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Yacht ensign (Spain)

Yacht ensign - Image by Santiago Dotor & António Martins, 6 May 1999

Yacht ensign
- Variants of the flag
Yacht ensign, 1945-1977
Yacht ensign, 1875-1931
- Royal yacht ensign

See also:

Yacht ensign

The Spanish national ensign for yachts (Pabellón para Embarcaciones de Recreo) is a Spanish flag with a blue crown centered in the yellow stripe (and no coat of arms).

Santiago Dotor, 25 June 1999

Variants of the flag

It looks like there are as many variants of the yacht ensign as manufacturers. Actually, considering homemade flags, flag restitching etc. almost as many as ships!

Santiago Dotor, 15 July 2003

Yacht ensign, variant - Image by Santiago Dotor, 6 May 1999

According to Calvo and Grávalos [g2c83], "at some point between 1975 and 1977" – which was certainly in the 1977 Decree on flags – the crown was once again changed to a Royal all-blue crown. I ignore whether the 1977 Decree included a graphical design or only a description; Calvo and Grávalos does not include it. In Spanish ports I have seen several versions, most of them fitting one of the above two.
Album des Pavillons [pay00] shows this version of the yacht ensign.

Santiago Dotor & Željko Heimer, 6 August 2001

Yacht ensign, variants - Images by António Martins, 14 July 2003

¡Hola! (No. 2767, 21 August 1997, p. 94) shows the flag in yet another variation. A bullfighter is shown in his yacht and the ensign at the stern is well visible, even if not completely unfurled. It seems to be a 30 x 45 cm flag, and the shade of blue is darker than on the above two images. The crown is also neither variant, but a compromise between them (solid cushion, outlined stems); the lower ring and the gems on it are however clearly visible.
A photo shows what seems to be yet a fourth variation of the Spanish yacht ensign ; the crown has outlined cushion and solid stems but the rim details seems visible.

António Martins, 14 July 2003

Yacht ensign, 1945-1977

Yacht ensign, Francoist period - Image by Luis Miguel Arias, 4 July 2003

According to Calvo and Grávalos [g2c83], a 1943 [actually 1945] Decree modified the 1875 yacht (or recreational vessels) ensign by changing the crown to an imperial one [coronel, the coronet of the Catholic Monarchs] and specifying this should be all blue coloured, indeed light blue and with shades in dark blue.
[E. Dreyer [dry88]; E. Dreyer [dry91], which shows a flag chart from Gran Enciclopedia del Mar (1968)]

Santiago Dotor, 12 December 2001

Yacht ensign, 1875-1931

Yacht ensign,1875-1931 - Image by Santiago Dotor & Antonio Guttiérrez, 23 November 2005

A new ensign for recreational vessels (mostly yachts in practice) was established by a Royal Decree signed on 10 August 1875;

Article 1. The national recreational boats shall use the same flag as the war vessels [war ensign], the only difference being that the coat of arms shall be subbstituted by a Royal crown.
Article 1. The said vessels can hoistthei rowner's private signals, provided these signals are not the same as emblems used by the Navy, either national or foreign, and cannot be mistaken for them.

The Royal crown used to be proper, that is, in natural yellow and red colours with green and red stones and white pearls.

Luis Miguel Arias, Emil Dreyer & Santiago Dotor, 23 July 2002

Royal yacht ensign

Royal yacht ensign, 1875-1945 - Image by Jaume Ollé & António Martins, 14 July 2003

King Alfonso XIII, and before him his father Alfonso XII, always used at the stern on his Royal sailing yacht Giralda the flag of the Spanish Federation of Nautical Clubs.

Emil Dreyer, 25 June 2000