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 Bermuda, a fl ag with a plain red maritime ensign 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. ensigns to the canton 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 Flags, 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 vexillology 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.