Making your own Courtesy fl ags on the fl y Be prepared for visiting foreign ports

by mArcIe cOnnelly-lynn

When Nine of Cups arrives in Indonesia, Marcie will be ready with her homemade courtesy fl ag.

lags have been fl ying for more world so we could identify foreign- I’m sure there are other sources, but than 5,000 years. One of their fi rst fl agged vessels and also with a thought Sailrite had everything I needed in F uses was for identifi cation at sea. to making courtesy fl ags. Nowadays, it one convenient online catalog and the It has long been customary for vessels would be just as easy to download free prices were reasonable. visiting foreign ports to fl y a miniature clip art of country fl ags for places you If you’re heading for the Caribbean version of the host country’s national intend to visit. Books about making or , a fl ag with a plain red maritime as a courtesy fl ag. On a your own courtesy and signal fl ags are fi eld is easy to make. Just sew two sailboat, the proper etiquette is to fl y this available, and so are kits, but I found it pre-purchased 3- x 5-inch British fl ag at the starboard spreader. pretty easy to fi gure out myself. to the and you have a We have sometimes had diffi culty I purchased a yard each of nylon courtesy fl ag for Bermuda and for the fi nding courtesy fl ags prior to arriving in a fl ag fabric in various colors along with British Virgin Islands. An all-navy fi eld country, and they tend to be expensive — all the other materials I needed from fl ag with the same British ensign in the $20 to $50 — when we do. For the most Sailrite when we started cruising in canton constitutes a courtesy fl ag for part, depending on the intricacy of the 2000. Though I’ve made lots of fl ags, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and fl ag design, we’ve found that making our I’ve never had to replenish my stock. the Turks and Caicos. As I write this, we own is the easiest, least expensive, and most convenient way to go. The results two pieces of webbing aren’t perfect, but our courtesy fl ags sandwiched over nylon edge tight cord stitched inside FritZ seegers by iLLUstrations pass the 20-foot visual test when fl ying at fold the fl y end onto itself, then the starboard spreader. While I’m all for fold and triple stitch the hem saving money, saving time counts as well, so I cut corners when possible. A simple sew these pieces together fi rst courtesy fl ag, not counting labor, costs with a fl at felled seam less than $1. Adding an emblem or other detail increases the cost, but no courtesy fl ag has ever cost me more than $4.

Designs and colors Shortly after moving aboard, I purchased a book showing country fl ags of the Resources Marcie’s little fl ag book Collins Gem , by Carol P. Shaw

Sailrite Making a simple two-color fl ag, like that of Indonesia, takes few www.sailrite.com steps and would be an ideal project for a novice fl ag maker.

32 Good Old Boat July/August 2013 www.goodoldboat.com The fi eld of the Indonesian fl ag is two horizontal color bars, so the fi rst step in making the fl ag is to sew them together, at left. The webbing reinforcement at the hoist carries the tension in the halyard, center. Marcie marks her fl ags so she will always hoist them right side up, at right.

will soon be heading to Asia, so I chose apply two rows of stitching. The fi eld of is the fl y and which is the hoist, by the to make the simple red and white fl ag of the fl ag is now complete. way. Otherwise you might fi nish with an Indonesia for illustration purposes. Next, fi nish the top and bottom fl y upside-down fl ag! edges using two rows of stitching to I make the hoist with 1-inch webbing Simple assembly secure the edges fi rmly in place. The fl y (from retired jacklines). I cut two First, decide what size fl ag you wish end of the fl ag takes the brunt of the pieces of webbing the width of the to make and the appropriate ratio of wind action. It fl aps and perhaps hits nearly fi nished fl ag. I’m not picky at this length to width, then measure and against the stays on occasion. With this point — if the fl ag’s width is 12, 12½ , or cut the fabric. Increase the width and in mind, it needs extra reinforcement. 11¾ inches, it’s fi ne with me. Measure length measurements to allow for seam Using basting tape, fold the fabric over your fl ag and sandwich as much of the allowances on all sides. ¼ inch onto itself, and then fold over hoist end of the fi nished fl ag as you can, I like to keep things easy. Since another inch. Stitch three rows across but at least ½ inch, between the two the Indonesian fl ag is bi-colored with the width of the fl y. Triple stitching will pieces of webbing. Stitch only the inside two horizontal color fi elds (red over provide the reinforcement necessary edge to the fl ag to secure it temporarily. white) and I wanted a fi nished fl ag to allow your fl ag to fl y longer without The plan diverges at this point of about 12 x 18 inches, I measured a fraying. Make sure you know which end to accommodate two methods for 7- x 20-inch strip each attaching the fl ag to the of red and white nylon fl y edge halyard. Grommets add a material. Note that the nice touch to the hoist of measured pieces include the fl ag and allow the fl ag an extra ½ -inch width on canton to be attached to the fl ag all four sides of each strip. fi eld halyard with line or fl ag This allows for fi nishing hoist clips. An easier and less the outside rough edges fl y end costly solution is to use an as well as for adding a odd piece of small stuff (a iLLUstrations by FritZ seegers by iLLUstrations charge 1 seam allowance needed 24-inch length of ⁄8-inch to join the two colors line will do) stitched into lengthwise. Because the the hoist. The fl ag is just fl y end requires a bit more as easy to attach to the fabric for reinforcement, fl y edge halyard using this method. I added 2 inches instead We have loops in the of just 1 inch to the longer fl y halyard so we can attach dimension of both pieces. our courtesy fl ags with Sew the red and white Lexicon of tiny bowlines. strips together lengthwise. If you decide to use I use double-sided adhe- Canton – upper corner of the fl ag next to the hoist grommets, stitch around sive basting tape to keep Charge – any design or emblem on the fi eld all four edges of the the pieces in place while Field – the background of the fl ag webbing. Then add grom- I sew them. The tape Fly – the horizontal length of the fl ag while fl ying mets evenly spaced at can be left in place after Fly end – the end of the fl ag that fl ies in the breeze (and quickly each end of the hoist and sewing. Sew the two becomes frayed) you’re done. If you choose pieces together, overlap- Hoist – the vertical width of the fl ag while fl ying as well as the end not to use grommets, fi rst ping the edges so no raw attached to the halyard or staff lay a 24-inch length of Vexillology – the study of fl ags and their history 1 edges are exposed and ⁄8-inch line between the

www.audioseastories.com July/August 2013 Good Old Boat 33 Making your own | courtesy fl ags on the fl y

two pieces of webbing, then stitch all Materials needed for making fl ags four edges of the webbing, sewing the • nylon fl ag fabric 4-ounce line into place at the same time. (red, green, blue, white, yellow, black), 1 yard each Fun with fl ags • A fl ag reference book or An easy fi rst project is to make an clip art with good color all-yellow quarantine fl ag. The Q fl ag photos or renditions of must be fl own when entering a new national fl ags country until you have been legally • Sail tape (red, green, cleared into that country. Just cut out blue, white, yellow, black) the yellow fabric and fi nish the edges. Add webbing to the hoist with grom- • Sturdy 1-inch webbing mets or line for attaching to the halyard for the hoist and voilà . . . a new Q fl ag. • double-sided adhesive 1 If you’re not going to another basting tape, ⁄4-inch width country any time soon, you could make Grommets (and grommet • your own signal fl ags. These are easy, tool) and fl ag clips or 1 economical, and fun. Even if you don’t • Small line ( ⁄8-inch) for race, you can use these fl ags to dress attaching the fl ag to the your boat for special occasions or to halyard spell out the name of your boat. • Odd-colored felt squares What about the U.S. fl ag? I fi nd it (turquoise, light blue, plus Red sail-repair tape is an ideal material for making details like the too diffi cult and complex to make the basic colors above) to appliquéd stars on a courtesy fl ag for New Zealand. with all those stars and stripes. I went match the fl ag colors of shopping on eBay and found I could countries to be visited buy a quantity of U.S. fl ags made of • A sewing machine, if available, but fl ags can be made by hand stitching. nylon for about $5 each. Although less expensive than those at the local chandlery, they seem to hold up for about 3 to 6 months (depending on wind, weather, and sun), or about as long as I’d expect the more expen- sive varieties to last. Since they’re cheaper, I’m still ahead fi nancially if I replace them more often. I didn’t stop at courtesy fl ags. When we want to celebrate a holiday in port or at a deserted anchorage (and we do celebrate every holiday), we fl y holiday fl ags. Rather than wasting my white nylon for these fl ags, I have used old canvas sail material for the fi eld and cut out a simple but appropriate design, such as a green shamrock or a red heart, from felt and stitched it on. Sometimes, I just remove one design and stitch on another using the same white fl ag background. Having a white fl ag aboard also allows us to surrender in any naval games in which we might participate.

Marcie Connelly-Lynn and her husband, David, have lived aboard Nine of Cups, their 1986 Liberty 458 cutter, since 2000 and have sailed more than 70,000 nautical miles. They’re currently exploring the south coast of Australia. Visit their website: www.nineofcups.com.

34 Good Old Boat July/August 2013 www.goodoldboat.com Introducing . . . Tips I’ve learned along the way or most flags, the charge is not all that When nylon material is not avail- Fimportant. The color construction and able in the color I need, I have used felt overall design of the flag itself is what squares — which hold up surprisingly really counts. There’s no close inspection well in wind and weather. You can stitch when it’s flying at spreader height. two together to make the appropriate If the flag wears out while you’re length as needed. visiting, you can usually find inexpen- I cut design motifs, such as stars, out sive flags at local dollar stores. If you’re of colored sail tape or felt and stick or in a boatyard or marina for an extended stitch them in place on the flag. Once period of time, it’s reasonable to roll up I make a cardboard pattern for a design, the flag to protect it from wind and sun. such as a star, I keep it for future use. Some countries have very similar Most national flags are rectangular, flags.T hose of Ecuador, Venezuela, and but they do not all have the same ratio The bigger the boat, the bigger the appropriate-sized courtesy flag. A suspense novel written for sailors by sailor/author, Tom Wells. Colombia, for instance, look pretty much of width to length. If you’re a purist and the same except for the charge. I used want to make your flags to scale, you’ll Paul Findlay is living his dream, sailing the the same flag for all three countries . . . need to know the ratio for each one of Great Lakes aboard his beloved sailboat eliminating the charge (yup, that’s a pun!). them. Our little flag book provides the and writing about his voyages to pay the On the hoist, I mark the direction for width-to-length ratios for all the flags, bills. When Paul receives a cryptic call for help from his old college roommate, Rich the top of the flag with arrows, so we’re but you can find the information on the Perry, the dream quickly turns into a night- never embarrassed or show disrespect Internet or ignore this detail and make mare. A deadly game of cat-and mouse by flying a country’s flag upside down. them all 2 to 3. across the greatest of the Great Lakes Several Caribbean islands belong The size of a courtesy flag depends begins . . .and the cat has all the modern to either Britain, France, or the on the size of the boat on which it’s advantages. Netherlands. Having the courtesy flown.T he bigger the boat, the bigger flags from these three countries the appropriate-sized courtesy flag. On About the Author - aboard goes a long way toward being our Liberty 458, Nine of Cups, we usually Author Tom Wells is an engineer, a long- prepared for visiting these islands. fly a 12- x 18-inch courtesy flag. time sailor, and a Contributing Editor and Since many courtesy flags incorporate Only one courtesy flag is normally boat reviewer for Good Old Boat magazine. the Union as part of flown at a time. However, if more than He has a sequel in the works, featuring their design, I bought several small (3- one is flown, the host country’s courtesy Paul Findlay and his sailboat in another x 5-inch) flags for about $1 each on the flag should be flown above any other nautical setting. Internet and incorporated them into the flags on the same hoist. An example flags I made for the BVIs, Cayman Islands, might be a flown superior Bermuda, and Turks and Caicos. to a state or provincial flag. What readers are saying - This book is addicting. It practically reads itself ... [Superior Run] could be the offspring of Tom Clancy meeting Sandra Brown on a Great Lakes cruise ... Tom Wells’ knowledge and passion of sailing and the Great Lakes makes this a richer read, enough to whet your interest in one of the most beautiful spots on Earth. I will be awaiting the sequel(s). — Dave, NY An imaginative plot and excellent narrative pull the reader in. — John, RI Superior Run is a true sailor's novel. — Karen, OR Available through: Amazon, Kindle Reader, Barnes & Noble, and Tower Books. www.audioseastories.com July/August 2013 Good Old Boat 35