Quote:
Originally Posted by Collingwood
a - Tugtyee's burgee has much merit but it is not a burgee - it is a pennant. A burgee is a flag with two tails if I remember my seamanship lessons correctly
b - I am of the opinion that a true burgee (two-tailed) looks better than a pennant, but that is just a matter of taste
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Yacht club burgee
Members belonging to a yacht club or sailing organization may fly their club's unique triangular burgee both while underway and at anchor (however, not while racing). Traditionally, the burgee was flown from the main masthead, however it may also be flown from a small pole on the bow pulpit, or even the starboard rigging beneath the lowest starboard spreader on a flag halyard.
Traditionally, the first time a member of one club visits another, there is an exchange of burgees. Exchanged burgees are then often displayed on the premise of each, such as at a club office or bar.
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Pennant
Or historically called a pennon, is a long narrow flag which conveys different meanings depending on its design and use. Specific pennants might include:
* A commissioning pennant, or masthead, which a warship flies from its masthead and indicates the commission of the captain of the ship (and thus of the ship itself). In the Royal Navy, the commissioning pennant is a small St George's Cross with a long tapering plain white fly. In the United States Navy, it is red above white, with seven white stars in the blue hoist. The commissioning pennant may be displaced by various rank flags, namely the flags or pennants of admirals or commodores, and the personal flags of heads of state and members of royal families.
* A church pennant, as used by the Royal Navy, European Navies and Commonwealth Navies, is a broad pennant flown on ships and at establishments (bases) during religious services, and has the George Cross and Dutch flag incorporated chosen after the English Dutch Wars where both sides stopped for Church on a Sunday.
* A Senior Officer Present Afloat pennant using the NATO signal flag for "Starboard" is green on the hoist and fly with a white field between.
* A Gin Pennant means that the wardroom is inviting officers from ships in company to drinks. The origins of the Gin Pennant are uncertain, but it seems to have been used since the 1940s and probably earlier. Originally it was a small green triangular pennant measuring approximately 18 inches by 9 inches (460 by 230 mm), defaced with a white wine glass, nowadays the gin pennant is a Starboard pennant defaced with a wine or cocktail glass. Its colour, size and position when hoisted were all significant as the aim was for the pennant to be as inconspicuous as possible, thereby having fewer ships sight it and subsequently accept the invitation for drinks.The Gin Pennant is still in regular use by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Within the RAN it is common practice, whilst in port, for junior officers of one ship to attempt to raise the Gin Pennant on the halyard of another ship, thereby forcing that ship to put on free drinks for the officers of the ship that managed to raise the pennant. If, however the junior officers are caught raising the pennant, then it is their ship that must put on free drinks within their Wardroom. Usually this practice is restricted to Commonwealth Navies, however in the past, prior to increased force protection, RAN officers have successfully raised the Gin Pennant on a number of units in the USN
Maritime flags