The finest quality available in fishing flags
Sundot Marine Flags was established in 1964 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii by local artist and seamstress Dorsey Miller. She originally supplied her Kona Sport Fishermen friends with unique, hand-sewn appliqued flags.
Dorsey raised her family in Kailua-Kona and continued to make marine capture flags for her friends. Word spread about her unique "Fish Flags" and her original flags are now collectors items and keepsakes of fishermen the world over.
Dorsey's son Bob Russel took over the business in 1984. He was born in Long Beach, California. Bob was a real estate agent for MacArthur Sotheby’s International Realty, a charter boat captain and fisherman while running Sundot Marine Flags for years.
Through the years, Bob continued to make improvements to the flags, while still maintaining our tradition of high quality and superior workmanship. The grommets were eliminated and replaced by hook & loop velcro headers for easy attachment, and our designs became silk screened on marine-grade fabric, for long-lasting wear.
Bob was responsible for getting our flags to comply with the official standards of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) and ensuring a precedent would be established by our flags. Bob was well known and respected in Honokohau Harbor and throughout the islands. His passing away in 2016 still continues to bring tears to the eyes of many of those who were lucky enough to know him.
Our Sundot Fish Flags were sewn in Kailua-Kona under the personal attention and expert touch of our seamstress, Jeri Macres, an old family friend. She was the reason our flags were sewn and packaged perfectly for over 20 years.
Vivian Varney then took over the business in 1997 when she was 8 months pregnant with her first son. Her husband, Mike Varney is Bob's half-brother and Dorsey (our founder) is Viv's Mother-In-Law. Viv was born in Sydney, Australia and grew up traveling and adventuring all over the world. She spent years sailing and diving on Maui before choosing Waimea on the Big Island to raise her family. She successfully managed Sundot, helping to grow the business into what it is today.
In January 2017 Sundot changed ownership and was passed down to Viv's niece, Christina Henline. Tina was born in Kailua, O'ahu and raised in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai'i. After high school, she moved to Noosa Heads, Australia to attend college and ended up staying in Australia for 13 years, focusing on building her knowledge in business, tourism, and teaching.