Sailing flags or burgees are a familiar sight in my neighborhood where identifying where you are from or where you have been is as much a pastime as it is necessity. Most all boats fly such a flag to note affiliation with a sailing organization, where they have recently traveled from, or in some cases, depending on the time of day, where a boat might be serving a cocktail.

While sailing in a foreign country strict flag-flying protocol is followed to identify a boat’s conditions related to customs clearance, what country your boat is registered in, and the nationalities of those aboard.

A single collection of sailing burgees can most often be found at any yacht club bar and the club here in Santa Barbara is no exception. The ceiling is filled with flags from around the world brought by visiting vessels when making their first call here.

I found inspiration today from their collection late in the day as the sun set. Pulling in as many flags as I could helped tell one of the many stories that have been told under this ceiling of burgees.