To fully appreciate this story, one needs to understand two things:
Yacht clubs, including Storm Trysail Club, tend to follow naval procedures and protocols. As to where to fly the Ensign at sea, page 467 of the 55th edition of Chapman’s Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling (who knew there were so many editions?) states, “Never fly the American Flag from the masthead of a mast equipped with a gaff. Just as on a ship, the gaff, even though lower in height, is the place of honor.”
USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere If it’s good enough for Old Ironsides, it’s good enough for the Oar!
How does this relate to BIRW? For many, many years, BIRW operated out of a tent and trailers located at the Oar. Registration, parties, and prize giving all happened at the Oar…not to mention keeping the blenders going producing Mudslides. Somewhere around 2000 during John Osmond’s Commodoreship, in appreciation of and to formalize the location of the BIRW Duty Station at the Oar, STC erected a flagpole on the water side of the restaurant. And, in proper keeping with STC’s sensitivities, the flagpole had both yard arms and a gaff.
Protocol for such a flagpole dictates that the Ensign is flown correctly from the peak of a gaffed mizzen. The masthead is reserved for a club burgee or private flag. If you are facing the water, the starboard yard hoists generally display club officers’ flags, with the highest rank beginning outboard. The port yard hoists are generally used for the Union Jack on Sundays and holidays, signal flags, or may display other banners, such as a state or visitor’s national flag.
During those Race Weeks, STC members would raise the Ensign on the gaff and the Club’s burgee to the peak of the mast.
It turns out that there were some fishermen docked off the Oar who were also veterans. It is unlikely they had read Chapman’s—or maybe they had an old copy—but with their patriotic mindsets, seeing that this sailing club had put its flag “higher than the American Flag” was blasphemy.
These fishermen confronted the manager of the Oar to change the flags. The manager soon thereafter turned his ire to STC. Nick Langone recalls that “we almost came to blows” with the other side refusing to listen to, let alone accept, maritime and naval protocol. Even after being “sternly” told to put the Ensign at the top of the mast, Nick, with the support of a few thousand sailors, refused.
Fun Fact: Here’s a photo from the restaurant’s website showing the STC flagpole in front of the Oar NOT during a race week. Ah, you’ve gotta love those landlubbers!