Scottish house flag on the port spreader

[wully1]

The only flag I fly at the back of my boat is a Saltire. When I bought boatie (darn sarf in the Solent) it came with a red ensign on a jackstaff but this snapped off one night on the way home with the loss off both.

Not being at all superstitious I took this as an omen and decided to instal,Mount,hoist, whatever the remaining jackstaff with the Saltire.

who cares? Really, who cares? Whenever I read these threads about flags I get a vision of some trumpet in the home counties sitting wearing tattered deck shoes, faded pink trousers ,a smock and a Breton cap fuming into his gin while furiously hammering away at the keyboard...and he dreams one day of the wife allowing him to buy a boat.

 

[Kukri]

Why do so many people insist on flying the house flag of Jardine Matheson?

 

[Greemble]

M
Mike
"My vessel is stopped and making no way through the water"

I know, on the port side, so it doesn't count.
Right?

In all honesty, I rather suspect wully has it right, though

who cares? Really, who cares?

and Claymore's daughter nails it

"Who is looking at you anyway?"

 

[rotrax]

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

Surely not-Webbie bringing politics onto a sailing forum.......................................

 

[MM5AHO]

I have a bag of various flags aboard (eBay 99p each), and occasionally display an inappropriate one or more.
I have yet to pluck up the courage to display North Korea (I have one) sailing past the guard launch at Faslane!

 

[NormanS]

Why do so many people insist on flying the house flag of Jardine Matheson?

The fact that Jardine Matheson's house flag features the Scottish Saltire is simply because it was a company originally established by Scots. But I suspect that you knew that.

 

[NormanS]

M
Mike
"My vessel is stopped and making no way through the water"

/QUOTE]

Only if you are colour blind.

 

[webcraft]

.
Just a reminder that this post was about 'going foreign' - flying anything other than a red ensign from the stern can result in a substantial fine in some countries, I am informed.

My query was really to ask if the 'anything you like on the port spreader' rule is universal.


- W

 

[RupertW]

M
Mike
"My vessel is stopped and making no way through the water"

I know, on the port side, so it doesn't count.
Right?

In all honesty, I rather suspect wully has it right, though


and Claymore's daughter nails it

For boats stuck in one country it doesn't matter at all, except for fun if that's your kind of thing, but otherwise there are some rules, some bits of politeness then there is the port spreader for everything else.

 

[FlyingGoose]

.
Just a reminder that this post was about 'going foreign' - flying anything other than a red ensign from the stern can result in a substantial fine in some countries, I am informed.

My query was really to ask if the 'anything you like on the port spreader' rule is universal.


- W

Hey In Home waters No one cares but if you go to foreign ports it is the law , but who really checks , I think in the Caribbean and onward they take Flag rules pretty seriously, but as for your Port spreader you can fly anything you like.
The port spreaders are used for house flags. A house flag is normally but not always a small rectangular version of a burgee. It may indicate membership of an association (i.e. the RYA) or society or may be to indicate membership of another club should that club have a house flag. More than one house flag may be flown on the port halyard, but with caution as too many might appear vulgar to some.
The Ensign shows the country of registry of the vessel and indicates its nationality. A UK flagged vessel must wear her ensign as required by the Merchant Shipping Act, which includes when entering or leaving a foreign port and on demand.
Land flags
The Union Jack, Welsh Dragon, the Crosses of St Andrew, St George and St Patrick and the EU flag are primarily land flags and must not be flown at sea as an Ensign by cruising yachtsmen. At sea the cross of St George is the flag of an Admiral and it should therefore not be flown by anyone else, without special dispensation. A vessel flying the St Andrew’s Cross could be mistaken as saying "my vessel is stopped and making no way through the water" as this is the meaning of code flag M which has the same design and the St Patrick s Cross could be misinterpreted as code flag V "I require assistance".


https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge-advice/regulations/Pages/flag-etiquette.aspx

 

[dunedin]

.
Just a reminder that this post was about 'going foreign' - flying anything other than a red ensign from the stern can result in a substantial fine in some countries, I am informed.

My query was really to ask if the 'anything you like on the port spreader' rule is universal.
- W

Certainly quite a few Scottish boats flying the Saltire on the port spreader in the Baltic, Sweden and Norway last summer. Not necessarily any nationalistic reason, but almost to divert conversation away from “so why do you want to leave the EU” that often followed somebody our catching ropes. I noted quite a lot of EU flags on the port spreader for the same reason.
(Red ensign on stern as overseas)

 

[NormanS]

As previously pointed out, Flag "A", although of the same design as the Scottish Saltire, is a very different colour, so could only cause confusion to those afflicted by colour blindness. If you are sailing with colour blindness, you probably have more serious concerns.

 

[dunedin]

As previously pointed out, Flag "A", although of the same design as the Scottish Saltire, is a very different colour, so could only cause confusion to those afflicted by colour blindness. If you are sailing with colour blindness, you probably have more serious concerns.

Think you mean flag M.
Flag A different design and shape. And indeed as “diver down” probably the only flag signal other than Q still in use in the real world.

 

[NormanS]

Think you mean flag M.
Flag A different design and shape. And indeed as “diver down” probably the only flag signal other than Q still in use in the real world.

Whoops! Yes of course I should have said flag M. Senior moment.

 

[Kukri]

Think you mean flag M.
Flag A different design and shape. And indeed as “diver down” probably the only flag signal other than Q still in use in the real world.

Flag, B, G and H are also in everyday use. I also think M was meant.

 

[claymore]

Flag A will do - Webcrust is always diving down somewhere or other

 

[Kukri]

The fact that Jardine Matheson's house flag features the Scottish Saltire is simply because it was a company originally established by Scots. But I suspect that you knew that.

My avatar ("two cockroaches fighting over a beancake") is the company crest of their quondam arch rivals...

 

[webcraft]

.
OK, supplementary question . . .

Where can I get a decent correct colour saltire courtesy flag??

- W

 

[FlyingGoose]

.
OK, supplementary question . . .

Where can I get a decent correct colour saltire courtesy flag??

- W

https://jimmygreen.com/courtesy-flags/77143-courtesy-flags
they also do the Lion Rampant

 

[dunedin]

Flag, B, G and H are also in everyday use. I also think M was meant.

Not sure I have ever observed any of these flags in use on a yacht. And in big ships the tiny flags are rarely visible anyway.
It is generally clear when a ship is in pilotage mode (big ship in waters requiring a pilot, either a suitably qualified skipper or pilot on board) and confident that all pilots now requested via (satellite) phone and/or VHF. Extremely rare these days that pilot boat base is even in sight of ships coming in.