Nautical Flags

BURGEES & ENSIGNS

BURGEE

The flags on recreational boats are a centuries-old tradition that, to this day, indicate where you are from and to which club or organisation you belong.

The club flag, regardless of shape, is referred to as a burgee, which is a distinguishing flag of a recreational boating organisation. They are usually in the shape of a pennant, while other variations have angular indentation forming two tails.

Members of a yacht club may fly their club burgee when underway or while at anchor. They are usually flown from the top of the foremost sailing mast or from the lowest starboard spreader on that mast. The most common position to attach a burgee on a power boat is on a short staff at the bow.

The rules on when to use your burgees, as commonly agreed, are as follows: At the home waters of your yacht club, you should fly your club's burgee. If you are in neutral waters, you can fly the burgees of any clubs to which you belong. However, if you are on a cruise that is organised by a particular club, you should fly that club's burgee.

If you belong to several clubs, it is commonly accepted that your main burgee will be the club in which your yacht is kept or the club where you are most involved. If you are in the vicinity of another club or participating in an event organised by another club of which you are a member, you should fly the burgee of that club near your location or the club organising your event. When you are racing, you do not fly a burgee.

Within a club’s hierarchy, unique burgees may be granted to members of rank such as commodores, vice- and rear- commodores; even a past commodore can be given an exclusive shaped flag. These traditions vary from club to club, so ask your commodore for an explanation. The etiquette surrounding the centuries-old traditions of burgees is becoming distorted as the evolution of yachts and boat designs play a factor on the old rules. On modern vessels, the mast is equipped with an array of electronic instruments, spinning and moving power-generating equipment and antennae. Modern-day flag practices must be well thought out, while keeping yachting traditions in mind.

ENSIGN When a yacht is in foreign waters, or when entering and leaving a harbour, it should fly an ensign, or a national flag. In the remotest of cases, you might be signaled by a warship to raise your ensign. This flag should be flown from the stern of the yacht. A ship’s captain will also fly the signals that show his affiliations or loyalties. These flags are flown on pig sticks which are connected to a halyard so that when raised to the top of the mast, they extends above the mast, allowing the flags to be seen flying above the boat's sails or they can be flown on the port spreader on the mast.

There is no clear rule of size for custom-made flags, though generally it is recommended that the Australian ensign red or blue should have a flag size of one-inch per foot of boat. So if the boat is around 54ft, you can use a 1.5yd (138cm) flag.

The Gold Coast is fortunate to have a dedicated flag shop that stocks a range of ensigns and maritime signal and code flags. Palmer Flags also custom-make burgees and can organise quantity printing of club burgees.

www.palmerflags.com.au

Palmer Flags The Flag Shop

Flagmakers & Designers Since 1981 Manufacturers of Australian, International and Maritime Flags Flagpoles Installation and Service PH. 55 722 334

BLUE WATER 480 Ideal as a tender or trailer boat

The SKiP brand is named after the old Norwegian word "skip" meaning “little ship”. SKiP Inflatables specialise in tough lightweight aluminium hulled RIBs. The SKiP Inflatables range of aluminium tenders has over 40 different models, ranging from 2.0m to 8.3m in length. In Australia, SKiP Inflatables are distributed via their Gold Coast warehouse, which has the full range of tenders on display with many different colours in stock.

BLUE WATER SERIES: DESIGN AND LAYOUT The SKiP Inflatables Blue Water series is designed as a tough, yet lightweight tender for larger cruising yachts. The open deck layout maximises space, which, in combination with the aluminium targa bar, makes for a very versatile tender – great for fishing, water sports, or just exploring extended waterways with the added safety that RIB provides. The targa bar is an ideal place for navigation lights, radars, antennas and aerials due to its high vantage point. It also offers a tow point for water sports, keeping the towrope high and clear of the prop, and is also fantastic for fishing accessories, like rod holds and cutting boards.

All control cables and wiring are cleverly concealed under the floor in looming trays, keeping decks clear and wiring high and dry above the bilge. Another great design feature is the overpressure valves installed in each air chamber that allow excess pressure to be released from the tubes, in case of a collision or the tube having been over inflated. Other key features include deluxe closed-cell foam cushions with piping, Davit lifting points, double transom tow points, forward anchor locker, and choice of centre or side console. The Blue Water range is designed with harsh conditions in mind. The integrated long-range 80L fuel tank, full non-slip deck, and a 20°-deadrise will let you take on even the roughest conditions confidently. With the impermeable qualities of the aluminium hulls, there is no need to worry about gel coat chips, or putting the boat on a coral beach or trailer. Aluminium will not delaminate over time, retaining its agile performance and weighing the same in 10 years time.

THE BLUE WATER 480: ON THE WATER Our test boat for this review is the Blue Water 480, powered by a Yamaha F70. The hull is constructed with a 4mm thick marine-grade 5052H32 aluminium, and the inflatable collar is an ORCA®828 CSM coated fabric. ORCA®828 is used in commercial boats up to 6m in length. It is the best fabric currently available to withstand abrasion, high temperatures, and UV rays. Aluminium offers many advantages over fibreglass-hulled tenders, in weight, savings and durability.

With the beautiful Gold Coast weather, we could not resist getting the boat out on the water for some water sports. With between four and five people in the boat all day, towing a skier was no problem at all. With the fuel tank up forward, the boat bow rise is really reduced when getting up on the plane. These boats are light for their size and are very manoeuvrable, with the inflatable collar proving extremely stable at rest.

Underway, this boat was a lot of fun to drive. As we headed out through the Tweed River Bar, we found that the hull was predictable and very responsive. This is a soft riding dry boat and your passengers will be pleased with the ride quality, especially on longer trips.

Ideal as a tender for larger motor yachts, the BW480 is equally suitable as a trailer boat towable by smaller family vehicles and easily stored in a modest space with the tubes deflated.

The performance numbers below were taken with two adults in the boat in calm conditions. However, in choppy conditions, the numbers would not differ greatly as this is where a welldesigned RIB really starts to perform at its best in comparison to other boat designs. SPECIFICATIONS Model: SKiP Blue Water 480 ALX Hull length: 4.8m Beam: 2.04m Deadrise: 20 degrees Inside length: 3.8m Inside width: 1050mm Tube diameter: 480mm Hull weight: 242kg incl. built-in fuel tank, console and seats Total boat weight fitted w/ F70hp Dry: 392kg Weight of trailer and boat combined (ATM): 652kg Maximum power: 80hp Engine as tested: Yamaha 70hp four-stroke Fuel: 80L Flotation standard: Level Maximum number of persons: 11

Priced from: $29,995 including a Yamaha F50 long shaft four-stroke outboard with hydraulic steering and Yamaha dual digital engine gauges; or $31,695 as shown, with the Yamaha F70. Add $2,394 for an Oceanic single-axle galvanised steel unbraked trailer.