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Yacht Officers' flags (U.S.)

Yacht Commodore
Yacht Vice Commodore
Yacht Rear Commodore
Yacht Past Commodore
Yacht Fleet Captain
Honorary Commodore
Commodore Emeritus
Other positions

See also:

Here are some of the more common yacht club officer flags. Most of the ones I sell are the small 12"x18" size. Images below are mostly using a ratio of 3:5.
Rick Wyatt, 1 January 1999, Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Yacht Commodore

image by Rick Wyatt, 1 January 1999

Yacht Vice Commodore

image by Rick Wyatt, 1 January 1999

Yacht Rear Commodore

image by Rick Wyatt, 1 January 1999

Yacht Past Commodore

image by Rick Wyatt, 1 January 1999

In most clubs, this actually seems to be the most recent past commodore. With clubs that have yearly commodores, having the previous commodore as one of the officers makes longer projects run a bit more smoothly.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Yacht Fleet Captain

image by Rick Wyatt, 1 January 1999

Port Captain

image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

This flag is paired with Fleet Captain. It is occasionally mentioned in larger clubs.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 9 June 2022

Active Commodore

image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Fleet Captain, Port Captain, and Active Commodore all seem to do the same thing: They all seem to lead the
club when on an outing. The active commodore is no longer an officer, in the sense that no-one offers officers' flags for them. They were common around 1900, but later the captains became more prevalent. The active commodore flag is included here mostly as a historical officers' flag. It may be some yacht club constitutions still mention them, but since they are a commodore flag without the emblem, there isn't really much to see.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Honorary Commodore

image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 14 October 2009

Commodore Emeritus

image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 14 October 2009

Other positions

(but see 2022 update below)

A book with illustrations of alternative Yacht Club Officers Flags is:
Collier, J.R., Capt, USN (Ret.), Yachting Signal Book, Cornell Maritime Press, Centerville, MD, 1985. pp. 118.

On p. 105 He illustrates the following:

Fleet Secretary = Blue flag with a single white quill. point down in lower hoist;
Fleet Treasurer = Blue Flag with white acorn
Fleet Steward = Blue Flag with a white three legged cooking pot;
Fleet Computerman = White Broad Pennant with a blue "Pi";
Fleet Measurer = Blue flag with a white "Pi";
Fleet Boatswain= Blue flag with crossed fouled anchors
Fleet Gunner = Blue Flag with white flaming grenade
Fleet Purser = Blue Flag with crossed keys
Fleet Navigator = Blue flag with white sextant
Fleet Chaplain, Christian = Blue Flag with white Latin Cross
Fleet Chaplain, Jewish = Blue flag with white tablets of Moses

Jim Ferrigan, 4 November 2009

2022 update

Fleet Secretary

image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Most dominant these days is two crossed quills with second place for oak leaf. One quill, I recall seeing in the past, but
not any more.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 9 June 2022

Fleet Treasurer

image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Acorn. Such a strong image, both visually and virtually, that it's probably the reason oak leaf still has a mention for Fleet Secretary.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 9 June 2022

Fleet Purser/Quartermaster

image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Blue Flag with crossed keys. I'm not quite sure what these two functions do in yacht club, as I picture them quite differently, but they both/all are represented with the crossed keys. Ah, now that I write the truly relevant bit, I notice: They are the guys for what is behind lock and key.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 9 June 2022

Judge Advocate

image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Judge advocate is a function that to me suggests the club took the road more travelled at some point, rather than the road more interesting. This is why we have commodores of various ranks in the first place; no place for a jag.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 9 June 2022

Fleet Measurer

Former flag
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Blue flag with a white "Pi". Though I can recall seeing that in the past, I saw no image of it anywhere any more.

Current flag
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Ruler (abstract) on light blue hull. Though this became quite common, to my surprise, I didn't see a single try to change this to a closet on dark blue.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 9 June 2022

Fleet Computerman

Earlier version
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Probably a lost function, with computer use becoming more common. At one time, this was so alien that it required a broad pennant, where others didn't, and Greek writing on a flag. I know I saw that once, but didn't mark it as special as I happened to have some education in that profession. Now, the best that I can come up with is:

More recent version
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

An (@) on a white field. And even that was a single mention on an image that was no longer maintained. Apparently, everybody now knows how to use computers poorly, and therefore being able to do so well is no longer a skill in high demand. But it may still do for digital correspondence or keeper of measurements.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 9 June 2022

Fleet Surgeon and Surgeon

image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Fleet Surgeon: Red caduceus on white.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Fleet Surgeon: White caduceus on red.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 July 2022

Race Committee

image by Joe McMillan, 26 July 2022

Board of Directors Member

image by Joe McMillan, 26 July 2022

Yet more positions

- Fleet Boatswain = Blue flag with crossed fouled anchors (seen)
- Fleet Navigator = Blue flag with white sextant (myth)
- Fleet Steward = Blue Flag with a white three legged cooking pot (myth)
- Fleet Gunner = Blue Flag with white flaming grenade (seen)
And
- Surgeon: white caduceus on red.
- Race Committee: white fouled anchor and red letters on blue.
- Board of Directors Member: White tick on blue.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 9 June 2022