Scattering ashes at sea

[a64pilot]

I scattered my Mothers remains right off the dock at her lake house in Lake Sinclair Ga.
I have scattered remains from an airplane for friends ( that one requires some planning as ashes are a gritty powder and will get everywhere at 100 kts)
I have helped place remains in Jackson's Blue cave in Mariana Fl.
Never have asked or checked for permission. It's just ashes, no possibility of a Biological hazard or pollution, contamination etc.
Never had a complaint or question from authorities.

[Diesel Bill]

My mother always wanted to live out in Long Island. When I was young we couldn't afford
to live there. When she passed away my sister and I scattered her ashes out there. Years later my sister passed on and her ashes were scattered out by the Channel Islands.
Earlier today I was telling my wife and stepson when it's my turn just put my ashes in a shoebox and let me float on the outgoing tide. I have no need to be locked in a box 6 feet under ground and stuck in one place for eternity.

[model 10]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

. It's just ashes, no possibility of a Biological hazard or pollution, contamination etc.

So I maintained a Cessna 172 for this guy who had a disposal business at sea by air for all of a big San Fransisco area county. In his hangar were stacks of packages of remains. They were not boxes but paper bag like things. He had lots of them they were stacked all over. Some were broken open. Booming business I guess. Well about 5-10 yers later, he got caught. He had a storage unit full of these things. He had just stopped doing it at all. Very weird.

[Cheechako]

Do what you want, when you want, and where you want. It's not like anyone is looking. Done it 3 times, all in inland waters.
They even sell a neat deal where you place the ashes in a ring of floating flowers, it sinks slowly in maybe 5-10 minutes.

[Davidhoy]

I agree with all those who recommended just doing what we want in this regard. I just find it frustrating that there are silly rules about this in the first place.

-David

[Tayana42]

Oh, come on. There have to be rules because...there have to be rules.

[Jim Cate]

In this case I cynically suspect that the rules have been established in order to protect someones rice bowl... ya know, the guys who deal with ashes commercially, like the above mentioned chap with the airplane and the garage full of "back orders".

Jim

[jonnypaget]

I don't ask permission to do anything

[Caolan]

I agree with the others. Just do what you want and do it discretely. Nobody is going to call out the military to throw you in irons.

[OldBawley]

I have been scattering ashes daily for the last 30 years.
Mind, I mean ashes from the wood burning stove.
Small boat, small stove, small astray. So every day before starting the fire to put the kettle on I dump the ashes over the stern.
I only burn naturally grown wood, no building stuff and I take great care nobody sees me dumping the ashes. Not that it is forbidden here in the Med, you should see what fisherman dump, but I do not want to offend anyone.

[sailinbob1]

I'd just do what my loved one asked.

[ValiantV]

Nice to learn there are so many libertarian cruisers!

Scattering ashes land or sea would seem one of the most natural, ecological, safe, and sane ways of returning our loved ones (or ourselves) to where we came from.

It's the guys who pump you full of poisonous chemicals, putting g you in an exorbitantly expensive piece of furniture, putting THAT into big cement box lined with copper or lead, then burying THAT under 6 feet of expensive real estate where people have to mow grass for a couple of centuries sound like the loony ones.....

[Paul M]

That is a great way to send someone off. When my dad passed, I chartered a catamaran in the bvi's for 10 family members and on the last day of the cruise we spread his ashes off the stern of the boat. It was a spiritual experience. If you are flying somewhere to do this, be sure and check the box with ashes and don't carry on.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

In this case I cynically suspect that the rules have been established in order to protect someones rice bowl... ya know, the guys who deal with ashes commercially, like the above mentioned chap with the airplane and the garage full of "back orders".

Jim

More likely the authorities are caught in the middle. They can't officially say it's OK but really don't want to know about it. Plausible deniability and all that.

[Imprezza72]

I believe they would have a tough time gathering the evidence.