Arrived at the hotel. Burnt out!
Louis probably won't arrive before midnight for us, probably 4am (between 8pm-12am for Quebec). But, he is coming soon. He sees our island (Faial), but the wind is droping and he doesn't have much fuel left.
In the meantime, he must now prepare the flags for his arrival.
So the national flag, i.e. where Soleau 1 is registered/nationality and not the occupants. The flag goes at the back of the boat, at the stern and at an angle, on a pole (stainless steel or wooden stick) . It can also be attached to the backstay. It is mandatory. It must be larger than the courtesy flag and proportional to the size of the boat.
The courtesy flag, i.e. that of the country visited, is optional and is hoisted in respect to the host country. It must go on the foremast (in our case, the only one), starboard side and under the first spreaders. Not putting it on can be seen as an insult. Some install it when they arrive in the territorial waters of the country visited and others wait to have passed the procedures for entry formalities (customs and immigration). According to ancient maritime customs, the courtesy flag should be hoisted from sunrise to sunset and in port from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Flag Q, is the one used to request the right to enter the waters of the host country and to land. The "Q" refers to the time the boats were to be quarantined. Doesn't seem like such a distant time, does it? ;) Then you have to go through customs and immigration. As soon as it's done, the flag can be lower. It's a yellow flag.
See you soon for more
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