YACHTING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1593, 9 November 1912, Page 12

YACHTING.

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SALUTING FLAG OFFICERS. iTc-day.-Opening P.JJ.M.B.C; November l&-?.SiY.G; J November ■JlMFirst Series Commences.- .] January Series opmm?nce6. ..) February. 22—Ocean Eace. ■ \ JiaWb. B—lndies' Kaoe.. Happenings at the Boat Harbour. Providing that weathef' conditions fire suitable today, the Port Nicholson Motor ■ Boat Club will open its season. The dub at present is in a very-healthy position. It las a .large fleet of launches, and- a : . large membership.- : The opening will' take the-form of a picnic at one pi' tho;bays... ■; The' secretaryship- of tho'P&t; Nichol-' eon, Motor Boat Club; which has been vacant for same timof has been filled.. With "Torn" ' .'P>irard "as the-new:; Anticipations of an . ener>. getio official' would; : the' writer Miles,.--be fully'realised. ''Tom": has been an enthusiastic member of the'club for eome' ; ■considerable time, aiid was. last season the; club's-honorary starter an'd ■timekeeper; ■■'■ The SO-fbot yawl building-iii Auckland', at Messrs. Bailey .and Lowe's yard, to the; Order of Mr. W. H. Evatt, of Wellington, J is expected to be completed very shortly ■ ' now. Her arrival in Wellington may ha looked'for towards the end Of November. Wellington's fleet of launches has increased considerably during the last few seasons, and it .is no doubt very gratifying to the Port Kicholsgn Motor.Boat' Club». Saluting Flag Officers, The Saluting of flag officers is not done: to any great extent in Wellington, but the following may be useful to yachtsmen generally :— Yacht owners- frequently salute a flag officer by dipping tno club burgee,- and flag officers occasionally Te'ttirn the wrong-ly-made salute .by dipping their; common. dore's flag; .Some time ago a rear-foininq-dore, who has 6ome "knowledge of flag etiquette, 1 refused ,to acknowledge- a ttrongiy-inade salute. The facts of the ease, : which have been mentioned before; are that, while entering a bay in W-ai-heke Island, the flag officer Was wrongly saluted .by a private member of his club; the private, iiiembei; dipping his burgee in token of salute, • As the oflicer had no ensign, ho replied to. the salute by raising his .cap, his crew doing- likewise,; At the next ©ouimittee meeting the griva'te nyemIjeir reported the rcaircoinfiiodoro foi not answering- his salute. I'ho officer said that he lia4 replied by raising his cap, which he deemed was a sufficient reply. It was suggested that the officer should have dippea his rear-commodore's flag in return.. However, no. satisfactory arrangement could bo arrived at locally, ajid. being a member of the Itoyai Cornwall Tnc'ht Club, the officer wrote Homo, asking the secretary to plaoa the matter before the committee of the Royal Oorjatfall Yacht Club for judgment. This was done, and the following reply was received ?-"Tq be correct, wo think the flag officer acted rightly, and we. cannot understand how any sane man can bo dissatisfied when his fellow clubman treats him. with sc much courtesv as to raise his hat.and to see that his eiw do the same. We know of localities in this country, when among the small boat sailors, it is the regular custom in coming to the lino to dip the gee to the flag officer, but \ve fancy this only occurs at tile beginning of a meeting, and we regfird it as irregular. .-■The/-, standard rule is? 'The burgee should.not bo dipped in salute tinder . any■. pircunV stances whatever (and certainly not that of a flag officer to a private member).. Salutes should be- niade.by dipping the ensign.' In ni-y opinion, the private mem-: her was wrong in dipping his burgee, and the flag officer quite correct in adhering to the rule. Two wrongs ■<!» apt make a right. His acknowledgment of the Sif.lnto. by raising bis cap- was quite sufficient ujl-' der the somewhat unusual circumstances. If the private member wanted to salute his rear-commodore, he should have done so in the- proper way, by running up his cnsign r and then dipping it, and it would have been incumbent on the Tfiar-coiunio-dore to have acknowledged the salute in the same way. If neither party had an ensign oii board at all, it would have licea best to have token no notice beyond a cap signal,, and then .exchanged polite notes, ei-plsiniug the- omission.