Flag etiquette for recreational boats has a rich history; flags are how sailing ships communicated at sea before there were radios. Flags can tell a lot about a boat and its crew: where the yacht is from, what yacht club they belong to, and special information about the people on board. What flags you fly and where you fly them is what flag etiquette is all about. On the Saint John River system, basic flag etiquette is simple. Fly your ensign (the national flag) at the stern, your burgee at the masthead, and the cruise flag on the port spreader. If you don’t have a flag halyard at the top of the mast, fly your burgee from the starboard spreader. If your boat doesn’t have a mast you can use a jackstaff on the bow to create a spot for the burgee. The traditional way to fly a burgee at the masthead is with something called a pig stick. It’s basically a flag staff that you attach to a halyard and raise so that the burgee flies above all obstructions at the top of the mast. Two big challenges are stopping the burgee wrapping around the pig stick and having the burgee affect your windex, VHF antenna, anchor light, or anything else at the masthead. It helps to have a tall enough stick to get the burgee above everything and to have a swivel for your burgee. Check out the solutions some of our sailors have for pig stick design, development, and construction. You can also find instructions on the internet to make a pig stick from lightweight rod (wood, plastic, or fiberglass), a wire coat hanger, 2 split rings, a washer, and a tapping screw at: https://stingysailor.com/2022/04/23/pig-stick/

Author’s note: Whatever flags you fly will communicate something to the people who know proper flag etiquette. You may unknowingly be sending the message “I really do not have a clue what to do with flags, I just like to fly them”, or something similar. Learn the basics and leave the skull and crossbones home please.