National flag etiquette

[Frank Langer]

Hi,

We are Canadians, sailing in Canadian (BC) waters, and will be travelling to the San Juan Islands in the US this summer. We normally only fly a Canadian flag on Canada Day (July 1st), but otherwise don't fly any flags, other than our yacht club burgee when we are visiting another yacht club.

We would like to fly a Canadian flag and an American courtesy flag while we are in the San Juan Islands, but are unsure about size and placement and protocols. Can someone advise on the correct ettiquette for our 30 foot sailboat?

As well, if there are any requirements other than the skipper presenting at Customs for clearance before anyone disembarks, please advise on that as well. Our boat is licensed in Canada and meets all Canadian Coast Guard safety/equipment regulations.

Thanks,
Frank

 

[Morgan Stinemetz]

American flag

Frank,

You fly a small American courtesy flag after you have been cleared in by Customs and Immigration and are allowed to take down your yellow Q flag. It is flown from a flag halyard attached to the starboard side spreader. Every sailboat should have one. When I went to Cuba last, I flew the Cuban courtesy flag. Then someone came along and nicely told me I had it upside down. Oh. Good thing I was wearing my CIA hat. And had brought a lot of baseballs. When entering the US, bring a lot of rags and give them to Customs and tell them they are for cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico. We are having some problems there.

Morgan Stinemetz

 

[Frank Langer]

Thanks for your reply, Morgan. Yes, I have been following the news about the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It is such a shame, especially for the folks living there and for all the wildlife affected by these events. We can only hope that they get a handle on it soon, and that regulators worldwide take note, to minimize the likelihood of similar incidents in the future. I have heard that it takes over 100 years for the effects of such spills to be dealt with completely!

Thanks again!
Frank

 

[DevinWalker]

You can bring some of those rags to my yacht club

The oil is now in beautiful Mobile Bay but thankfully not in the river where the Mobile Yacht Club basin is ... yet. We'll see how much longer the Thursday night fun races last