colind3782
Well-Known Member
Apparently, the GC are stopping and boarding any boat in the Bay of Roses that isn't flying the correct and properly flown Spanish courtesy flag.
Spanish courtesy flag
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RobbieW
Well-Known Member
Which is the correct courtesy flag ? With the crown or without
jordanbasset
Well-Known Member
I was told when I was in Spain that the flag with the crown on it was for Spanish owned leisure and Commercial vehicles, but for courtesy flags of 'foreign' vessels it was the plain one without the crown. Could be wrong of course
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
Got mine from Nauticalia. It is shown with crown and shield on the pack, but the flag is plain R-Y-R
westernman
Well-Known Member
That will piss off a lot of French boats.
colind3782
Well-Known Member
With the crown, apparently.
alan_d
Well-Known Member
Surely the point of a courtesy-anything is that to omit it is discourteous rather than illegal.
colind3782
Well-Known Member
This is secondhand from a local friend. I'm there in two weeks so I'll check it out myself.
nigelmercier
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The only courtesy flags they sell in Tenerife have the crown, but what would be the point of a Spanish courtesy flag for Spanish owned vessels?
jordanbasset
Well-Known Member
Just to clarify, in relation to Spanish owned vessels I was referring to the ensign. I was told at a Spanish chandlers and they could have been wrong of course or just run out of Spanish courtesy flags with the crown on it
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Having stopped in seven Spanish ports on my trip UK/Med, I can only conclude that there is no consistency in the choice of crown/plain. Both present roughly in equal numbers.
jordanbasset
Well-Known Member
Agree with that, but also found on the North Coast most of the ensigns were the ones without the crown
snowleopard
Well-Known Member
Some local officials are inclined to exceed their authority. I have heard of cases where the Q flag is flown below the courtesy flag and little local Hitlers have taken exception to hauling them down temporarily to remove the Q.
Or has someone been upsetting the officials by flying a Catalan flag?
How many of us fly a regional courtesy flag in place of the national one? I generally do in Brittany.
Or has someone been upsetting the officials by flying a Catalan flag?
How many of us fly a regional courtesy flag in place of the national one? I generally do in Brittany.
BrianH
Well-Known Member
Are you sure they are courtesy flags and not small ensigns?
Here in Italy the ensign has the Italian coat of arms in the centre of the plain tricolour, while the courtesy flag is the country tricolour. I know this having got it wrong and been lectured by my good friend, the general, ex-military attaché at the Italian embassy in Germany and a stickler for flag etiquette. My defence was that it was impossible to buy the correct thing locally as all the chandlers had were ensigns for the local Italians and I had improvised with a small one intended for the many runabouts that still like to fly flags. It was only in the Düsseldorf boat show this year that I could get the correct plain Italian tricolour and bring an approving nod when I pointed it out to him.
Oscarpop
Well-Known Member
Interesting, we are sailing down the nw Coast of spain and so far the cg has approached us , looked at the boat and passed us by 3 times. 2 days ago in a marina they were about to hammer a UK yacht next to us over something. while one cg was on board his yacht, I asked his surly mate whether he wanted to see us or our papers ( using a mariñero to translate). He looked at the boat and said " not your boat". I wonder whether it was the ensign thing?
We purchased ours in the UK and it has no flag on it.
We purchased ours in the UK and it has no flag on it.
westernman
Well-Known Member
I think the courtesy flag has no crown nor anything else on it. The ensign does.
Generally the CG or Customs are looking for drugs or for Spanish citizens not paying their taxes. A lot of Spanish, French and Italian owned boats fly a red ensign and some have been avoiding paying wealth or other taxes.
They rarely check anything just on the off chance. There is almost always some other intelligence from somewhere which will make them investigate.
Generally the CG or Customs are looking for drugs or for Spanish citizens not paying their taxes. A lot of Spanish, French and Italian owned boats fly a red ensign and some have been avoiding paying wealth or other taxes.
They rarely check anything just on the off chance. There is almost always some other intelligence from somewhere which will make them investigate.
KellysEye
Well-Known Member
>but for courtesy flags of 'foreign' vessels it was the plain one without the crown. Could be wrong of course
Foreign flagged yachts should fly the flag with the crown it is the official Spanish flag, the one without the crown isn't. As told to us by a Spanish sailor and confirmed by a member of a chandler staff. Jane speaks Spanish and she asked them a question about the right flag. The best Spanish flag has a bull on it so you could also fly that on the port spreader for fun.
Foreign flagged yachts should fly the flag with the crown it is the official Spanish flag, the one without the crown isn't. As told to us by a Spanish sailor and confirmed by a member of a chandler staff. Jane speaks Spanish and she asked them a question about the right flag. The best Spanish flag has a bull on it so you could also fly that on the port spreader for fun.
muyuu
Well-Known Member
I'd rather fly Gibraltar's courtesy flag than the tacky bull one.
capnsensible
Well-Known Member
The flag with the crown is the leisure vessel ensign. In practice, no one will question the use of the plain one.
RobbieW
Well-Known Member
When I fly a regional courtesy flag it is done under the national one