YACHT CLUBS OF MARYLAND
PROTOCOL MATTERS
Club Burgees: With boating season fast approaching, it is time once again to think about the yachting tradition of flags and burgees, which to tell others something about the boat and persons aboard. If your boat has a mast with a yardarm, your home club burgee is flown at the top of the mast just as it is flown from your yacht club mast. Most modern style powerboats don’t have a mast with a yardarm, so the correct place for your yacht club burgee is at the bow. If you fly other flags at the bow, place your club burgee as far forward as possible in the place of honor. Having your club burgee stand out also helps people quickly identify the home club of the boat, which they will associate with any office flags flown on the starboard side. Sailboats should fly the club burgee at the top of the mast on a stick that is hoisted up with the burgee attached. If a sailboat cannot fly the club burgee this way, it should be flown at the top of a starboard hoist with any club office flags directly below in order of rank.
Office Flags: If you are a new officer, an old timer with lots of flags, or are one of those busy people holding several offices, the first rule is to fly office flags from your home club on the starboard side and burgees and flags from other clubs on the port side. Flags should be flown for all persons aboard including guests, who are entitled to fly flags.
Flag Placement: In general, the highest flag is the highest rank. In addition, to guide you in placing flags in the proper order, a simple general rule found in many publications such as CHAPMANS, says to go by most to least represented. For example, Past Commodore flags always go below office flags because Past Commodore is a personal flag not an office that serves or represents a number of people. Flags or burgees representing organizations of clubs are flown highest with the largest region covered placed at the top (i.e. international, national, regional, statewide, local). Yachting organizations with individual members such as Blue Gavel come next, following the same order of international to local. After the organizations come clubs and finally individual flags. Office flags on the port side are flown immediately below the organization or club flag to which they belong, except where the office flag has a clear connection with the club or organization. YCM, CCC, and CBYCA are examples where the office flag is sufficient.
If possible, try to place yacht club related flags on different hoists from other boating organizations such as USPS and USCGA. Also, don’t normally mix state or country flags on the same hoists with yacht club and boating organization flags. If they are on the same hoist, the state flag goes on top and everything below the state flag should be from that state. The same for country flags.
Princess Flags: Place under the flag of the senior officer aboard or on a separate hoist. Home club princess goes to starboard and guest club princess goes to port under her club burgee.
U.S. Flag or Yacht Ensign: The United States yacht ensign is one with the white anchor in the circle of stars on the blue field. Either flag is properly flown from a pole rising from the center of the transom, the gaff of a boat with a mast and gaff (trawlers and classic motor yachts often have this rig), from a pole centered and aft of amidships, along the leach (trailing edge) of the aft most triangular sail, or from the gaff of a gaff rigged sail if it is the aft most sail. Some small power boats, especially if an outboard is in the way, will have a pole on the transom corner. Never fly the national flag or yacht ensign forward of amidships or on a starboard or port hoist, except when such flags are for a patriotic display in addition to the properly flown flag (e.g. 4th of July display). A mark of a landlubber who happens to own a boat is the country flag or yacht ensign at the bow.
Till next time. See you around the Bay!
Captain Protocol, Joe Hellner