Ship 1942 Burgee




Burgee or Not Burgee - That is the Question

By Dave Leggett

Burgee (brr-gee): a flag bearing the colors or emblem of a sailing club, typically triangular.  Perhaps from the French word “bourgeois,” in the sense of owner or master.  Oxford Dictionaries.
I guess I never stop creating things.  During the fall of 2017, I saw the need to design a burgee for Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, where my three kids were on the sailing team.  If you have a sailing team, you really do need a burgee, right?  The athletic director agreed, and financed the fabrication of the flags.  We went on and made stickers and embroidered patches in the same design.  
No sooner was this done for Bishop O’Connell High School than I realized Ship 1942 was in the same position, sailing a lot but without a burgee beyond the standard swallowtail design common to all Sea Scout Ships.   A new, unique design would need to be both bold and, if possible, contain some symbolism significant to Ship 1942.  
To this end, I used the square red cross of St. George in recognition of our sponsoring organization St. George’s Episcopal Church in Arlington.  A blue canton (upper corner of the flag nearest the pole) is emblazoned with the number “1942” surrounded by four stars.  This is in recognition of our selection as the National Flagship and as a member of the National Flagship Fleet.  As of this writing, we have the stickers made, the embroidered patches are on their way, and the flags themselves are almost ready for production.

Ship 1942's new burgee

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