ulster Yacht Club which fly a red ensign with a tricolor in place of the union flag. The goal, I gather, is to offend EVERYBODY.

 

[Quandary]

I am informed by a usually reliable source that there are boats in the Royal Ulster Yacht Club which fly a red ensign with a tricolor in place of the union flag. The goal, I gather, is to offend EVERYBODY.

Are you sure, 35 years in Belfast Lough and never heard of that, can't believe the club would sanction that sort of pot stirring.
Your informant has not got confused by Royal St George, (Dun Laoghaire)? their ensign has a tricolour and a crown, the crown is also on the burgee over a white cross on red. We have yachts come through here from R. st G. with a red ensign as above though I think the official club ensign background is blue.
No intention to annoy anyone, just pride in a long history going back to a different jurisdiction.

 

[RupertW]

Are you sure, 35 years in Belfast Lough and never heard of that, can't believe the club would sanction that sort of pot stirring.
Your informant has not got confused by Royal St George, (Dun Laoghaire)? their ensign has a tricolour and a crown, the crown is also on the burgee over a white cross on red. We have yachts come through here from R. st G. with a red ensign as above though I think the official club ensign background is blue.
No intention to annoy anyone, just pride in a long history going back to a different jurisdiction.

And this is their old ensign - I had great uncles who were irritated at the change away to the tricolour even decades later and hung onto their old ensigns - they were completely Irish but liked the anachronism of the UK link.
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/781.html

 

[ctva]

I am informed by a usually reliable source that there are boats in the Royal Ulster Yacht Club which fly a red ensign with a tricolor in place of the union flag. The goal, I gather, is to offend EVERYBODY.

Are you sure, 35 years in Belfast Lough and never heard of that, can't believe the club would sanction that sort of pot stirring.
Your informant has not got confused by Royal St George, (Dun Laoghaire)? their ensign has a tricolour and a crown, the crown is also on the burgee over a white cross on red. We have yachts come through here from R. st G. with a red ensign as above though I think the official club ensign background is blue.
No intention to annoy anyone, just pride in a long history going back to a different jurisdiction.

I’ve definitely seen at least one in the last couple of years on the west coast.

 

[Quandary]

And this is their old ensign - I had great uncles who were irritated at the change away to the tricolour even decades later and hung onto their old ensigns - they were completely Irish but liked the anachronism of the UK link.
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/781.html

I may have encountered some of them, certainly have seen the flag here long after 1952.

 

[Heckler]

Personally, I like to keep politics out of sailing.

:encouragement: in fact I suspect its webbie being mischievous!

 

[JumbleDuck]

Are you sure, 35 years in Belfast Lough and never heard of that, can't believe the club would sanction that sort of pot stirring..

My source was a colleague and long standing member. I'll give you his name when we next meet ...

 

[JumbleDuck]

:encouragement: in fact I suspect its webbie being mischievous!

It's maybe worth saying that nobody in Scotland - as far as I can tell - gets very worked up over these things. A saltire at the spreaders is appreciated, and not only by nationalists, but nobody will hold its absence, or a red ensign, against anyone.

 

[Spyro]

:encouragement: in fact I suspect its webbie being mischievous!

Surely not