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28-06-2016, 12:53
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#31
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 184
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
It's good to talk about stuff. Eventually you might be able to laugh about something that was very confronting at the time.
My wife called me on the phone while I was out fishing one day. Commercial lobster boat. She told me that a friend wanted me to retrieve his anchor when I came in.
Wade, the local surfboard shaper had lost a toe when his 6mm anchor rope got looped around it. The anchor was snagged and his JetSki had lifted on a swell during recovery.
I was amazed that he was even thinking about his anchor.
An hour or so later when we were coming through the passage I spotted a float which I presumed was attached to his anchor. One of my crew grappled it and pulled it on board.
We were horrified to see Wade's big toe tangled up in the anchor rope! It had 18 inches of tendon still attached. My crewie wouldnt have anything to do with it, so I had to untangle it myself.
We called the cops and they met us on the jetty with some ice and rushed it off to the hospital which was another 1.5 hours away. I think the blow fish must have trimmed it too much because Wade now surfs just as well without it!
It took us a while to learn to laugh about it. The toe looked just like one of those novelty rubber amputated fingers you might scare someone with. Do they still make those or are they not acceptable these days?
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28-06-2016, 19:49
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#32
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Summerstown Ontario Canada
Posts: 457
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel E Felt
Yes It does stay with you. 34 years of police work you'll get more than your share. I guess the trick is to not bring it home with you. Now I work at one of the busiest hospitals in Mid Michigan, yup you guessed it. Stationed at the morgue! Sailing helps you to forget, or makes you concentrate on other stuff. joel
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I have 31 years in Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary and have recovered 29. I still remember the first one. Now it is routine. If any of you are affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after dealing with any incident like these, write me and I can help out... Roger
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28-06-2016, 20:57
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#33
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Thhe boat is in Titusville, FL and we're back in CO for a few months resupplying the cruising kitty and raising money for our childrens dental charity www.sailing4smiles.com
Boat: 1982 Cape Dory 36 Hull #78
Posts: 656
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
Does being in the USMC count ? Lots of bodies during that time.
And yes, this is a wierd thread. And no, I have no PTSD.....except for the loud noises and and large crowds.....and things in the road....and people that don't look like they belong....and that guy that keeps looking at me.
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29-06-2016, 06:58
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#34
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Now based on Florida's West coast
Boat: Pearson 34-II
Posts: 2,527
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
I don't think this is a strange discussion as some have mentioned. In fact, for those who spend much time on the water it is more common than many would think. In the early 80's while sailing a small catamaran in the Sanibel/Captiva intercoastal, we found a decapitated head that had been in the water for a long time since the local marine inhabitants had consumed most of the flesh. It was during the drug days in Florida and according to the CG it was not the first time they encountered this particular body part. A second time was at Bayside Marina in Miami where a very drunk man on crutches fell off the pier at night and was unable to get out of the water due to the weight of the leg braces he wore. He was floating in the debris along the wall when we found him in the morning. Death, like life, is part of the human condition.
__________________
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathrustra
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29-06-2016, 07:35
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#35
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Channel Islands, CA
Boat: 1962 Columbia 29 MK 1 #37
Posts: 14,262
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
Hey Appick! The local Coast Guard auxilliary likes to stuff a set weather gear">foul weather gear with clorox bottles presumably for rescue practice but also to check to see where the body drifts to in the current. Last year we were out on a particulary windy and choppy day, no other boats nearby, and my daughter in a panicked voice said "Dad look!" She was really terrified at first. After we got close I could see what it was and we sailed by and I reached over and grabbed the waterlogged mass and with some effort dragged it up and left it partly hanging on the rail. We continued to sail on and we sailed into our harbor. We heard some comments of concern about the body draped over our deck! Perhaps the folks at the auxilliary could stuff something else with clorox bottles if for no other reason than to keep from scaring the kids!
__________________
DL
Pythagoras
1962 Columbia 29 MKI #37
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29-06-2016, 07:44
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#36
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Melbourne Australia
Boat: Paper Tiger 14 foot, Gemini 105MC 34 foot Catamaran Hull no 825
Posts: 2,912
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
I was having lunch in the crib hut on the docks, We were getting the Floating Drydock ready to be towed to China,
A couple of blokes beside me were talking about a body in the factory next door,
I said what body and has it been reported, On the Docks, It just didnt happen, No one sees anything, Ever,
I asked where it was and they told me, So the Boss across the Table and I went down to have a look,
Yep, There was a body, Suicide by hanging off the roof, He meant it, as the ropes had many knots and would never come undone,
Young Street kid by the look of him, About 20 year old, He was well past cutting down to be saved,
Main comments were, Why would he do it, Simple. He has had a few years of nothing, and nothing is going to improve, He probably had no family or friends,
No future for him, In his eyes, So he chucked in the towel, Permanently, Sad, But it happens,
My boss reported it, Never heard any more about it,
The people at the table were more upset and shocked with me as I was still eating my Chinese take away when I got back,
Im still living and I need my lunch in me, My work is very physical,
Car and Bike accidents, Very many dead over the years, including friends, and relatives,
A lot of them very horrific and messy,
Am I callous with this attitude, No, I dont think so,
But be thankfull for people like me, as we will wade thru the blood and gore and any thing else to save your arse, Which I have done, repeatedly over the years, And been thanked for later, As no one else would do anything,
This is actually a good thread, Death is not some thing people talk about,
I personally feel better for it,
because now I have have said some thing about what has been bottled up inside of me for years,
I have now let it go,
Cheers, Brian,
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01-07-2016, 08:56
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#37
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Nanaimo BC
Boat: modified Spray 56' oa
Posts: 378
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
Back in the day gillnetters combed the Salish Sea and often snagged floating bodies.In this cold water it takes about 6 weeks to bob.Nowadays the salmon are depleted and all is left is the mystery running shoes drifting onto local beaches for the entertainment and titilation of reality show audiences. Once pulled an aquaintance back on the dock (six weeks after he fell off during a drunken pee break) His father,being in communication with the spirit, told of foul play . As for bodies, I much prefer extracting dead ones from car crashes as the living require so much more care. I have considerable pride in preventing the drowning of 3 children in separate incidences over the years .Life goes on.
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03-07-2016, 07:20
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#38
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Chesapeake bay area
Boat: 1971 cal 27
Posts: 427
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrew
I agree, a little confusing regarding the tone. This last bit (above) probably should have been saved for a different thread.
"Found a dead body, had a great time.............wish you were here".
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that gave me a hell of a good chuckle.
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03-07-2016, 07:30
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#39
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Chesapeake bay area
Boat: 1971 cal 27
Posts: 427
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
Quote:
Originally Posted by appick
No I wouldn't say I'm proud of it I was just curious. Sorry for giving the rest of the details about my trip. I don't think it shows any lack of respect on my part. My cousin wanted to take a picture of the body... , I told him that was not going to happen! After going through the whole, "you know that was someone's son, daughter, ect". He understood what I was getting at. The person is gone but the body still deserves respect.
I did find it odd, after we were motoring away how unaffected I seemed to be. It was just kind of like, "huh... so that happened". Then I made breakfast. What else are you going to do life goes on.
Yea it is a strange thread I guess, but from my point of view not the strangest I've ever read here . I was shocked when I posted on facebook to those following our America's Cup trip what had happened. A number of people said it had always been a "secret desire" to find a body?! Now that is weird!
Anyways just wanted to share my sailing story.
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i personally think that's a fairly normal response, unless you are a fairly overly sensitive guy. it's not like it was someone you knew. i once saw the body of a woman who had been taken to a truck stop and murdered laying beside the road. i didn't find it, mind you. the cops were there as i was passing by but, the body was uncovered and very near the road. outside of the normal "that's terrible" reaction, it really didn't effect me emotionally. it was more like, "you'll never guess what i saw today."
now, discovering a dead body while walking through a creepy forest at night or bumping into it while swimming might have a lot more effect. it would be pretty freaky.
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03-07-2016, 07:41
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#40
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Chesapeake bay area
Boat: 1971 cal 27
Posts: 427
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
Quote:
Originally Posted by senormechanico
I lived on a river back in the 70's to the early 90's and one winter during a rainy storm event, the river flooded.
A friend of mine and I went to visit a neighbor on the other side of the river in our 8 foot pram, rowing like hell across the fast current when what I thought was a body went past.
My friend insisted it was just a log, but I pointed out the log was wearing levi's.
We couldn't stop because we would have wound up in Lake Washington, so I called the sheriff's office.
The next day they called back and thanked me for the call.
A ten year old boy had been missing for a few weeks from upriver.
They found him in Lake Washington and were able to ID him from my phone call.
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hmmmm aren't most "storm events" rainy?
anyway, i find it interesting how the media really effects our speech patterns.
years ago, he might have just said a "rainy storm". but, the news media has been adding the word "event" behind every kind of weather for the last decade. it's not just rain. it's a rain event. it never just snows. it's a snow event. we still have sunny days but, it will probably not be long til they turn into sun events.
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03-07-2016, 07:44
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#41
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Chesapeake bay area
Boat: 1971 cal 27
Posts: 427
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kita
Yes it does stay with you,I did alot of dirt bike stuff when I was younger in FL & I drove up on a trail that I ran often & one day there was a car back in back of the orange grove. .very odd for a car to get so far back there ,the door was open & I approached carefully & noticed a guy on the ground, I am thinking drunk,, but when I got a good look I was shocked! ! Pants were down around his ankles & his hands were taped behind his back & it looked like he was scalped from rear to front & the top was about 10 feet away,panic starts to set in as I am looking around because I didn't know if the killer was still around & I was gonna be next! Got the heck outta there!! Called cops ,never found out anything about it. ..scary..there are some real nuts out there!
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wow. that's a bit harsher than just finding the body of some who drowned or something. that would leave an emotional mark, for sure.
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03-07-2016, 08:03
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#42
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Chesapeake bay area
Boat: 1971 cal 27
Posts: 427
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rognvald
I don't think this is a strange discussion as some have mentioned. In fact, for those who spend much time on the water it is more common than many would think. In the early 80's while sailing a small catamaran in the Sanibel/Captiva intercoastal, we found a decapitated head that had been in the water for a long time since the local marine inhabitants had consumed most of the flesh. It was during the drug days in Florida and according to the CG it was not the first time they encountered this particular body part. A second time was at Bayside Marina in Miami where a very drunk man on crutches fell off the pier at night and was unable to get out of the water due to the weight of the leg braces he wore. He was floating in the debris along the wall when we found him in the morning. Death, like life, is part of the human condition.
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i think that's a really good point. not only is water, itself, the cause of death but, it is often the preferred place to dump bodies. add to that the fact that water washes stuff from shore and carries it long distances.
the possibility of finding a body isn't something i had previously considered, although, i've found tons of other stuff. i agree with some of the other posters. this thread is good for making people aware of that possibility and, since the op dealt with the situation wisely, i think it could help others who may, someday, find themselves in a similar situation.
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03-07-2016, 08:29
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#43
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cruiser
Join Date: May 2010
Location: SF Bay Area; Former Annapolis and MA Liveaboard.
Boat: Looking and saving for my next...mid-atlantic coast
Posts: 6,197
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
Quote:
Originally Posted by first wind
...i agree with some of the other posters. this thread is good for making people aware of that possibility and, since the op dealt with the situation wisely, i think it could help others who may, someday, find themselves in a similar situation.
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This thread is a dead attempt, to use the phrase insultingly. There are much more useful ones out there than this can of self-serving decay.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ea-121773.html
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...age-47603.html
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03-07-2016, 09:12
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#44
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Hanging out along the Gulf Coast
Boat: 81 Hunter Cherubini 27
Posts: 372
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
2006, Red Sea, Egypt. The Ro/Ro ferry al-Salam Boccaccio 98 has a fire and eventually founders with over 1200 people returning to Egypt from JeddaH, Saudi Arabia. Was onboard the Egyptian Naval Ship "Sharm EL-Sheikh" (former USS Fahrion FFG-22) teaching electrical/electronic systems. Ship was tasked with searching for survivors. Non found. over 150 bodies recovered in a single day. As a foreigner, not allow to assist, but watched the effects on the Egyptian sailors as they brought body and body aboard, stacked them in the Helo hangers and tried to come to grips with the situation.
I've seen bodies before (retired military here), but nothing of the magnitude of this tragedy. The one thing that still stays with me is the stench of the bodies that permeated the aft end of the ship until we returned to Safaga a couple of days later.
I have to give credit to the young Egyptian sailors involved with the recovery and disembarkation of the deceased. A lot of scared young men, and many of them broke down, but there was ALWAYS respect for the deceased when touching or moving a body. I wouldn't wish this situation on anyone. Utmost respect to those that do go out and recover bodies and rescue the injured.
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03-07-2016, 12:28
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#45
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Carrabelle, Florida
Boat: Fiberglas shattering 44' steel trawler
Posts: 6,083
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Re: Ever found a body?... I did!
I sincerely hope that Cruiser's Net is enough of a community to be able to absorb a member's need to ventilate about something that disturbed him, including the paradoxical (but not at all unsual) tendency after such an event to react by laughing or having a good time - it's part of dealing with the nasty feelings slowly by putting them aside for awhile, then returning to them later, in manageable doses. People who do this sort of thing routinely (me only long ago) make the most tasteless jokes about it, but honestly, they are just trying to deal with their feelings. 1. Make sure the family doesn't hear you, and 2. Always treat a dead person as if he/she were alive.
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