How to fly a burgee from a busy masthead (pig stick). VIDEO
Here we show you how to fly a burgee (flag) from the top of a busy masthead on a sailing boat. To do this, all we need is a pig stick, a couple of cheek blocks, and a continuous loop of line.
Our masthead has a VHF antenna and a windex wind indicator. In order to fly a burgee above these, you need to use a pig stick to hoist the flag above all the obstructions so it can fly freely.
Why fly a burgee from the masthead? On a recent sail to Corsica we had the following flags to fly: Red Ensign (off the stern), the Courtesy flag of France (highest position on the stbd spreader), Courtesy flag of Corsica (Lower position on stbd spreader). In this situation the only proper place to fly a burgee is off the masthead. We also think a burgee flown from the masthead makes any boat look traditional and lovely, with a nod back to the days of sail. 🙂
If you want to do this you need:
- A thin, bendy stick (local DIY store or garden centre). You can carve the ends to have grooves which will keep it tied into position.
- 2 x cheek blocks like these on Ebay.com
- Some line like this on Amazon.com
A burgee of your choice 🙂