Like many offshore boats we have a danbuoy which is mounted outboard and attached to our rescue horseshoe lifebelt.

Having had to replace the flag a few times, despite having had a series of canvas covers which wore through in the course of longer offshore passages, we needed a more permanent resolution to the shredding flag syndrome.

The result was quite simple (another K.I.S.S. idea – Keep It Simple, Stupid!).

We gently heat softened and folded closed one end of a length of PVC drainpipe.

We drilled a hole in this and attached a lanyard. The lanyard was then attached to a suitable shroud with a bowline, we slid the pipe over the flag and pushed it up the shroud with the dan buoy stick.

Gravity has held it in place for countless days at sea already, but If we were to have to deploy the dan buoy the pipe would easily slip off and stay behind.

No more shredded flags and no more worries.

Alex Blackwell is co-author of the best-selling book Happy Hooking, the Art of Anchoring. Originally published in PBO Feb 20.