hey folks -
As they say in the radio business - first time caller, long time
listener....
this is more of a light topic - but I was recently in one of the many
local marine store in my neighborhood for the first time - (there are
quite a few in Seattle).
We happened upon the section of the store that sells flags for your
boat, some serious, some not so... commodore flags, diver flags, and
even jolly roger flags.
My friend and I joked about getting one for my small 18' foot runabout
boat - but we were warned that flying such a flag regardless of size of
boat would garner unwanted attention from coast guard, police, and
fellow boaters. We heeded the warning, but thought it was odd to hear
such a thing in todays times.

Has anyone heard of such a scenario when people flew a jolly roger flag?

wrote:
hey folks -
As they say in the radio business - first time caller, long time
listener....
this is more of a light topic - but I was recently in one of the many
local marine store in my neighborhood for the first time - (there are
quite a few in Seattle).
We happened upon the section of the store that sells flags for your
boat, some serious, some not so... commodore flags, diver flags, and
even jolly roger flags.
My friend and I joked about getting one for my small 18' foot runabout
boat - but we were warned that flying such a flag regardless of size of
boat would garner unwanted attention from coast guard, police, and
fellow boaters. We heeded the warning, but thought it was odd to hear
such a thing in todays times.

Has anyone heard of such a scenario when people flew a jolly roger flag?


I haven't. Especially on an 18' runabout.

A friend of mine has a 26 ft. small cruiser with a tall radio antenna.
On the top of it he has tied on some chicks G-string bikini bottom.
When it gets ratty, he changes it out for another. Seems like a never
ending supply, and, maybe he's been lucky, but no flack from any gov't
authorities.

"Tim" wrote in message

I haven't. Especially on an 18' runabout.

Well I guess you don't know me. I do just that. Considering I'm in a
business that relieves boaters of the contents of thier wallets, it's all
the more funny.


A friend of mine has a 26 ft. small cruiser with a tall radio antenna.
On the top of it he has tied on some chicks G-string bikini bottom.
When it gets ratty, he changes it out for another. Seems like a never
ending supply, and, maybe he's been lucky, but no flack from any gov't
authorities.

Authorities? I'd be more afraid of flak from my wife!

-W

Clams Canino wrote:
A friend of mine has a 26 ft. small cruiser with a tall radio antenna.
On the top of it he has tied on some chicks G-string bikini bottom.
When it gets ratty, he changes it out for another. Seems like a never
ending supply, and, maybe he's been lucky, but no flack from any gov't
authorities.

Authorities? I'd be more afraid of flak from my wife!

-W

Use your wife's G-string.

wrote:
hey folks -
As they say in the radio business - first time caller, long time
listener....
this is more of a light topic - but I was recently in one of the many
local marine store in my neighborhood for the first time - (there are
quite a few in Seattle).
We happened upon the section of the store that sells flags for your
boat, some serious, some not so... commodore flags, diver flags, and
even jolly roger flags.
My friend and I joked about getting one for my small 18' foot runabout
boat - but we were warned that flying such a flag regardless of size of
boat would garner unwanted attention from coast guard, police, and
fellow boaters. We heeded the warning, but thought it was odd to hear
such a thing in todays times.

Has anyone heard of such a scenario when people flew a jolly roger flag?

The Jolly Roger is now considered a "private signal", not a pirate
signal.
Flying one from just about any boat won't get you into any trouble at
all with any sort of law enforcement suspecting you of being a pirate,
but it will tend to label you as a sort of boater who doesn't take the
activity seriously and *that* might, possibly, get you a closer look by
harbor patrol or the USCG. Experiened boaters will give you a wide
berth, not because they think you're a pirate but because if you're
going to do something as lubberly as fly skull and crossbones who know
what other goofball move you have in store.

And in fact, the skull and crossbones version of the "pirate flag" may
never have flown on any pirate ship before Errol Flynn started shooting
movies in Hollywood. The private signals of some of the more infamous
sea raiders (Blackbeard, etc) have been recorded by historians and they
have two things in common: Each is fairly unique to the ship or captain
that flew it, and none is exactly the skull and crossbones that we call
the Jolly Roger.
Darts, hourglasses, Satan, skeletons, etc were popular motifs. The dart
and the hourglass was intended to communicate, "time is running out,
surrender your ship and live or we will take it by force and you are
likely to die".

The term Jolly Roger is itself a corruption of the French term for
"Colorful or beautiful red banner". The last thing you wanted to see if
approached by a ship of seagoing thieves was the red banner hoisted
aloft; it meant that once battle was engaged there would be no quarter
given and that no prisoners would be taken; a fight to the death of one
side or the other.

Unless you want to look the serious fool, my opinion would be to pass
on the skull and crossbones.

Hmm, I wouldnt fly one myself but why would a Jolly Roger make anybody
look any more foolish than some of the faux sailing stuff people do.
Every time I see someone wearing a captains hat I groan inside thinking
"What a doofus". "Burgees" put me in that mind too although I can
understand part of the reason for having them. Every time I see
someone trying to look "Yachtie" I want to burn and pillage.
Chuck Gould wrote:
wrote:
hey folks -
As they say in the radio business - first time caller, long time
listener....
this is more of a light topic - but I was recently in one of the many
local marine store in my neighborhood for the first time - (there are
quite a few in Seattle).
We happened upon the section of the store that sells flags for your
boat, some serious, some not so... commodore flags, diver flags, and
even jolly roger flags.
My friend and I joked about getting one for my small 18' foot runabout
boat - but we were warned that flying such a flag regardless of size of
boat would garner unwanted attention from coast guard, police, and
fellow boaters. We heeded the warning, but thought it was odd to hear
such a thing in todays times.

Has anyone heard of such a scenario when people flew a jolly roger flag?

The Jolly Roger is now considered a "private signal", not a pirate
signal.
Flying one from just about any boat won't get you into any trouble at
all with any sort of law enforcement suspecting you of being a pirate,
but it will tend to label you as a sort of boater who doesn't take the
activity seriously and *that* might, possibly, get you a closer look by
harbor patrol or the USCG. Experiened boaters will give you a wide
berth, not because they think you're a pirate but because if you're
going to do something as lubberly as fly skull and crossbones who know
what other goofball move you have in store.

And in fact, the skull and crossbones version of the "pirate flag" may
never have flown on any pirate ship before Errol Flynn started shooting
movies in Hollywood. The private signals of some of the more infamous
sea raiders (Blackbeard, etc) have been recorded by historians and they
have two things in common: Each is fairly unique to the ship or captain
that flew it, and none is exactly the skull and crossbones that we call
the Jolly Roger.
Darts, hourglasses, Satan, skeletons, etc were popular motifs. The dart
and the hourglass was intended to communicate, "time is running out,
surrender your ship and live or we will take it by force and you are
likely to die".

The term Jolly Roger is itself a corruption of the French term for
"Colorful or beautiful red banner". The last thing you wanted to see if
approached by a ship of seagoing thieves was the red banner hoisted
aloft; it meant that once battle was engaged there would be no quarter
given and that no prisoners would be taken; a fight to the death of one
side or the other.

Unless you want to look the serious fool, my opinion would be to pass
on the skull and crossbones.

Pillage, THEN burn.
JR


Frogwatch wrote:

Hmm, I wouldnt fly one myself but why would a Jolly Roger make anybody
look any more foolish than some of the faux sailing stuff people do.
Every time I see someone wearing a captains hat I groan inside thinking
"What a doofus". "Burgees" put me in that mind too although I can
understand part of the reason for having them. Every time I see
someone trying to look "Yachtie" I want to burn and pillage.
Chuck Gould wrote:

wrote:

hey folks -
As they say in the radio business - first time caller, long time
listener....
this is more of a light topic - but I was recently in one of the many
local marine store in my neighborhood for the first time - (there are
quite a few in Seattle).
We happened upon the section of the store that sells flags for your
boat, some serious, some not so... commodore flags, diver flags, and
even jolly roger flags.
My friend and I joked about getting one for my small 18' foot runabout
boat - but we were warned that flying such a flag regardless of size of
boat would garner unwanted attention from coast guard, police, and
fellow boaters. We heeded the warning, but thought it was odd to hear
such a thing in todays times.

Has anyone heard of such a scenario when people flew a jolly roger flag?

The Jolly Roger is now considered a "private signal", not a pirate
signal.
Flying one from just about any boat won't get you into any trouble at
all with any sort of law enforcement suspecting you of being a pirate,
but it will tend to label you as a sort of boater who doesn't take the
activity seriously and *that* might, possibly, get you a closer look by
harbor patrol or the USCG. Experiened boaters will give you a wide
berth, not because they think you're a pirate but because if you're
going to do something as lubberly as fly skull and crossbones who know
what other goofball move you have in store.

And in fact, the skull and crossbones version of the "pirate flag" may
never have flown on any pirate ship before Errol Flynn started shooting
movies in Hollywood. The private signals of some of the more infamous
sea raiders (Blackbeard, etc) have been recorded by historians and they
have two things in common: Each is fairly unique to the ship or captain
that flew it, and none is exactly the skull and crossbones that we call
the Jolly Roger.
Darts, hourglasses, Satan, skeletons, etc were popular motifs. The dart
and the hourglass was intended to communicate, "time is running out,
surrender your ship and live or we will take it by force and you are
likely to die".

The term Jolly Roger is itself a corruption of the French term for
"Colorful or beautiful red banner". The last thing you wanted to see if
approached by a ship of seagoing thieves was the red banner hoisted
aloft; it meant that once battle was engaged there would be no quarter
given and that no prisoners would be taken; a fight to the death of one
side or the other.

Unless you want to look the serious fool, my opinion would be to pass
on the skull and crossbones.




--
--------------------------------------------------------------
Home Page: http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth

Frogwatch wrote:
Hmm, I wouldnt fly one myself but why would a Jolly Roger make anybody
look any more foolish than some of the faux sailing stuff people do.
Every time I see someone wearing a captains hat I groan inside thinking
"What a doofus".

I agree up to a point on the captain's hat. There's nothing wrong, IMO,
with wearing a cap with a bill to shade the eyes from sunlight. I guess
this could be a Hooter's cap, a Yankees cap, or a cap splattered with
white paint and embroidered with the phrase "damn seagulls!"! I wear a
simple, black, "Greek fisherman's" hat that isn't the least bit ornate.
Now, make that a high white hat with a shiny black bill, a fouled
anchor on the crown and even the first suggestion of "scrambled eggs"
and I'd be agreeing with you whole heartedly.


"Burgees" put me in that mind too although I can
understand part of the reason for having them. Every time I see
someone trying to look "Yachtie" I want to burn and pillage.


Burgees serve a very practical purpose, as they identify members of
various power squadrons and yacht clubs and convey some particular
privileges as a result. We've been in and out of clubs over the years,
but we're in again and will probably stay with the club we joined about
a year ago. My club dues are about $500 a year, but I easily saved that
last summer by taking advantage of free reciprocal moorage as we cruise
through our regional islands. You need to fly a burgee to get the
recip. My club also owns and leases some "outstation" properties where
members can stay free of charge, but once again members are required to
fly a burgee when doing so. A burgee also expresses a certain amount of
pride in belonging to a specific organization- not unlike an NRA or
Ducks Unlimited bumper sticker. When a person belongs to a very large
club or squadron, and particularly when a person is a new member, the
burgee helps to identify other members of the same organization and
that can be a good "ice breaker" in a strange port.

Speaking of flags.....
A couple of years ago, I picked up a U.S. Union Jack at a local flea
market for the tidy sum of $.50!! Its 30 in. wide and 45 in. long,
complete with a brass swivel snap. My question is: does anyone have
an idea of what size ship it may have came from? It a USN nomenclature
number also. It hangs in my family room with some other nautical stuff
and and gets more comments than anything else.

Thanx, Norm

N.L. Eckert wrote:
Speaking of flags.....
A couple of years ago, I picked up a U.S. Union Jack at a local flea
market for the tidy sum of $.50!! Its 30 in. wide and 45 in. long,
complete with a brass swivel snap. My question is: does anyone have
an idea of what size ship it may have came from? It a USN nomenclature
number also. It hangs in my family room with some other nautical stuff
and and gets more comments than anything else.

Thanx, Norm


Follow this link:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/07/0712.htm

About six photos from the top of the page you will see a crewman
hoisting The Navy Jack, and it appears to be maybe the next size up
from yours. I'd guess closer to 40 X 60. This photo was taken aboard a
445-foot, 2750 ton Oliver Perry class frigate. Assuming the Navy Jack
and the Union Jack are the same size and scaled to the ship
accordingly, my guesstimation is that your jack would be appropriate
for use aboard ships closer to 300 feet in length. (Probably more than
almost anybody would need for the family fishing boat). :-)