![[Western Yacht Club ensign]](../images/i/ie~wyce.gif)
Last modified: 2022-09-10 by rob raeside
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image located by Valentin Poposki, 3 September 2006See also:
The Western Yacht Club is based at Kilrush Marina in Kilrush, Co. Clare on the
Shannon Estuary. The ensign is located at
http://www.westernyachtclub.com/ensign.jpg, the burgee at
http://www.westernyachtclub.com/burgee.jpg.
Valentin Poposki, 3 September 2006
The Western Yacht Club at its AGM in Nov. 2007 voted to re-adopt its original
name of the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland which was founded in Kilrush in
1827 and received its Royal Warrant in 1832. Members in the 1830s were all
allocated distinguishing flags if they owned boats. If a member had 2 boats he
was allocated 2 flags, if there were shared owners of one boat then each owner
was allocated his own flag. Distinguishing flags permitted ease of recognition
at sea. The club had its own Flag Signals Book and we have an original copy in
our possession.
Please see the website (http://www.westernyachtclub.com)
for current flags. I have attached a
spreadsheet of original members which specifies their distinguishing flags
for your info.
Randal B. Counihan, 19 January 2008
Rear Commodore RWYCI
In bygone days (before Irish independence, that is) the Royal Western Yacht
Club of Galway flew a Blue Ensign and a blue burgee, both bearing the crown and
garland still in use. This scan shows both of them as published on plate LIII of
the 1889 French Album which is FOTW bibl. ref. [f9r89] or ‘Album des pavillons
nationaux et des marques distinctives des marines de guerre et de commerce’.
Jan Mertens, 7 July 2011
The warrant for the Blue Ensign of the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland
was issued 26 June 1858. The history of the revived club says that in 1858 the
club was moribund. The whole point of the club was to have a White Ensign, and
once that was withdrawn there was no interest in having a Blue Ensign. Although
there was a club warrant it is unlikely that any yacht warrants were issued. It
was a theoretical flag which was probably never manufactured.
David Prothero, 9 June 2011
Did the
Royal Western of Ireland Yacht Club dissolve, either because their
members didn't want to change the club's ensign, or because their only reason
for being members was being allowed to use a white ensign?
Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 13 January 2008
The name has just been (re-)adopted
by the Western YC whose history says that the RWIYC ceased to exist in the early
1860s. (http://www.westernyachtclub.com/cms/index.php?page=club-history)
Separately I found that in 1884 the club's premises were sold in connection with
a civil action at law. The original club's signal flags can be seen at
http://www.westernyachtclub.com/cms/index.php?page=club-archive-2.
David Prothero,
13 January 2008
According to the Commodore and direct descendant of founding member of Royal
Western Yacht Club (O'Connell), the club was never wound up but was held in
trust by the knight of Glin, his family and another and now has been
re-established. Between him and the other two families they retain all papers,
correspondence, minutes, flag books and warrants in an unbroken line and as you
mention even in the late 19thC the club was still liquidating property.
Carl Convery, 24 October 2011
![[Western Yacht Club burgee]](../images/i/ie~wycb.gif)
image located by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
The current burgee and the original burgee were both red cross on white burgee.
David Prothero, 20 January 2008
Flags used in 1832 are displayed in the Admiralty Warrant on the club's
website at
http://www.westernyachtclub.com/cms/index.php?page=club-archive-2.
Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
![[Western Yacht Club burgee]](../images/i/ie~rw@en.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
Prominent on the sheet is the ensign, shown as a 2:3 white ensign with a wide
red cross of St. George, and in the canton something I've assumed was supposed
to be a Union Jack. The ensign bears at the heart of the cross a crown with
garland.
Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
![[Western Yacht Club burgee]](../images/i/ie~rw@bu.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
The burgee is shown. It's quite long; I've taken 3:7, is basically the same
composition as the ensign, but as burgees go it's triangular and the hoist beam
of the cross is closer to the hoist, only half the height of the hoist away from
it, and there's no UJ or look-alike in the canton.
Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
![[Western Yacht Club commodore]](../images/i/ie~rw@cd.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
The commodore's flag is a broad pennant, with the emblem over over an anchor
which I think is fouled. I did these charges in black and grey, and in black,
but looking at it again, that may just be that the original has too much holding
line in the charges, with actually colours green and gold, and blue for the
anchors. The commodore's flag has a red border.
Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
![[Western Yacht Club vice commodore]](../images/i/ie~rw@vc.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
The vice-commodore's flag is a broad pennants, with the emblem over over an
anchor which I think is fouled. I did these charges in black and grey, and in
black, but looking at it again, that may just be that the original has to much
holding line in the charges, with actually colours green and gold, and blue for
the anchors. The vice-commodore's has no border. It would seem to have a bigger
garland, though, perhaps just drawn that way as the lack of a border provided
extra drawing space.
Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
"The original club's signal flags can be seen at
http://www.westernyachtclub.com/cms/index.php?page=club-archive-2.
Unfortunately, nothing is said about the signaling system. However, the set of
flags is as follows (6:7 seemed to be a fair match for the drawings):
A
section of "numeral flags" - a set of ten number flags:
![[Western Yacht Club number flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@1.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
1: Quartered blue and red
![[Western Yacht Club number flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@2.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
2: Rising diagonal red over white
![[Western Yacht Club number flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@3.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
3: Bi-colour, blue over yellow
![[Western Yacht Club number flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@4.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
4: Tri-band, yellow over red
![[Western Yacht Club number flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@5.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
5: Bi-colour, red before white
![[Western Yacht Club number flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@6.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
6: Tricolour, blue over white over red
![[Western Yacht Club number flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@7.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
7: Blue bordered yellow
![[Western Yacht Club number flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@8.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
8: Tribar, yellow before blue
![[Western Yacht Club number flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@9.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
9: Saint Michael
![[Western Yacht Club number flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@0.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
0: Red
Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
Pennants used in 1832 can be seen at http://www.westernyachtclub.com/cms/index.php?page=club-archive-2:
![[Western Yacht Club pennant]](../images/i/ie~rw@s.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
Tricolour, blue before white before red. With only one substitute, it can't have numbers that the same digit appears in more than twice.
![[Western Yacht Club pennant]](../images/i/ie~rw@a.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
Red.
![[Western Yacht Club pennant]](../images/i/ie~rw@n.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
Bi-colour, blue before yellow.
![[Western Yacht Club pennant]](../images/i/ie~rw@l.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
Blue.
![[Western Yacht Club Jack]](../images/i/ie~rw@cj.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
The club jack again has the same design as the ensign, but almost square. The
jack doesn't have the UJ in the canton either.
Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
![[Western Yacht Club compass flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@co.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
Four stripes, blue over white
![[Western Yacht Club Rendezvous flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@rv.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
Chequered of 9, yellow and blue
![[Western Yacht Club Preparative flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@pr.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
Red pierced yellow.
![[Western Yacht Club pilot flag]](../images/i/ie~rw@pt.gif)
image by Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
Red octocross fringed white on blue. I have little doubt that pilot flag is
supposed to be a UJ, but I drew it as in this case the artist didn't give any
indication of knowing anything about the flag.
Peter Hans Van
den Muijzenberg, 3 October 2011
