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28-09-2010, 22:33
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Mexico
Boat: Shin Fa 458 Custom Cutter but looks like a Liberty 458
Posts: 370
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Death on a Passage ?
My wife and I are planning to head out on next years "puddle jump" and wondered what the heck do you do if someone aboard should suddenly pass away? While our own health is still good, you never know when the Grim Reaper may be sitting in the dingy, plus it never hurts to be prepared for what faces all of at one time or another while out there.
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28-09-2010, 23:06
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Malvernshire, on the sunny side of the hill.
Boat: 50' steel canal and river cruiser
Posts: 1,905
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I remember reading about a guy who fell overboard during the ARC one year.
He was on a lifeline but drowned. Crew eventually recovered him and consulted with family ashore who gave permission for a sea buerial.
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28-09-2010, 23:29
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Aberdeen, South Africa
Boat: r then 33 Y amaha Feb 2014 just bought Alan Pape 43 ketch
Posts: 198
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Omnious?
__________________
Springbok
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29-09-2010, 00:31
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#4
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2008
Location: cruising SW Pacific
Boat: Jon Sayer 1-off 46 ft fract rig sloop strip plank in W Red Cedar
Posts: 21,134
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mestrezat : This is Ann writing, not Jim, re death on a passage
N.B.: the following is a grim scenario--I recommend you stop reading here if this is a subject you wish to avoid.
If there are only two of you on board, talk about it, and work out a plan together. This is what Jim and I have done, and here is my plan in the event of a sudden death when I have been unable to get help. Document carefully the events and procedures you go through in the ship's log (it is a legal document). I plan to take a digital picture which will show that he is clearly dead. His body will be placed in a sailbag, into which I will put his dive weights or a length of chain. After it is prepared for burial, I will say my last goodbyes to him, say a few words (probably weeping), put the main halyard on a pennant on the sailbag, and use it to lift the lot over the lifeline, take another picture, open the snap shackle, and take the last picture. Get the boat under way again.
Then, I would e-mail Customs to notify them of the change. (I'm sure they'll tell me who else I have to notify.) The next morning, I would tell the people on the ham net we participate in what had happened. And continue on to port. I would not notify family or other friends back in the States until after I could phone them in person, after formalities have been completed in the country to which I'm going.
If there is a crew who is not a family member, you as skipper must tell them what will happen if they die in transit. But solicit their input. Reassure them that you will try to do as they would prefer, to the extent you can. Jim and I are agreed that keeping a dead body around is untenable and I would consider keeping it only if one is within 24 hrs. of reaching port. Unless you have an extremely large freezer or a hogshead of rum, you are not likely to be able to preserve a body.
Having stated all this, I do think death on a passage is unlikely, but it's one of those deals, like having a Living Will, that we do have to consider. Also one needs a plan in mind for the unlikely event that when you wake up on the boat, you're alone.
I hope this is helpful. For us, having made our plans, we don't worry about it. We trust each other to do what is best at the time.
I find I must add that whoever is your crew, they should be able to get the boat to port, and that as skipper, it is your responsibility to be assured that they have the skills to do it, as it is theirs to learn what's necessary.
Good luck with it,
Ann Cate, s/v Insatiable II, lying Michaelmas Cay, Queensland, Australia
__________________
Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II, lying Port Cygnet Tasmania once again.
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29-09-2010, 00:58
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: 3rd wave passed the sea wall
Boat: private yacht always moving
Posts: 1,388
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I think it owuld depend on your situation,,,, are you close to shore,,, or in a liferaft without lots of food,,,,,
Talk:Cannibalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Custom of the Sea
It has been reported that there were cases of cannibalism in attempt of surviving after ship wreckage until modern times...--92.227.35.252 (talk) 18:07, 25 August 2009 (UTC)
[edit]Neanderthals?
MEN FACED CANNIBALISM ADRIFT IN OPEN BOAT - Survivors of Dredge Texas, Lost on Christmas Eve, Reach Here. 21 SEAMEN PROBABLY LOST One Died in Lifeboat, Others Went Mad and Wanted to Eat Him -- Rescued on Verge of Starvation. - Article - NYTimes.com
HowStuffWorks "Survival Cannibalism"
Adrift at Sea, Migrants Turn to Cannibalism to Survive | NBC Los Angeles
On another note,,, customs and immigration would have to be notified,,,, I was on one commercial vessel were a crewmember died,,,,, in alaska,,,, we were 3 days away from the nearest land,,,,, put him in a plastic bag,,,, tied to the boat outside,,, VERY lucky it was winter ,,, very difficult time for the crew,,,
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29-09-2010, 01:15
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: NSW AUSTRALIA
Boat: L. Francis Herreshoff H28 Ketch & Brisol 24 @ 25'
Posts: 1,181
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I am agreeing with the sending of a distress signal and/or instantly contacting authorities about your predicament. There was that case where a single crew member did not report the disappearance of his skipper till months later. This was an Aussie boat out in the Pacific; someone might know the exact names/case? Along with the fact he had previously spoken about bumping off a boats crew and sailing away with the yacht this failure to instantly report the situation to authorities and/or trigger a search was central to his conviction for murder.
__________________
Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats. - Voltaire
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29-09-2010, 03:17
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#7
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Moderator and Certifiable Refitter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: South of 43 S, Australia
Boat: C.L.O.D.
Posts: 20,241
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Ann seems to sum it up best; I can only add that if there is a choice to be made regarding your next port (country) of call, think carefully as to what you might expect from different customs and nations.
I might wrong but I would expect less problems ashore in a "western" country cf an "eastern" country and similarly with a "first world" cf "third world".
__________________
All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangereous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. T.E. Lawrence
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29-09-2010, 04:12
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Chesapeake Bay
Boat: 22' Avalon Pontoon - The WINE BARge
Posts: 164
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Springbok
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LOL !!!
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29-09-2010, 05:08
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: St. Georges, Bda
Boat: Rhodes Reliant 41ft
Posts: 4,131
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I have met a few couples who have considered this situation.
They had gone to the trouble of having the possible scenarios written down, and both signatures notarized.
The presumption was full disclosure, with the knowledge that no-one would give carte-blance, if he/she was uncertain of security for his/her person.
I know--things change!!!
__________________
so many projects--so little time !!
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29-09-2010, 05:13
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Boat: CS36Merlin, "La Belle Aurore"
Posts: 7,557
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Stitch em up in canvas, put a few firebricks in. Remember last stitch through the nose. (old merchant navy tradition).
__________________
Rick I
Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter.
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29-09-2010, 05:16
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#11
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Brisbane Australia
Boat: Multihulls - cats and Tris
Posts: 4,859
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Cate
[
Ann Cate, s/v Insatiable II, lying Michaelmas Cay, Queensland, Australia
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Hey Anne - all quite reasonable,
having said that whilst you are lying in Qld waters though, or in waters proximate, contact the QPS (Police) first, customs have little say in the matter. If possible contact them prior to the burial at sea and seek direction.
In matters of death the QPS act for the Coroner ( a judicial office in our part of the world - and not a doctor as most people think).
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29-09-2010, 06:07
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,933
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Well a part of life is dying, it's good you have the forethought to think it through.
Worst one I heard: husband at the top of the rig, clipped on to do some work and suffered a massive heart attack, no way to get him down. The missus had to sail the boat to the destination with the hubby flopping around at the mast head.
The poor woman, she surely suffered many nightmares.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Cate
mestrezat : This is Ann writing, not Jim, re death on a passage
N.B.: the following is a grim scenario--I recommend you stop reading here if this is a subject you wish to avoid.
If there are only two of you on board, talk about it, and work out a plan together. This is what Jim and I have done, and here is my plan in the event of a sudden death when I have been unable to get help. Document carefully the events and procedures you go through in the ship's log (it is a legal document). I plan to take a digital picture which will show that he is clearly dead. His body will be placed in a sailbag, into which I will put his dive weights or a length of chain. After it is prepared for burial, I will say my last goodbyes to him, say a few words (probably weeping), put the main halyard on a pennant on the sailbag, and use it to lift the lot over the lifeline, take another picture, open the snap shackle, and take the last picture. Get the boat under way again.
Then, I would e-mail Customs to notify them of the change. (I'm sure they'll tell me who else I have to notify.) The next morning, I would tell the people on the ham net we participate in what had happened. And continue on to port. I would not notify family or other friends back in the States until after I could phone them in person, after formalities have been completed in the country to which I'm going.
If there is a crew who is not a family member, you as skipper must tell them what will happen if they die in transit. But solicit their input. Reassure them that you will try to do as they would prefer, to the extent you can. Jim and I are agreed that keeping a dead body around is untenable and I would consider keeping it only if one is within 24 hrs. of reaching port. Unless you have an extremely large freezer or a hogshead of rum, you are not likely to be able to preserve a body.
Having stated all this, I do think death on a passage is unlikely, but it's one of those deals, like having a Living Will, that we do have to consider. Also one needs a plan in mind for the unlikely event that when you wake up on the boat, you're alone.
I hope this is helpful. For us, having made our plans, we don't worry about it. We trust each other to do what is best at the time.
I find I must add that whoever is your crew, they should be able to get the boat to port, and that as skipper, it is your responsibility to be assured that they have the skills to do it, as it is theirs to learn what's necessary.
Good luck with it,
Ann Cate, s/v Insatiable II, lying Michaelmas Cay, Queensland, Australia
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29-09-2010, 06:22
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#13
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 49,082
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vasco
Stitch em up in canvas, put a few firebricks in. Remember last stitch through the nose. (old merchant navy tradition).
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Preparations, prior to the burial at sea:
The Ship - The sails should be adhusted so she is cokced up to the weather, some sails full of drive and some laid all a'back, so the ship is motionless.
Top gallant Yards a-cock-bill to signify a death and a buiral. - Lisft lines out of trim to speak grief. The Entry port on the starboard gangway to windward, and open.
The Body - canvas shrouded, with two cannon balls at the feet for weight, to insure sinking. T he canvas should be sewn in place, starting at the feet, with the last stitch through the nose of the corpse, to check the person is indeed deceased. The body is them placed on an 8 man mess table, and covered with a Red Ensign.
Crew Formation - . Crew gathered to witness the service, under immediate command of the Bosun. Position of the crew not specified due to various diffferent ship's deck configurations.
Burial at sea - Prayers & More ➥ Funeral Customs - Sea Services
And ➥ Burial at sea: Separating and placing the dead during the age of sail - Mortality: Promoting the interdisciplinary study of death and dying
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"
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29-09-2010, 06:30
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#14
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Moderator and Certifiable Refitter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: South of 43 S, Australia
Boat: C.L.O.D.
Posts: 20,241
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GordMay
Preparations, prior to the burial at sea:
The Ship - The sails should be adhusted so she is cokced up to the weather, some sails full of drive and some laid all a'back, so the ship is motionless.
Top gallant Yards a-cock-bill to signify a death and a buiral. - Lisft lines out of trim to speak grief. The Entry port on the starboard gangway to windward, and open.
The Body - canvas shrouded, with two cannon balls at the feet for weight, to insure sinking. T he canvas should be sewn in place, starting at the feet, with the last stitch through the nose of the corpse, to check the person is indeed deceased. The body is them placed on an 8 man mess table, and covered with a Red Ensign.
Crew Formation - . Crew gathered to witness the service, under immediate command of the Bosun. Position of the crew not specified due to various diffferent ship's deck configurations.
Burial at sea - Prayers & More ➥ Funeral Customs - Sea Services
And ➥ Burial at sea: Separating and placing the dead during the age of sail - Mortality: Promoting the interdisciplinary study of death and dying
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Heck Gord, I better get some more crew.
BTW what do singlehanders when their is death on a passage (very poor pun intended- sorry ).
__________________
All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangereous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. T.E. Lawrence
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29-09-2010, 06:39
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Boat: CS36Merlin, "La Belle Aurore"
Posts: 7,557
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GordMay
The Body - canvas shrouded, with two cannon balls at the feet for weight, to insure sinking. The canvas should be sewn in place, starting at the feet, with the last stitch through the nose of the corpse, to check the person is indeed deceased. The body is them placed on an 8 man mess table, and covered with a Red Ensign.
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Merchant vessels didn't have cannon balls hence the firebricks. Also no mess tables so hatch boards were used.
__________________
Rick I
Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter.
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