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03-08-2015, 19:39
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#31
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Port Moresby,Papua New Guinea
Boat: FP Belize Maestro 43 and OPBs
Posts: 12,888
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Invictus69
Interesting topic. I would wonder why death at sea and the subseqent procedure for disposal of the body would be any different from a death on a mountain (eg Mt Everest) or any remote location on land where transportation of the body is out of a question.
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No matter how difficult, if the death is on land anywhere then investigators can subsequently go and examine the body if there are questions. If it is "buried" at sea, there is no way to do so.
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03-08-2015, 19:52
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#32
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Florida Atlantic coast
Boat: Bristol 29
Posts: 353
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt.Don
I'm interested in the procedure or rules if a crew member dies at sea.
For discussion purposes, let's assume more than 500 miles offshore, making it difficult to return or continue to destination. I'm assuming one would contact the USCG via SSB/Satphone. I think it would be unreasonable to keep the body onboard for 7+ days.
What to do?
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Remind me never to crew for you.
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03-08-2015, 20:36
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#33
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Calgary, AB, Canada
Posts: 6,252
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
Use a sat phone to call the nearest Rescue Coordination Center. They can contact AMVER and effect a rendezvous with one of their ocean going vessels.
Been there, done that. Live crew member in medical distress.
VHF and SSB did no good. The EPIRB would have been the last resort.
I just finished noting the RCC's for our trip from Cape Town to the Caribbean.
Contact information is available here: SAR Contacts - Search and Rescue Contacts World-Wide
Slide show on AMVER: Rescue me
__________________
CRYA Yachtmaster Ocean Instructor Evaluator, Sail
IYT Yachtmaster Coastal Instructor
As I sail, I praise God, and care not. (Luke Foxe)
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04-08-2015, 08:01
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#34
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Fort William, Highland, Scotland
Boat: Bavaria Cruiser 40
Posts: 917
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
Would this be a "Pan Pan", or "Pan Medico" as was, for assistance by one means or another (VHF, HF, SSB, Sat Phone etc)?
As an example, Myocardial Infarction can hit anyone at anytime and if it is a major Anterior MI then the victim is dead before they hit the floor, nothing anyone can do about it. So the first thing to do would be try to preserve the body as best you can and call for medical assistance. Hence the "Pan Pan" call. If you happen to be close to a large commercial vessel their medical officer may be able to certify death and help advise the relevant authorities which would go a long way to easing your problems later on. They may even have a morgue (surely these large cruise ships must have something just in case given the number of older folks on cruises!). I would presume that you can not dispose of the body without documented authority from someone and I hope permission from the deceased's family.
Not something any of us want to thing about or god forbid have to deal with but good to know what to do if it ever happens.
Keiron
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04-08-2015, 08:07
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#35
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Hudson Valley N.Y.
Boat: contessa 32
Posts: 826
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
O.K. What happens? Peter Tangvald (sp.?) lost 2 wives at sea;! was shot by pirates inSE Asia and the other lost in an accidental gybe.
Tillman also lost a crew member in mid Atlantic. Lotsa paperwork and accusations(of murder) upon reaching land for Tangvald ,Tillman had just the bureaucratic headaches.
The legendary Captn. Voss had a disconcerting habit of making port with less crew than he departed with………..some people are just born single handers.
The old timers always told me that the aftermost locker was named the lazarette (Biblical reference)since a body could be stowed there.
FWIW: All 3 books are lesser known than the"classics" of sailing literature but all document some extraordinary adventures.
…………………………………..luv you all………………………………mike……………………………………..
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04-08-2015, 08:10
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#36
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 953
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sun and Moon
Remind me never to crew for you.
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Why?
My original post was a serious inquiry. I have two pending offshore trips with older crew-members. We were talking about "what if" and couldn't agree on a clear answer. Obviously contacting the authorities (USCG) via SSB or satphone and disposing of the body. This will be a good basis for another set of discussions re: medical history, what-if's, etc.
I appreciate everyone's input and we now have a pretty clear thread on this subject, without too much thread-drift.
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04-08-2015, 08:12
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#37
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 953
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
Quote:
Originally Posted by sy_gilana
Chapter 12 of the Ship's Captains' Medical Guide.
It is downloadable as a pdf....just search without any punctuation.
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Yup - that's one for the ipad! Thanks
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04-08-2015, 08:20
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#38
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Tasmania, Australia
Boat: Bieroc 36 foot Ketch
Posts: 4,953
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
There are those on here, as I have on numerous occasions, smelt a deceased person. There is no ability to keep the deceased on board. No living human being would be able to stand it and the example someone gave of the lady who left the body on board and went to the dingy is an example of that. Anyone suggesting you would leave it on board has simply not been there. And oddly, there is something quite different to the smell of a human than that of an animal.
If someone dies on my vessel and I'm five hundred miles out then that to me would be justification for an epirb to be set off and a mayday. And I don't believe any rescue organisation would criticise it. I'm not qualified to declare someone dead for a start. With that sort of emergency response, you just might be able to get within reach of a rescue before needing to dispose of the body.
If you can't get rescued before it's too late, then you really do need for your own safety to dispose of the body. All you could be expected to do is to do what is reasonable. Photographs and document. And most country's you sail from will be the investigating state.
I'm not sure if this scenario has happened in Australia, but I know there's been two or three people go missing during a yacht holiday, such as during a night watch and they always seem to dissolve into allegations by family but no charges ever eventuate. Seems like a good way to get rid of an annoying person. Having said that now, I hope it never happens to me as I"d look real guilty now.
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04-08-2015, 08:49
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#39
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Fort Monroe, Phoebus/ Hampton, VA
Boat: Catalina 30mkI trbs
Posts: 14
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
just wondering- how could a death onboard NOT be a life-threatening situation....?
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04-08-2015, 09:44
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#40
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Arctic Ocean
Boat: Under construction 35' ketch (and +3 smaller)
Posts: 2,738
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
Quote:
Originally Posted by WaterfrontcplUS
just wondering- how could a death onboard NOT be a life-threatening situation....?
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Isn't that obvious..
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04-08-2015, 09:44
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#41
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: SC
Boat: None,build the one shown of glass, had many from 6' to 48'.
Posts: 10,208
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
Quote:
Originally Posted by FSMike
I remember a thread along these lines somewhere on the internet.
The OP in that case was asking questions phrased in such a way that I think everybody pretty much decided they didn't want to sail with him lol.
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Maybe just his wife. Alimony stinks.
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04-08-2015, 09:46
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#42
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Back in Montt.
Boat: Westerly Sealord
Posts: 8,180
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
If you really think that you should keep the body on board and also have a freezer (common I believe on many cruising boats these days) then the answer is simple... just dismember the body and stow it in the freezer. At least nobody can accuse you of throwing them overboard...
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04-08-2015, 09:50
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#43
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 43
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
I would only add that if you can make no radio contact, you should deploy EPRIB. Although it is not a rescue, you must consider that without official notification you will be the subject of a possible criminal investigation which will cost you considerably in time, inconvenience, and legal assistance.
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04-08-2015, 10:18
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#44
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Calgary, AB, Canada
Posts: 6,252
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cjsfsm
I would only add that if you can make no radio contact, you should deploy EPRIB.
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Use your sat phone to contact an RCC. They can arrange for a rendezvous with one of the AMVER volunteer vessels.
This process works well.
__________________
CRYA Yachtmaster Ocean Instructor Evaluator, Sail
IYT Yachtmaster Coastal Instructor
As I sail, I praise God, and care not. (Luke Foxe)
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04-08-2015, 14:12
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#45
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Somewhere in Germany
Boat: OEM, proportional
Posts: 1,437
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Re: What to do - crew dies at sea?
Quote:
Originally Posted by El Pinguino
If you really think that you should keep the body on board and also have a freezer (common I believe on many cruising boats these days) then the answer is simple... just dismember the body and stow it in the freezer. At least nobody can accuse you of throwing them overboard...
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Surely you jest?
__________________
Ps 139:9-10 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
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