What is a courtesy flag?

The courtesy flag is flown at the boat’s starboard spreader, whether the ensign is at the stern staff, or flown from the leech. If there is more than one mast, the courtesy flag is flown from the starboard spreader of the forward mast.

There is no legal requirement to fly a courtesy flag. It is simply a gesture of courtesy that a visiting vessel should fly the foreign nation’s ensign when they enter and operate in its waters.

However, it is common practice, and generally speaking, courteously accepted in many countries, to hoist the courtesy flag above the Q flag in anticipation of clearing customs and immigration. On a mast with spreaders, the courtesy flag (or Q) should be flown at the starboard spreader.

Sailors and all other boaters who are United States citizens may choose between two flags, the usual 50-star national flag known as the ensign, or a special flag called the yacht ensign that, in place of the 50 stars standing for the states, depicts a fouled anchor on a field of 13 stars.

quarantine flag in American English noun. Nautical. a yellow flag, designating the letter Q in the International Code of Signals: flown by itself to signify that a ship has no disease on board and requests a pratique, or flown with another flag to signify that there is disease on board ship. Also called: yellow flag.

A courtesy flag is flown at the starboard spreader. In legal terms, there’s nothing wrong with flying a flag on a different mast, but for many its seen as breaking the traditions of flag etiquette. In cases where a boat has more than one mast, it must be flown from the forward most mast.

The White Ensign is for the exclusive use of the Royal Navy, and for private citizens to fly it on land is inappropriate, and on sea definitely illegal. It certainly is subject to controls on land. It flies at RN shore bases (technically commissioned warships in their own right) and at the Cenotaph.

Ensigns were created to allow easy identification of the nationality of other vessels when at sea, so they are not required when travelling waterways, or on landlocked lakes. … This is because many people fly the Red Ensign on land to celebrate the annual Merchant Navy Day.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Conqueror flying the Jolly Roger after the sinking of General Belgrano in the falklands war in 1982. The flag is legal to use. You can also fly the confederate navy flag if you like!

A courtesy flag (or courtesy ensign) is flown by a visiting ship in foreign waters as a token of respect.

Most merchant ships flying Panama’s flag belong to foreign owners wishing to avoid the stricter marine regulations imposed by their own countries. Panama operates what is known as an open registry. Its flag offers the advantages of easier registration (often online) and the ability to employ cheaper foreign labour.

Why Do Cruise Ships Fly Foreign Flags? Cruise ships fly foreign flags in order to benefit from laws and regulations in other countries. Flying a foreign flag affects employment, taxes, and many other regulations that may be favorable for the cruise line.

The black flag is a racing flag used to signal a driver’s disqualification. In sail racing, when the black flag is displayed with the preparatory signal, a boat that is over the starting line in the minute before the starting signal is immediately disqualified without a hearing.

Two types of flags are used to indicate diving activity. … A blue-and-white International Code Flag A (or Alpha flag) must be displayed on boats involved in a diving activity.

Vessels are required to fly the red flag when they are bunkering, or being refueled. The flag can also mean the vessel is taking on or discharging dangerous goods. At night time, when flags are not visible, lights are used instead.

Red flag is high hazard meaning high surf and/or strong currents. Yellow flag is medium hazard meaning moderate surf and/or currents. Green flag is low hazard meaning calm conditions, exercise caution. Purple flag means dangerous marine life spotted.

The nautical theme of the logo matched the show’s title. For “Blue Peter” is actually the name of a simple naval signal flag, flown by ships as they prepare to leave port. The sight of a blue square around a white square being hoisted up the masthead alerted crew and passengers that the ship was ready to make sail.

10 Relationship Yellow Flags A yellow flag is not as serious as a red flag. These are signs of potential red flags, but they can very well be acknowledged and worked on. Sometimes they even turn out to be misunderstandings. A yellow flag just means proceed with caution!

United States Ensign Your boat should wear it from 0800 until sunset, and when you enter or leave port during daylight or at night, weather and rig permitting. While in port, if you leave your boat and will not return before sunset, lower and stow the national ensign before you go.

It is proper etiquette to only fly ensign flags from 0800 to sunset unless you’re in a boat race outside those hours. It is also important to take this flag down before leaving your boat if it is unmanned at sunset. If you take your boat into international waters, you should fly your national flag.

Most US and EU yacht owners choose to register their vessels under foreign flags. The flag of the vessel determines who is responsible for regulating and inspecting the vessel. The flag nation also determines under whose laws and jurisdiction the vessel operates (local port state laws may also apply).

The White Ensign is worn at the mastheads when Royal Navy ships are dressed on special occasions such as the Queen’s birthday, and may be similarly be worn by foreign warships when in British waters when dressed in honour of a British holiday or when firing a salute to British authorities.

There are no restrictions on the size of the flag, however the flagpole must not exceed more than 4.6 metres above ground level. Without planning consent, however, check with your local council as they may be happy with you having a larger pole without consent.

The RAF Ensign is defaced with the red-white-blue RAF roundel, while the field of the civil air ensign is charged with a large dark-blue cross fimbriated white.

The Red Ensign or “Red Duster” is the civil ensign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. … It is the flag flown by British merchant or passenger ships since 1707.

flag of a British crown possession, flown subordinate to the Union Jack, that consists of a red field (background) bearing a central triskelion, or triskele, of three bent legs joined together at a central point. The Manx triskelion is one of the oldest continually used government symbols.

The Red Ensign is the Merchant Civil Ensign. The White Ensign is the Royal Navy Ensign. The Blue Ensign is used for an Officer in the Royal Naval Reserve or for ships in Public Service.

There’s no telling exactly what the Jimmy Carter was doing at sea, as its missions are probably among the most closely guarded secrets in the U.S. Navy, but submarines fly those pirate flags when they return from a mission after some kind of “operational action.”

quarantine flag. noun. nautical the yellow signal flag for the letter Q, flown alone from a vessel to indicate that there is no disease aboard and to request pratique or, with a second signal flag, to indicate that there is disease aboardAlso called: yellow flag, yellow jack. Q.

Flying a Jolly Roger was a reliable way of proving oneself a pirate. Just possessing or using a Jolly Roger was considered proof that one was a criminal pirate rather than something more legitimate; only a pirate would dare fly the Jolly Roger, as he was already under threat of execution.

No flag should ever fly above the American flag. The American flag, or ensign, on any U.S. boat should be flown at the stern.

Given the comparatively higher costs of operating a U.S. flag vessel, privately-owned and operated ships remain under U.S.-flag only if there is dedicated cargo to move. … Other factors, such as the decline of non-military cargo volumes have also contributed to the decline.

If the receiving station cannot clearly distinguish or understand the signal, it keeps the answering pennant at the dip and hoists one of the following signals: ZK—”I cannot distinguish your signal.” ZQ—”Your signal appears incorrectly coded.

Why Do Ships Register In Liberia? … Ships register overseas to save boatloads of money on labor, says one cruise official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. For a ship to fly the Stars and Stripes it must be owned and crewed by Americans, making it subject to U.S. labor laws, including the minimum wage.

The simple answer to this question is because there is a 1830s law on the books that states that foreign-flagged ships are not supposed to transport passengers from one U.S. port to another without stopping in a foreign country. … The cruise ship must be owned by a U.S. company. It must also be registered in the U.S.

According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Panama, Liberia and Bermuda are all countries that have reciprocal tax agreements with the U.S., so none of the aforementioned cruise lines pay federal taxes in the U.S. However, they do pay docking fees to the U.S. ports they visit.

N°Country (or territory)Gross tonnage (millions)World1,034.31Panama215.8European Union205.12Liberia123.8

A diver down flag, or scuba flag, is a flag used on the water to indicate that there is a diver below. … Internationally, the code flag alfa/alpha, which is white and blue, is used to signal that the vessel has a diver down and other vessels should keep well clear at slow speed.

Meaning. Racing Committee flag. Used to show where committee boat end of the start line is. Orange start flag. Shows where the start line ends.

The Z flag when combined with four number flags (The leading two denoting hours, the trailing two denoting minutes) indicates Z Time (also called Zulu Time), a military and maritime term for Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) (formerly called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)).