Flag Q (Quebec)
ICS · Q code word: Quebec pronounced: KEH-BECK Morse: −−·−
In short: My vessel is "healthy" and I request free pratique.
Single-letter meaning (Pub 102)
My vessel is "healthy" and I request free pratique.
Morse sign
−−·−
Dot = short sound, dash = long (three times longer). Hear it in the Morse translator.
In plain English
An all-yellow flag. The ship arrives from abroad, declares there is no illness on board and reports ready for health clearance (free pratique).
Where you will really see it
Hoisted on arrival from sea before border and health clearance. In yachting known from entering the waters of a country where clearance is required. Note: in Germany Q is not used for the customs declaration; the third substitute is hoisted there instead (the Zollstander).
Common mix-up
The yellow Q gets associated with quarantine, yet it means the opposite: the ship is healthy and asks for permission to contact the shore.
Related flags
Keep going
- All signal flags: the search box and the full grid.
- Interactive mast: build your own hoist.
- Single-letter signals cheat sheet A to Z on one page.
The single-letter meanings are quoted 1:1 from Pub 102 International Code of Signals (NGA, public domain); the plain-English explanations are our own. Flag graphics: signal-flag-images (Unlicense).