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Old 08-10-2010, 03:40   #1
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Crew Nationality Flag and Other Bits of Etiquette

Hello all. Good to meet you!

I am about to embark on my first bareboat charter (Highland 35 motor cruiser) in the Cote D'Azur. The boat is obviously French registered, so will fly the French colours.

I thought though that I'd like to fly a flag that denoted that the crew were Brits. I guess it's the reverse of a courtesy flag.

Is this a done thing? Is it sensible? And if so, what should I fly? Union Jack or Red Ensign?

And whilst I'm at it - has anyone any top etiquette tips on cruising? Things that tick them off about other boaters, or generally "the thing they never tell you in the books" - would be great to hear your stories!

Cheers,
Paul
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Old 08-10-2010, 03:59   #2
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Yes!! Put your crew flag, or flags, up the port side flag halyard.
They can be good fun and you can include you club flags, company flag (if its that sort of charter), whatever you like, really
We sometimes have a flag with a Kangaroo on it.

By the way, you are correct to ensure you keep the French Flag flying while you are on Charter.
I heard a recent story that the French fined a boat 2,000 Eur because the Charterers whipped off the French flag and put up their own duster!

The charterers were just having fun, but the French were not impressed.
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Old 08-10-2010, 05:02   #3
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Flag protocol would have you fly your own flag(s) on the port side and I've heard that it is good form to fly the starboard side courtesy flag higher than any on the port side.
The French can be finicky, friends of mine whose kids put up a Jolly Roger while anchored in St. Martin were (very politely) asked to remove it by the French Gendarmerie patrolling the anchorage.
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Old 08-10-2010, 05:27   #4
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We fly our courtesy ensign (maritime flag of the nation in which we are sailing) on our starboard halyard, with the Euro ensign underneath it.

On the port side we fly, in descending order, our club burgee (the UK Cruising Association), then a kiwi ensign for Pip, then a (large) rainbow flag for the lesbian nation, and then any other flags which take our fancy - last summer we had a French eco-geste flag for one of their environmental campaigns.

We get lots of questions which makes for friendly encounters. OTOH, it can all be misinterpreted. In Toulon (second largest naval base in France), we were watched a lot by men in black with big guns, which cruised in and out of the darsena regularly. When we took the array down, they lost interest.

Even though we can't be seen as a particularly frightening crew, we were
glad to see that they still have some qualms about what they did to the Rainbow Warrior.
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Old 08-10-2010, 05:39   #5
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Hmmm . . . not to be a spoil sport, but there is no proper etiquette for crew flags - as far as "proper etiquette' you should not do it. Flag of registry on stern, and courtesy flag (or q flag when entering) on starboard spreader is the only 'correct' procedure. (and your club burgee or house flag should fly from the masthead).

Back in the day, flag handling was important because it was a key for of communication. You would not have wanted to create any confusion by hoisting flags with no official meaning.

But yes, I know, its done all the time now by charter boats, and it is 'fun', and most of the time no-one official will care.

"has anyone any top etiquette tips on cruising? Things that tick them off about other boaters"

YES - SET AND TEST YOUR ANCHOR. It's amusing afternoon entertainment watching the charter boats try to anchor, but its not so amusing at 2am when they start dragging.
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Old 08-10-2010, 07:56   #6
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I like it.. good responses. Particularly tips on how not to look like a Greenpeace boat when French Special forces are watching, the incredible range of flags hoisted (and that if you have a multi-cultural, multi-faith, multi-everything crew, you may need more halyards to accommodate...) and the things your kids can do to get you in trouble with the gendarmes!

And yes, anchoring is my biggest fear! Have even booked a day of mooring practice before we go, in which anchoring is going to be my biggest thing! I don't want to be one of those being laughed at, but no doubt will!

Thanks all!
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Old 08-10-2010, 08:37   #7
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Quote:
And if so, what should I fly? Union Jack or Red Ensign
I suspect you mean the "Union Flag", The "union jack" is a Union flag on a Jack staff, which is the perogative of Her majestys warships. You as a lowly commoner, never get to fly that flag on your boat. Charles I brought in that restriction "upon pain of Our high displeasure" in the 17th century and its remains law to this day.

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Old 08-10-2010, 08:57   #8
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Originally Posted by Zanshin View Post
... is good form to fly the starboard side courtesy flag higher than any on the port side.
And the size of your courtesy should be proportional in size to the flag of registry.
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Old 08-10-2010, 09:00   #9
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then a (large) rainbow flag for the lesbian nation
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Old 08-10-2010, 09:03   #10
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I suspect you mean the "Union Flag", The "union jack" is a Union flag on a Jack staff, which is the perogative of Her majestys warships. You as a lowly commoner, never get to fly that flag on your boat. Charles I brought in that restriction "upon pain of Our high displeasure" in the 17th century and its remains law to this day.

Dave
Well Done, Dave! I don't consider myself to be all that crusty but correct terminology and correct useage of flags and ensigns is one of the signs of a proficient sailor, I reckon.

(I once pointed out to a snotty young "captain" of a gorgeous yacht in Antigua the terrible mistake he was making in flying the White Ensign. The Owner, being a member of the RYS, would have been entitled, provided he also flew the RYS burgee at the masthead and provided he was onboard, complete with the entitlement warrant. No warrant, No burgee, no owner! This kid had a rather "so what?" attitude until I told him the amount of fine that I, as a Naval Officer, could pretty arbitrarily have had levied. This was a bit of a fib actually as I am on the retired list - but he got the message) Tony
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Old 15-10-2010, 04:50   #11
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bvimatelot - even retired you still retain your commission, so you could seize the flag and send it to the Queen. Those EU ensigns are particularly nasty and I am on the look out for someone wearing it as an ensign.

As a Brit, I fly the pilot jack (like a QHM flag without the crest) at the jack staff to denote brits and a blue ensign with the RNSA burgee at the masthead, courtesy flag at stbd outer, DBA burgee at Stbd inner, Noord Brabant flag at port inner (ship made in Brabant Netherlands) and something else at port outer - VNF/drapeau de navigation etc.

This is quite a good UK MoD dit on flags - http://www.luxe-motor-kei.co.uk/docu...andEnsigns.pdf
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Old 15-10-2010, 06:11   #12
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Ah, Colin - Its a long time since I read QR&AI! I seem to recall that the only ones who had this authority were active list executive branch - so really I had "two invalidations" in that I was a Pusser!

Anyway - if you're over this way, look me up - I'm the HLO here! Tony
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Old 15-10-2010, 08:01   #13
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I asked this on the rec.sailing news group (yes it was a very log time ago) and finally got a consensus answer that I follow.

The Queen flies the flag of foreign dignitaries under the port spreader while they are on board.



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Old 15-10-2010, 10:15   #14
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I asked this on the rec.sailing news group (yes it was a very log time ago) and finally got a consensus answer that I follow.

The Queen flies the flag of foreign dignitaries under the port spreader while they are on board.



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Not much else to say, really!!
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Old 17-10-2010, 01:37   #15
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I think one should consider exactly why you want to fly your own national flag in someone else's back yard - when not the flag of boat registry.

Flags themselves are never important, it's what they represent.

A bit of fun?.......or a display of ignorance.............marking and claiming territory.............a claim to superiority over the locals?...........or a challenge to them?

I would suggest that if not willing to display your family coat of arms onboard (IMO a little bit tacky) that perhaps a house flag would be more appropriate.........
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