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Herbert Woods Broads Holiday Adventures (United Kingdom)

Club burgee

Club Burgee

image by Pete Loeser, 19 January 2010

Image originally found on a small porcelain ashtray - a 6-pointed blue star on a white triangular pennant.
Tom Pountney, 7 January 2008

I write from the County of Norfolk, England's Eastern bulge into the North Sea, to inform you of the origin and present day usage of this pennant. The star's unusual six points along with the absence of a broad blue boundary on the luff (leading) edge of the flag confirm this as the "house" pennant of the Herbert Woods fleet of inland holiday hire vessels based in the village of Potter Heigham in Norfolk, UK. The fleet's base, which remains intact and in operation today, is known as "Broads Haven" and is one of the more iconic historic features of the inland waterway known as the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads. (I hasten to advise that the term 'broad' relates to a wide shallow lake, many of which are linked by rivers forming the boating navigation system.)
Herbert Woods (1891-1954) was a magnificent pioneer of Broads boating, of the local boat hire industry and a famous upholder of the British legal rights for commoners to navigate and fish in tidal waterways. Woods was a respected individual both during his cruelly short lifetime and his name and legacy continue to attract respect and admiration.
The many sailing yachts operated by the Herbert Woods boat yard all had the word "Lady" in their name - Fair Lady, Fine Lady, Perfect Lady and so on. So in 1945 when Herbert Woods formed a sailing club for his yard employees and other "friends" of the Lady fleet he named it the Lady Yacht Club. To this day the club continues to celebrate the Lady fleet and to honour the late Mr. Woods' wishes for the whole enjoyment of his boats.
After more than four decades admiring and sailing the classic "Lady" yachts - and in more recent years coming to own a similarly styled Broads yacht myself - I am proud to have been invited to membership and to fly the Lady Yacht Club pennant both on my vintage (1935) vessel and my veteran Breton cap!
So much more comprehensive and accurate information about Herbert Woods and the Broads Haven boat yard was published in 2002 by Mr. Woods' youngest daughter Jennifer in her book "Herbert Woods - A Famous Broadland Pioneer".
References: Enjoy the Broads and The Lady Yacht Club.
Jerry Ping, 23 June 2013