Good morning
Feronia came without an ensign staff and with no sign of having worn an ensign Now I’ve been out in her a couple of times, I’m not sure that the mizzen sheet won’t foul a transom-mounted flagstaff, particularly when gybing. I see that Castaway’s avatar shows a transom-mounted flagstaff, but perhaps the F33/35 has less boom overhang than the F28/30.
I’m trying to decide whether to fit a flagstaff or to hoist my ensign up the topping lift. A flagstaff would be more convenient but looks like a potential snagging problem. Up the topping lift is a bit awkward and the hoist could never be hauled tight. I don’t dip my ensign to HM warships often - but it would be impossible on a run!
I’d be grateful for responses from other cat ketch owners as to what they do about an ensign.
Thanks
Andy
]We fly two; the Shetland flag (an official flag, but not really an ensign), and a proper Red Ensign, tied to the topping lift with cable ties: we are a British Ship! I had to make a special mount for the ensign staff to angle it aft.
A few years ago, South of Karlskrona, we saw an F30 with an ensign staff attached to the end of the mizzen boom. We didn’t get close enough to see just how it was done, but I took some pictures as we passed. The boat is called ‘Puffin’ I think.
[attachment=0]ensign2.jpg[/attachment
I think that I’ve seen a photo where someone had mounted an ensign staff to the top of their rudder.
There seems to be a flagpole on the top of my F25 rudder into which a 1" pole fits. I haven’t rigged the flagpole for ensigns yet, so I have a bit of line with knots tied around the flag crinkles at the appropriate spacing, and hauled up the spinnaker halyard. One for each of my family’s heritages. Yes, we could dip it should we encounter a US warship on Seneca Lake (one of NY’s Finger Lakes).
