Morbid Curiosity - What to Do with a Human Cadaver ?

[sarafina]

Ok I am now officially revolted...

niiice work ; -P

you guys crack me up.

And I have no idea why that poor woman left him on the boat and climbed into the dingy.... really BAD decision....


oh man this is bad. The family is speculating that she waited too long to move him and couldn't at that point.

ewww.

[canucksailor]

I'm with Serafina - I'm revolted, but laughing too hard to protest this disgusting thread properly!

[sdowney717]

Originally Posted by Dan_78

I have experienced a week old corpse that was bloated from being in a jungle river. I have also been around a third world prison. The smells are not even close to comparison. There is absolutely nothing to compare to how revolting the smell of a body can be.

lets say I wonder how people would feel if your in a flooded life raft and someone just died. Keep the body?
Would you heave the body over? I would. Only documentation might be your story and memory.

Some people might be hungry, lets eat. or Cut and Fish bait.

[pablothesailor]

Originally Posted by enovillo

Imagine you're half way across the Pacific and one of your crew members dies. Not a violent death; an accident, heart attack, etc. You're 7 to 10 days away from land.

Ignoring the stress and grief that such death would generate, I'm curious about the practical issues: what are the legal considerations that should be kept present? What laws apply with respect to what to do with the body? Is it ok to throw it overboard?

Enovillo, dont ever put an advert in the ¨crew wanted¨ section, not sure you will get many takers...

[Don1500]

What to do with a human cadaver?

Throw him bed with the captians daughter, earli in the morning.

(Sorry, that was the first thing that came to mind.)

[Bruce626]

I checked with an undertaker to see if I could get a body bag to keep on board (likely for me as I am twice the age of my gf and three times the age of likely crew). He said that they came in all the time and he could clean it out with bleach and ship it to me if I would pay the postage (which I agreed to do) - but no luck. From watching CSI programs on TV these things appear to be air tight and rugged. I am still keeping my eye out for one - emergency services must have a source for them but I don't know about regular people. Seems like in a pinch the body bag would keep the corpse out of sight and keep the odor contained. I am in the tropics and will often be away from population centers.

[deepstar]

Sorry after 7 days - and when you start going "soggy"/"leaking" - airlines and governments do not allow your remains to be shipped - or at least that has been my experience.

The deceased will be cremated - and then the ashes sent back.

In Oman - there are no Christian cremation facilities - but the Hindu's do a dammed fine job using palm trees and ghee - been there and saw my mates ex wife get "reduced" - all in plain view !!

[Jaspell]

That is a difficult and really good question (and I'm a lawyer). I would say it depends where you are when the guy goes toes up. Contact the nearest authorities by SSB or VHF or sat phone I would say and get their advice. The decomposition/smell is a major issue. I dont know. Maybe taking the photos and documenting everything and tossing the guy (respectfully, of course) is the way to go. I really dont know. And in such a stuation I might be the stiff and my wife might be wondering what to do with me...

[Jon Hacking]

A German boat being delivered to St. Lucia (E Caribbean) in the 80s arrived 1 captain short - he'd been harassing the 2 women crew & a fight developed with a carving knife. They just buried him at sea & dealt with the paperwork in St. Lucia. Not ideal, certainly, but probably the easiest & most practical thing to do.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Jon Hacking

A German boat being delivered to St. Lucia (E Caribbean) in the 80s arrived 1 captain short - he'd been harassing the 2 women crew & a fight developed with a carving knife. They just buried him at sea & dealt with the paperwork in St. Lucia. Not ideal, certainly, but probably the easiest & most practical thing to do.

Was that the one where the two women claimed the boat but got arrested for suspected murder when they arrived a year later minus another captain.

Dave

[Jon Hacking]

Not that I know of. The 3rd crew was a guy, so it left Europe with 2 & 2 & arrived with just 3. They initially tried to just clear in, but that didn't work. This was probably ~1983 & I don't remember many details.

[DiverChick71]

Sadly to say, the body bags are FAR from airtight and rugged. I am an ER nurse, so I don't know if we somehow get the sub-standard bags or not. But ours are flimsy, thin, and about the quality you get in a free garment bag when you buy a formal gown or suit. Hardly the thing to keep in the ripe aromas of a body that's ART. (that's our macabre ER nurse term for "Assuming Room Temperature."

[sabray]

I know a crew that used a sail bag went in at puerto Rico. They were not comfortable coming in one body short. For several reasons. Think that was not a good delivery

[OErjan]

tgzzzz wrote "Who'll take your watch?"
If question was directed to me i'd say Pilot Pinta, Davy Jones or St Nicolas,depending on mood.

[MikeinLA]

Originally Posted by DiverChick71

I like the Viking Funeral idea...

I always wanted a Viking funeral until I realized that with a fiberglass boat, I'd probably end up spending eternity encased in a giant ping pong ball.

Mike