Hey Folks,
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Rick

Do the winners get brag flags? Those are more useful than tropies, as I can attach them to my main halyard when I'm at regattas....

I need a Xl please.

Right, at the Tradewinds we have traditionally awarded flags for the top 3 places in each fleet.
Blue is for first.
This has been traditional in sailing for over 150 years. Instead of bowling trophies, most of which end up in the trash after a few years, the flags can be flown on your boat to display you winning ways.
At I-LYA Bay Week Regatta at Put-in-Bay, Ohio (Largest fresh-water regatta that began in the 1800s) the entire fleet in the harbor and the cats on the grass are all flying their flags. It is quite a beautiful site.
One guy with a 40' mono with tall mast had won so many flags that he only flew the Blue flags. He used the other colors to make a pair of pants for himself <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Having sailed myself since 1965, Mary and I have a huge collection of flags and fly them at every opportunity.

Pretty neat idea.
So, come to the Tradewinds and win a victory flag.., or Brag Flag. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Rick

What do boats without any halyards do with the flags?

velcro them, or masking tape. It works wonders

Lay the boat over every time you want to attach/detach your flag string.

Rick & Mary,

I'm obviously a neophyte to regatta tradition. Much better than something that sets an a shelf and gathers dust. I've searched and found North Sails makes trophy flags...but if

What are the colors for the "pants material", second and third place?

Seems a few folks don't get the idea how to display Brag Flags. So, check out the attachment

I remember I wrote an article years ago for Hobie Hotline saying that flags make better trophies and one person responded saying it would slow him down. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />
No, you are not supposed to sail and race with them.., you display them while on the beach.

Rick

I don't know about pants, but trophy flags are blue for first, red for second, and yellow for third.

It seems like it would make things a lot easier for regatta organizers if everybody used flags for trophies instead of trying to come up with unique trophies for every event.

And, unlike the usual trophies, flags can be displayed not just to "brag," but to show your personal racing history -- where you have been and what events you have sailed in. And, at the same time, each flag is a little "advertisement" for that regatta.

Most trophies end up in boxes and eventually end up being thrown away. Nobody EVER throws away a trophy flag.
The sailing history displayed in our flags goes back to 1948, because it includes flags that were won by my late father sailing a Lightning and later a Shark catamaran, so it spans generations (and keeps his memory alive for us).

My idea went farther than just trophy flags. I thought it would be good to have participant flags (instead of T shirts), and to have a standard color for participant flags that would be given at all regattas that do that -- like maybe green. That way everybody could fly their history of participation in events, even if they never win a trophy flag.

We could not seem to drum up any interest in the catamaran community for having trophy flags. And the only problem with having participant flags for everybody is that flags actually cost a lot more than T-shirts.

Another problem for catamaran regattas is that the tradition has been to have trophies for both skipper and crew. Trophy flags are awarded one per boat, going to the skipper only. (But I'm sure that could be changed.)

If everybody liked the idea of flags instead of T-shirts and regular trophies, it might make a nice little cottage industry for somebody with a sewing machine to make flags. I'm sure it could be done a lot cheaper than the prices charged by the commercial flag manufacturers.

P.S. Another big thing about flying flags when the boats are on the beach at regattas is that it is very colorful and attracts more public attention -- always a good thing.

P.P.S. I hate the term "brag flags," because I think that is not the purpose and it sends the wrong message. I have always called them "regatta flags." That's why I think there should be a flag for every participant, so everybody can fly their regatta flags.

P.P.P.S. If this became popular, it might give people a little extra incentive to go to regattas just to add to their regatta flag string -- and their history of participation.

I'm all for it. I like the regatta flags and while I don't fly mine as often as David Ingram - I do put them up from time to time.

I don't think I've ever been to a regatta that gave out brag flags.

thus, the absence of their existence in my collection

Tad,
That's because it seems to be a tradition only in certain parts of the country, and mostly for the big monohulls. It is normal for all classes, large and small, at local clubs on Lake Erie, as well as at their Inter-Lake Yachting Association regattas.

And PLEASE don't use the word "brag" -- that's probably why Jake doesn't fly his flags all the time, because he is too modest and humble and doesn't want people to think he is "bragging" by flying his regatta flags.

I wish I could find my pictures to show you of all the big boats at Bay Week flying their flags at dock. It is truly a sight to behold.

One minor problem is that flags are highly coveted. Several years ago our Hobie 18 was on the front lawn of the club as always during Bay Week. We had three strings of regatta flags on our boat. When we came to the club the next morning to race, our flags were gone. We were devastated, because, as I said, this is like our family history of racing (sort of like the old lawn chair is for the Key Largo Steeplechase).

Well, we put out the word about this loss, and we got our flags back. Turned out that a drunken crew member on one of the big boats had taken them. One of his fellow crew members saw them in their cabin and shamed the guy into returning them.

Ummmm....yeah...that's it.

Yeah, but 'brag flag' has a nice ring to it.

Participation flags are an interesting twist. Perhaps more of a pendant (or whatever you call those long, slender flags), which would differentiate them (and take up less halyard space) from the "trophy flags"

I've got about 4 MKL flags, and they are currently strung across my wall at home while the boat's in storage.

Dave's flag setup is really cool, and I do believe it attracts interest from other sailors (both mono and multi, rec and racer). Pretty soon, he'll have to run some flag halyards from the spreaders to the rudders... Or attach them to a secondary jib or spin halyard...

I really like those with interesting design. Sort of like the burgees you see in yacht clubs... Much more interesting than 'bowling trophies'...

Rick,

Man am I glad I read this post. When I saw the flags on your boats at Put in Bay I just thought they were decoration for the party. Embarrassed? I guess!

George

Geroge,
When are ever going to see you sailing again? You have missed some fun times.
Rick