Saturday, April 20, 2013

Do you have a flag?

One of the key pieces of the Dorsett's safety equipment was missing when we bought her. The original beehive stern lamp lens was broken. You can see the lens in this page of the 1960 brochure.

Fortunately I was able to source one from a seller on eBay that had some other Dorsett parts listed. I e-mailed him and he had one! We agreed on a price and my "new" stern light lens was on its way.

To compliment the new stern light and to match the 1960 brochure I added a U.S. Yacht Ensign, since this a yacht and all.

U.S. Yacht Ensign
A special flag, looking like the national flag and ensign but with a fouled anchor in a circle of stars in the canton, was created by Act of Congress in August 1848 as a flag to be used by licensed U.S. yachts.

The existence of the Yacht Ensign in United States statute (46 U.S.C. section 109) was repealed by the Vessel Documentation Act of 1980 (Public Law 96–594), which removed several legal provisions pertaining to the by-then obsolete category of "licensed yachts." Nevertheless, owing to its long usage, the yacht ensign is still widely flown by U.S. yachts and pleasure boats in US waters today, continuing a tradition that dates back to 1848.

The United States Power Squadrons' guide to flags and flag etiquette, prepared in consultation with the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, New York Yacht Club, and others, provides that the flag may be flown on recreational boats of all types and sizes instead of the national ensign in domestic waters.

So now my "yacht" has a flag!


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