Greusome question but it needs asking!

T

theotter

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 Nov 2004
Messages
98
Location
Lymington
Visit site
Imagine the situation where a member of a crew or more importantly the only other member of a crew dies at sea on a long passage. Lacking any facilities to avoid degeneration things could become intolerable. Does anyone know the legal stand point if one carried out a burial at sea? How are the various authorities likey to react etc. etc. when one arrives at the destination. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I appreciate this question might draw some of the forum's darker humour. By the way I have told my wife I'm asking this question. For some reason she is quite keen to know the answer herself!
 
I would go to a lot of trouble to avoid the burial at sea. You might need to prove that it was death by accident or natural causes.
Certainly a case for calling for help if only to get more witnesses.
Certainly take lots of photographs etc all to a view of your appearing in an inquest. lets hope it never happens olewill
 
Impossible to prove anything either way. The shadow of doubt could haunt you, but what court, assuming there was no provable history of antagonism, would be able to rule that the dead person did not just die? It happens.
Ncki
 
hm, i wdn't do the burial at sea really. Strap them to guardrails rolled in sail or sailbags, praps with a lot of aftershave chucked over them, and use more garlic in the cooking. Note also there'll be more food to go round, but it's not far back from Yarmouth.
 
Would try to avoid it. The probability is if you did it would aise suspicions of the authorities. At the very least expect a protacted investigation of the incident, including in depth interviews with family and friends plus a detailed forensic examination of your boat. Probably involve stripping it down.
Following this at length interviews of yourself, including whether you could have aleted authorities in some way.
After that you would live the rest of your life with the suspicion something went on during that journey that you covered up.
As an innocent person this would not be good and I would put up with the problem of having a dead body on board
 
[ QUOTE ]
I'd put the body in the dinghy at the end of my longest warp!

[/ QUOTE ]

This actual question came up in an RYA first aid course I did. The answer is exactly as bigwow has just stated.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'd put the body in the dinghy at the end of my longest warp!

[/ QUOTE ]

This actual question came up in an RYA first aid course I did. The answer is exactly as bigwow has just stated.

[/ QUOTE ]


Oh I really hate it when I inadvertently toe the official line
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Re: Gruesome question but it needs asking!

If you set out on a passage, out of vhf range, it would be shiftless in the extreme if you had no other means of communication (HF, sat-phone).

Therefore it should not happen, that you are unable to seek medical assistance or report a death.

If your crew-member does have the misfortune to ship with you and then die, I think you could expect a "robust" reaction to your incompetence, from the authorities where you landed, including the impoundment of your vessel and your incarceration, whilst they satisfied themselves that you were not directly responsible.

Of course the most probable cause of death would be by going over the side, and the likelihood of having a body would be low.

The crew of a Greek fishing vessel came ashore in their liferaft, but minus their skipper.
Their story of a flying cow, landing on their boat, killing the skipper and sinking the boat, was totally disbelieved by the authorities and they landed in jail for several months until it was discovered, that an Antonov, had been hired to transport a sedated bull from E Africa to Europe.
The bull, insufficiently sedated, awoke and rampaged through the aircraft, doing a lot of damage and ruining the trim. The Capitan decided that it was a danger to the aircraft, had the door opened, over the E Mediterranean and the bull leapt to freedom.
 
Hee hee /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Just imagine it.. the good ol rya advice eh ??

So, bod dies at sea.. little wifey gets dinghy out, inflates it, launches it.. gets body INTO it, ties it down in dinghy to prevent loss in capsize of dinghy..
Oh YEAH !!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Not one of their 'better' ideas...

lol. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
The MCA Ships Captains Medical Guide has a whole chapter on this. (Ch 12)
Two quotes
[ QUOTE ]

Whenever possible a body should be retained for post-mortem examination or for burial ashore.


[/ QUOTE ]
and
[ QUOTE ]

Only in the most exceptional circumstances (and where there is no suspicion of foul play) might
it be appropriate to proceed directly to dispose of the body at sea


[/ QUOTE ]

Keep in mind these are two short quotes from a whole chapter, which deals with proper preparation of the body for burial among other things.

<edit>
Go here
here and download Chaper 12</edit>
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hee hee /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Just imagine it.. the good ol rya advice eh ??

So, bod dies at sea.. little wifey gets dinghy out, inflates it, launches it.. gets body INTO it, ties it down in dinghy to prevent loss in capsize of dinghy..
Oh YEAH !!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Not one of their 'better' ideas...

lol. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, shouldn't have suggested it was an RYA policy as such (would be interesting to know if they actually do ave a policy !) , more of a chat with fellow sailors at the end of not the most exciting course I have been on, tho it was the instructor who suggested it would be the best thing.

This really has to be one of the worst situations that can be imagined. I have no idea how long a body could reasonably be stored (the dinghy idea would seriously slow you down when what you would really want to do is leg it to the nearest port), and there must I guess, come a point where decomposition gets to an intolerable level, your conscience is clear in that you know what happened (tgho proving it might be difficult!) and you let the body go - who knows, lets all hope we are never in such a situation. I have heard it is supposed to be one of the most grotesque smells imagineable.

Right, time for breakfast .................. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
No worries, I am also sure it is NOT rya policy !. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Wasnt there a case of a husband on an atlantic crossing who died up the mast with only his wife as crew ??... might be anecdotal, but stories of maggots dropping on deck after a while in the sun.. she couldnt get him down...

In my previous - previous life, I was a Paramedic Instructor.. I often retaught many people first aid after they were taught by non professional instructors.
(St Johns were the worst !)
 
[ QUOTE ]
Impossible to prove anything either way. The shadow of doubt could haunt you, but what court, assuming there was no provable history of antagonism, would be able to rule that the dead person did not just die? It happens.
Ncki

[/ QUOTE ]

not only does it happen, but its by far the most likely event. without real evidence to the contrary, whats the worry?

wife wants to know eh? maybe you had better cash in that life assurance now /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have heard it is supposed to be one of the most grotesque smells imagineable.



[/ QUOTE ]


From experience, the smell of a 6 week old body isn't pleasant, but I think that the psychological effects on a lone person could be worse.

It's easy to sit at home and decide how you would handle it.
 
Wouldn't you be followed by a trail of sharks, and arrive at port towing the tattered fragments of a dinghy and no body?

Leave the body in the boat, and YOU take to the dinghy. Someone will one day find the boat, and a PM will confirm death from natural causes. You might get picked up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top