Before we started this adventure one of the questions I had, one of thousands, was when and how to fly a courtesy flag.
What is a Courtesy Flag?
A courtesy flag is the flag you fly of the country you are in to show all other vessels and government officials that you are properly checked into that country.
Usually the courtesy flag is the flag of the nation you are visiting. Occasionally the nation has a specific courtesy flag that is similar to the country flag. The Bahamas has a situation like this.
Q-Flag
A Q-Flag or quarantine flag is just a yellow flag, the same size as the courtesy flag that you fly upon entering the a country’s waters. The yellow Q-Flag signals your intention to check in to the country that you have just entered. Typically you are expected to check in immediately after entering, some countries are pretty strict about this and some are pretty relaxed about it.
So let’s say you’ve had a rough passage and enter and anchor at first light and you want to get a couple hours of sleep before going to check in. Most places this is ok, but some places this is not acceptable. Check on noonsite.com and local facebook groups to see how stringent the local government is with this process.
After checking in you come back to the boat, take down the quarantine flag and hoist the courtesy flag. It’s that simple.
How to Get a Courtesy Flag
It is best to purchase a courtesy flag prior to entering the country you intend to check in at. However, this is not always possible. If you enter a country and do not have the appropriate courtesy flag you can usually get it in the country at a chandlery or other local store. Asking customs and immigration when you check in is a good start.
If you are cruising around the Caribbean, because there are so many different countries, it is best just to buy a bunch of courtesy flags of the countries you are likely to visit. If your intention is to cruise from the US to the Bahamas for the winter, that makes it pretty easy.
Some people have been known to sew up their own flag if they don’t have one. The French and Dutch flags are pretty simple, others would take a professional seamstress. Sewing your own courtesy flag is perfectly acceptable.
Starboard Spreader
On a sailboat you would fly the courtesy flag on the starboard spreader. Most sailboats have two flag halyards, one that goes from somewhere near the base of the mast or a shroud or stay up to the spreaders or some other attachment point up the rig. If your rig is a little different that’s ok, just do the best you can. On a trawler or other motor vessel without a mast you need to see how to put it up on an antenna or other implement near the top of your boat. Some powerboats have dedicated flag halyards, with some you just have to improvise, like using some cable ties to attach it to a vhf aerial antenna.
Showing Respect
It is customary to fly the country flag higher than any other flag. Some countries don’t care or make a big deal about it, others might take great offense. So, basically what we do is fly any other flags, the ones on our port spreader two feet below the courtesy flag. A couple of locals in Grenada noticed that we did this and it greatly endeared us to them. They really appreciated it.
Additionally, you need to keep the courtesy flag in a good state. If you are at one place for several months, the flag is probably going to get pretty tattered. This is when you need to replace it.
Make sure you fly your courtesy flag in the correct orientation. The locals will notice if the flag is upside down. I know this from experience.
Other Flags
Other nationality flags, yacht club flags, pirate flags, no shoes nation flags. These are to be flown on the port side flag halyard below, or in deference to, the national flag on your starboard spreader.
If you are on vacation, chartering a boat in the BVI and you want to fly your home yacht club burgee, it is ok to do so on the port spreader.
We typically fly our American flag to denote our nationality, if we have crew on board we will fly their country flag. I nearly always have a Gadsden flag below our American flag. We’re big believers in liberty and freedom. You can fly whatever you want pretty much on the port spreader.
When to Take it Down?
We take down our courtesy flag upon checking out of the country. Now sometimes we don’t actually leave right after we check out, but we still take down the flag after checking out. Most countries allow for a window of a day or so after you check out before you have to officially leave the country. Some countries expect you to leave immediately.
Home Waters
In most countries if you are in your home waters and your boat is registered in that country then you just fly your ensign, or home country flag, on the back of your boat. In the US it is also acceptable to fly it from the back of the mainsail or topping lift. But no need to fly a courtesy flag because you are in home waters.
Wear and Tear
Flags wear out pretty quickly with sun and wind exposure so we don’t fly them all of the time. We usually take everything down when on passage, especially a very long one. We also take them down if a storm or very strong winds are expected. This will rip flags to shreds in very short order.
Flying flags is a centuries old naval tradition still practiced today. Enjoy and have fun with it.
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