So now that we are in a Burgee buying frenzy...

[brackish]

 ...does anyone want to share the details of their flag halyard?  I don't have one rigged up yet, but am about to have two Burgees, a TSBB and a CPYOA. 

I attach my U. S. Flag to my backstay using some heavy duty zip ties with screws loops permanently attached to the stay and split rings on the flag, works great, but I think Burgees are supposed to be on a Halyard from the starboard spreader.  How have you attached that halyard, and what do you use to attach the Burgees?

[Vipersdad]

Here are some sections of a Burgee Etiquette pamphlet I created for the Sailing Club at UW-Madison.  We have them out at the counter where the burgees are sold.

What are Burgees?

Almost every Yacht Club has a unique Burgee (flag) that identifies their member's boats.  There's a lot written about etiquette on how to fly your Burgee depending on vessel type.  Modern sailing vessels fly the Burgee from a lanyard under the starboard spreader on the mast, while many older sailing vessels fly the burgee from the main masthead.  Power boats fly the Burgee off a short staff on the bow.

Hoofer Sailing Club Burgee




The red  W  represents the University of Wisconsin, the four blue sections represent lakes:  Mendota, Monona, Wingra, and Waubesa.  The white STAR represents the location of the Sailing Club on Lake Mendota.

Ensign:  The most senior position for a flag on a vessel is reserved for the Ensign - this is as close to the stern of the vessel as possible.
The U.S. yacht ensign [definition] features a blue canton (the rectangle at the upper corner nearest the staff) having 13 white stars and a fouled anchor. Originally devised as a signal to identify documented yachts to relieve them of certain customs formalities, it is now flown on recreational boats of all types and sizes instead of the national ensign in domestic waters.  As the Ensign takes the senior position on a vessel, the order of precedence for positions for flying other flags is: 2) masthead, 3) starboard spreader, 4) port spreader. This assumes a simple plan of one halyard per spreader.  Marconi-rigged sailboats may fly the ensign from the leech of the aftermost sail (or from the back stay), approximately 2/3 the distance up its length. This puts it in about the same position it would occupy if the boat were gaff-rigged.

Burgees:  Traditionally, the burgee is flown at the main masthead. A burgee must match a special Ensign if one is worn and it should always be higher than the Ensign. Flag etiquette states that only one burgee is flown at a time, but it is not uncommon nowadays to see yachts flying more than one burgee.

Starboard Spreader:  The starboard spreaders are used for signaling. This is where both a courtesy flag and the Q flag, as signals, should be flown. These days it is becoming increasingly common for yachts to fly a burgee from the starboard spreaders because of instrumentation sited at the main masthead. Again, legally there is nothing wrong with doing so but this practice presents a number of problems for those who wish to adhere to the traditions of flag etiquette.

Port Spreader:  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 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.

Sizing Your Flags:  The sizes and condition of flags are important. They should not be tatty and should not hang in the water, but should still be large enough to be seen.  The best advice is "what looks right" but a rough guide is:

Ensign:  The general guideline for the size of Ensign used to be an inch per foot of yacht, but on many modern yachts this is found to be a little on the small side for the vessel to look "well dressed". Roughly speaking a 3/4 yard Ensign should look right on a boat of 21-26 ft, 1 yard for 27- 34 ft, 1 1/4 yard for 35 - 42 ft, 1 1/2 yard for 43 - 50 ft and 1 3/4 yard for 51 - 60 ft, but some discretion may need to be applied.

Burgee:  A burgee of 15" in the fly (the horizontal measurement) should look appropriate on vessels up to 34 ft. This increases to 18" for up to 42 ft, 24" for up to 50 ft and 30" up to 60 ft.

V.

[Jon898]

The "easy" way is to have an eye screwed to the underside of a spreader and have some light line form a loop through the eye and make it off at a convenient place either at the mast or at a chainplate.  The problem with this approach is that the burgee will tend to wrap itself up each time you gybe, and will wrap around the shroud as well if the eye is too close to the end of the spreader.  All this is workable and you see many boats using the starboard spreader this way even though a lot of references (e.g. Chapmans) tell you this is wrong and to use the main masthead for a burgee.

Flying from the masthead is traditional but would seem to present the conundrum of how to fly a flag so that it does not tangle itself around the mast, mashead light, possibly VHF aerial, Windex, etc..  Flying from the masthead is also about the only option if you don't have spreaders (catboats, CP16, etc.).

The approach I've used for a masthead mount is to sew the burgee onto a rod (steel or brass) that has two loops formed at each end, offset from the rod (about an inch seems to work) and at right angles to the rod.  The lower loop is sized to pass over and rotate around a suitable wooden (could be aluminum, but I've never seen that) cane (1/2-inch seems to work), and the upper loop is screwed loosely (use washers) to the top of the cane.  You now have a cane (mine was about three times the length of the hoist of the burgee, but in any case long enough to have the burgee clear the junk at the top of the mast) that has the burgee attached to it and free to rotate around it.  The next task is to hoist this to the masthead.  The nicest way to do this is to have a turning block at the masthead (typically at the 4 o'clock position to keep clear of the mainsail sheave) rigged with an endless loop of light line long enough to make fast close to the gooseneck.  You then attach the light line to the cane (I used a pair of opposing rolling hitches) and hoist the cane to the masthead, much as a topmast is hoist on an old gaffer.

Sorry I don't have a photo of a burgee on its cane, but you end up with something that looks like a giant version of a Holt Racing Burgee ( http://www.jimmygreen.co.uk/item/7413/holt-racing-burgee ) without the counterbalance weight.

Jon

[BruceW]

I'm glad you asked this one, Brackish.

In my previous boat, I had a topping lift that was a continuous loop through a block at the top of the mast. It was easy to fly flags, burgees, etc from this.

Now, I don't have but a single line topping lift, so I've been wondering how to do the halyard thing.

I might try a spare halyard with a downhaul line on it to see how it goes; sure, it might foul up with all that stuff up high, but until I see a better idea on this thread, which I hope to do, I'll have that as my idea going forward.

Bruce

[Vipersdad]

I fly my sailing club burgee on my starboard spreader.  I use 1\8 "  braided nylon and I use a roll of tape for a weight and throw it over the the spreader.  I then tie it together to make a continuous loop and I secure to a stantion base.   I use small brass snaps attached with cow hitches to the line.

V.

[brackish]

I fly my sailing club burgee on my starboard spreader.  I use 1\8 "  braided nylon and I use a roll of tape for a weight and throw it over the the spreader.  I then tie it together to make a continuous loop and I secure to a stantion base.   I use small brass snaps attached with cow hitches to the line.

V.

So nothing permanently attached to the boat?  Does the Burgee tend to slide out to the end of the spreader?  any problem with it trying to wrap around the upper?

[Vipersdad]

So nothing permanently attached to the boat?  Does the Burgee tend to slide out to the end of the spreader?  any problem with it trying to wrap around the upper?

I seesaw the line out to the end of the spreader and put some tension on the line when I secure it on the deck.  It doesn't seem to wrap around anything.

V.

[brackish]

I seesaw the line out to the end of the spreader and put some tension on the line when I secure it on the deck.  It doesn't seem to wrap around anything.

V.

OK, I like that plan.  I have a bunch of those tensioning devices you use for tent guy lines, think that would be just the thing to have a no new holes in the boat flag halyard.

[BruceW]

How about this idea?

At the time of main sail raising, I can put a loop of paracord into the shackle for the main. This would be long enough to reach the end of the boom shackle where the topping lift  hooks on. Vee-ola! A flag halyard that you can raise and lower whatever you want!

I like those flag hook gizmos posted above, too. I will have a look at them.

[brackish]

How about this idea?

At the time of main sail raising, I can put a loop of paracord into the shackle for the main. This would be long enough to reach the end of the boom shackle where the topping lift  hooks on. Vee-ola! A flag halyard that you can raise and lower whatever you want!

I like those flag hook gizmos posted above, too. I will have a look at them.

If I understand what your suggesting, that would only allow you to fly the burgee when the main is up?  Often I want to fly it while anchored. If you do that remember to allow enough line to slack it for various points of sail, like you would have to do with an adjustable topping lift.

[BruceW]

Yes, that would be the flaw in the plan. I suppose I could run the halyard up with main disconnected, while at anchor, and use the flag-halyard as a downhaul.

It's a bit of rigamarole, but easy to do.