Flags and Signals – A Guide to Etiquette and Usage
The display and use of flags is a time-honored tradition that has its roots in the early days of the British navy, and continues to be a mark of differentiation between the yachtsman and the mere boater. As Queene Hooper Foster explains in her guide to boating etiquette, on the 130 foot J-Class yacht Endeavor, “it represents a tremendous effort on a daily basis to observe colors and it indicates a great deal about that yacht and how she operates. Surely lesser vessels can observe colors without complaining that it’s too much work.” (Chapman’s Nautical Guide to Boating Etiquette, Hearst Marine Books, 1990)
The National Ensign and the
The term “national ensign” refers (on US registered
ships, of course) to the flag of the
The US Yacht Ensign replaces the 50 stars of the canton with a circle of 13 stars and the fouled anchor. It was designed in 1848 by the New York Yacht Club at the request of the Secretary of the Navy to distinguish private yachts from commercial vessels and warships. It is flown in place of the national ensign, but only in domestic waters.
In the world of ensigns, size does indeed count. An ensign should be a minimum of one inch on the fly (the long way) for every foot of boat length, rounded up. A 29’ sloop, for instance, should fly at least a 30” ensign. Larger ensigns are acceptable, and look rather smart.
The ensign should always be flown from the position of highest honor, whether on shore or afloat. On a boat, the position of honor is the stern of the vessel, since that has traditionally been where the captain’s cabin was located. The peak of a raised gaff is also acceptable for those of us fortunate enough to have gaffs to raise. The ensign may also be sown into the leach of the mainsail. This is a common practice on beetle cats, and indeed Maid Meriel, when not flying her over-sized ensign from the stern flagstaff, flies an ensign sewn into the leach of the main.
Interestingly enough, questions often arise about the position of the yacht club burgee relative to the national ensign on the Club’s flag pole. Since the burgee is higher than the ensign, people are sometimes under the impression that the ensign is slighted by the arrangement. In fact, the ensign flies on the yacht club’s equivalent of a gaff, so though lower in height it remains higher in honor.
The Burgee
Foster quotes Commodore Frank Snyder of the New York Yacht Club: “If you don’t know where the top of your mast is, don’t fly the burgee.” It should be flown from the top of the forward-most mast on a sailboat, and on a power boat from a bow staff. There is no provision for flying the burgee from the starboard spreader, unless the top of the mast is occupied by another flag.
No doubt this declaration will be met with resistance and skepticism by many. The installation and use of a pig stick is not trivial, and getting the burgee up to the top of the mast, free of halyards and instruments, is no simple task. In response to snide remarks from my fellow sailors I can only rebut: “If you don’t want to mess with a pig stick, perhaps you’d be more comfortable in something that starts with a key.”
The burgee is flown from 8am to sunset, but always follows the ensign up, and precedes the ensign down. Make sure you fly the burgee right-side up. EYC’s burgee contains a fouled anchor, not a bent umbrella.
The Private Signal
A private signal, or house flag, is chosen by the owner to identify his vessel – or, in some cases, his fleet. It is similar in size and shape to the burgee, and the rules for flying it are similar also. It should replace the club burgee at the top of the mast of a single-masted vessel. Two-masted vessels have the advantage of flying both the burgee and the private signal, the latter on the mizzen of a ketch or a yawl, or the mainmast of a schooner. In the case of a power boat, the private signal replaces the burgee at the bow staff. If (and only if) you fly a private signal from the mast of your single-masted vessel would it be considered appropriate to fly the burgee from the starboard spreader. Flag officers flags are, in essence, private signals, and should be flown as such.
Other Really Cool Flags
My favorite flag remains the Union Jack. It’s the blue background and fifty stars of the canton without all those silly stripes. It is flown from a bow staff or secured vertically to the forestay. US Navy ships get to fly theirs whenever they are at anchor. Yachts should fly the Union Jack from 8am to sunset on Sundays and holidays, and only while at anchor or at the dock. Make sure the pointy end of the star is up. Flying the Union Jack upside down ruins the effect.
The owner absent flag, a blue square, is flown from the starboard spreader to indicate that the owner is not on board and that the boat is in the care of another. When guests or family members are on board, the guest flag can be flown. Similar to the owner absent flag, this flag sports a diagonal white line.
Signal Flags
My first introduction to the use of signal flags was on my very first club event afloat, at the Kickamuit River some years ago. I was anchored some distance from a graceful wooden boat when all of the sudden a stream of flags went up the halyard. Within a half-hour, the vessel was surrounded by dingies from each of the other yachts. Some time after sunset the guests all left, weaving their way back and forth (in what I later realized could accurately be described as “a drunken manner”) and eventually back to their respective vessels. Determined never again to miss an invitation, I became an aficionado of the use of code flags.
In this age of cell phones, pagers and radios, many think the simple code flag has lost its relevance. But think for a moment of the occasion described above. How else would Lark have extended an invitation to party? No one wants to sit in harbor listening to the marine radio on the off chance that rum will be made available. Call each yacht via cell phone? Impractical and expensive. Yell and scream across hundreds of feet of water? Quite undignified. The signal flags were not only the seaman-like way of gathering the fleet, they were the best way. (Except for me, of course, who drank alone until someone was nice enough to stop by and explain.)
The signal flag set contains 40 flags representing 26 letters of the alphabet, 10 numerals and four special flags… 3 repeaters and an answering pennant. They are usually used in one, two or three letter/number combinations with which an amazing variety of information can be exchanged with relative ease and stunning visual effect.
The Signal Code
The signal code provides a method of communicating a wide variety of meanings by using signal flags. There are two signal codes widely used at sea. The first, the International Signal Code, is described in depth in H.O. 102, published in the US by the Defense Mapping Agency’s Hydrographic and Topographic Center. It contains almost 200 pages of codes to be used when communicating with other vessels, from the mundane “I have a pilot on board” (the signal flag H, or Hotel) to the much more interesting “I am abandoning my vessel which has suffered a nuclear accident and is a possible source of radiation danger” (AD, or Alpha-Delta). Many of these signals have practical applications in every day usage. Yankee-Golf, “You appear not to be complying with the traffic separation scheme,” might serve as a gentle reminder to obey the rules of the road and India-Alpha-Eight might describe the consequences of ignoring the previous signal.
The second signal code is used between yachts of the same club, or squadron. It is usually specific to the club in question and is contained in the Club’s General Sailing Orders or a similar publication. Like other clubs, EYC has its own signal code, derived from the New York Yacht Club but with local additions such as Bravo-Xray, “My finger pier is sinking. I require assistance” and Bravo-Kilo, “you are welcome to raft with me.” A complete rendition of the EYC signal code is available from Theo Aschman and is also reproduced on the Club’s website. Having a copy on board, along with a set of code flags, will provide hours of endless amusement and ensure that you don’t drink alone in a crowded anchorage.