Blue Ensigns - Premium Sewn

Premium Sewn Ensigns Blue

Top Quality MoD heavyweight woven 100% polyester, triple hemmed, varnished wooden toggle, polyester hoist line.

Manufactured in the UK

Sizes 3/4 yard up to 3 yard 

Made to order

N.B. these flags are produced to order by our flag manufacturing partners in the UK

Premium Sewn Blue Ensigns, Facts, Features and Plus Factors:

• Component panels cut out from top quality UV resistant 100% polyester woven bunting
• Rich colours
• Colourfast and fade resistant
• All panels stitched together to form the full ensign pattern
• Hoist reinforced with special flag webbing tape
• Produced in the UK

Braided Polyester line sewn into the integral hoist tape creating a loop for the toggle fitted at the top and a tail at the bottom as per the photos
Finished with triple stitched hems (outside edges)

N.B. Due to the intricate nature of sewing the 1/2 yard sewn Ensign, the union design is sewn together using the appliqué stitching technique.

Who can fly the Blue Ensign?

A UK registered vessel should fly the national maritime flag, the Red Ensign, unless entitled to fly a special or privileged Ensign.

The most senior position for a flag on a vessel is reserved for the Ensign - this should be flown from as close to the stern of the vessel as possible and denotes the nationality of the vessel.

Entitlement to fly the plain (undefaced) Blue Ensign:

• Members of certain clubs are entitled to wear the plain blue ensign at the stern of their yachts, provided that they have a permit issued by that Club.
• Those certain clubs include the Royal Cruising Club (RCC) the Royal Naval Sailing Association (RNSA) and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Yacht Club (RNVRYC). This list is not exhaustive. We advise you to check whether your club can issue a permit.
• These clubs grant this special permission to their members under a warrant granted by the Admiralty. The permit lasts as long as the yacht registration and must be renewed with the registration every five years. There are also other conditions attached.

Defaced Blue Ensigns i.e. blue ensigns with an additional motif/design on the blue bunting are either:

• Courtesy flags e.g. Australia, New Zealand - Courtesy Flags
• Specific Yacht Club Ensigns - members should apply to their club directly

Sizing and Positioning:

The yard sizing (traditional diagonal measurement) is nominal and may vary slightly due to the nature of the production/sewing process.

Nominal length and height measurements are tabled in the guide below.

Premium ensigns are cut by hand and sewn together on manually operated sewing machines, so the sizes and proportions can vary slightly according to the production batch.

A UK registered vessel should fly the national maritime flag, the Red Ensign, unless entitled to fly a special or privileged Ensign

The most senior position for a flag on a vessel is reserved for the Ensign - this should be flown from as close to the stern of the vessel as possible and denotes the nationality of the vessel.

Selecting the appropriate size for your Ensign:

• The Yard Size refers to the outside diagonal measurement e.g. from the top corner of the hoist to the bottom corner of the fly end.
• The fly is measured along the horizontal length, top or bottom
• The hoist is measured down the vertical length of the left hand side next to the staff.
• The Fly end is the opposite end to the hoist = the end that flies in the breeze

As a guide, your Ensign should be proportionate to the LOA and the style/design of the yacht.

There is an old rule of thumb: an inch per foot of yacht length but this may look rather too small for modern yachts to look "well dressed"

The Ensign hoist measurement also needs to be compatible with the length of the flagstaff.

i.e. The length of the flagstaff between the truck (head) and the cleat must be, at the very least, greater than the hoist measurement so that there is sufficient room to tension the hoist line or halyard

The gap between the bottom of the hoist and the cleat is a matter of personal choice.

A more modern interpretation of suitable Red Ensign yard size is suggested in the chart below but....

Ultimately, the size of a Red Ensign is entirely up to the owner's discretion and if it looks right then it is right

Guide Reference:
Yard Size = traditional method of measurement = length of the diagonal
Finish = Sewn = individual panels stitched together to complete the flag
Fly = nominal length, may vary slightly due to the nature of the production/sewing process
Hoist = nominal height, may vary slightly due to the nature of the production/sewing process
Staff Length = the length overall of the flagstaff, not the measurement between truck and cleat which will be less
LOA = Yacht length overall