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Information about Ash Scattering and Burials at Sea by New England Burials at Sea founder and captain, Brad White.

NEBAS Expands services from Maine to Florida

January 5th, 2012

NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: BradWhite, New England Burials At Sea LLC Tel: 877.897.7700, email: Oceanburial@aol.com

Wednesday January 4, 2012

New England Burials at Sea, LLC (NEBAS) Expands services from Maine to Florida

Marshfield, MA– New England’s most requested at sea burial service continues to expand and is now offering affordable, individualized and personal memorial ash scattering services and or full body ocean burials from Maine to Florida. 

Founder Captain Brad White said, “It makes sense for us to expand into the Florida market as many of our North East and Mid West snowbird clients flock to the warm weather for most of the year and some permanently.  They may eventually want to come home to their final resting place up north but we need an active program in Florida to handle today’s growing sea burial needs there.” 

 NEBAS is the best known company in the USA for sea burials and it uses only properly insured and current U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) licensed captains who are Sea Burial Certified™ by NEBAS.  They operate clean, safe and up to date vessels from Maine to Ft Lauderdale/ Miami/Tampa/Clearwater for Florida client families and the company works with an approved network of funeral homes in Florida. The company handles all required permits and licenses and filings with the EPA.  Vessels vary from vintage Maine down east style to sport or luxury level vessels accommodating from 1-6 up to 35 or for larger families up to 150-400 people.

 NEBAS Burials at sea are legal, approved per USCG and EPA, meet and exceed regulations and are easy to plan.  For ash scatterings, NEBAS voyages out with family and friends three nautical miles and the family scatters their loved ones cremated remains along with selected clergy if desired to respectfully attend to a loved one’s final wishes with a customized sea tribute service and then returns to port all within about three hours.  Traditional Ash Scattering rates include at the close of the service an official parchment sea burial certificate marking the latitude and longitude of a loved ones’ final resting place and prices start at $495.00 for an unattended services and $95 for pets. Attended services are more.

 “The company ensures a loved one their final requested resting place at sea, while relieving family of significant financial burdens in their time of distress as sea burials are typically less in cost than traditional funerals, though a funeral director is required for the actual cremation or to be in attendance for a full body sea burial,” said White.

 White added, “In today’s changing culture, many families are always on the move so a sea burial makes sense if family does not intend to future visit a traditional grave site.  When cremated remains are scattered, they travel the world forever and that is what most people want.  We tell families, “when you look at the water you will always see me” and that usually always makes them well up as that is what Mom or Dad always wanted.”

The company also voyages off shore for full body burials with their exclusive ocean friendly Atlantic Sea Burial Shroud® for eco-friendly full body committals in 600+ feet of water.

Burials At Sea may be attended by 1-35 people plus crew on many standard vessels and up to 150 passengers on larger vessels in Florida.  The trained crew conducts a dignified and well-thought out memorial service that can be customized to specific needs, wishes, religion or taste.  If preferred, a family member or other designated person may conduct all or part of the ceremony.  Ocean friendly wreaths, flora’s, music, poems, readings, prayers, bag pipers, Taps, military cadre and other no cost or low cost options are also available.

Requests can be accommodated within 24-48 hours, depending upon the weather and season. The service may be attended or unattended and some can be viewed from the shore.  Photography of the service is also available and in 2012 a live video feed can be simulcast worldwide to family members that may not be able to attend but who can easily log on line to watch the event. 

 About NEBAS: New England Burials At Sea LLC, (NEBAS) offers burial at sea scatterings and eco-friendly full body sea burials, serving families from Maine to Florida for groups up to 400 people since 2006 and is recognized by the EPA, US Navy, U.S.C.G. and many area  funeral homes and crematories.   Scatterings are also offered by Airplane in the North East from New Jersey to Maine and the company is also the exclusive distributor / operator for the Great Burial Reef® living ocean reef system (designed for cremated remains) from Virginia north to New England.

 NEBAS  also offers a Belated Burial At Sea® program for those family members who have not quite decided to do with their loved one’s remains. “The vast majority of cremations never have a proper, dignified “celebration of life” burial ceremony,” said company founder Captain Brad White.  The Belated Burial – a memorial ash scattering that pays tribute to a loved one when a family is still holding onto their cremated remains and not knowing how to put them to final rest answers that lingering need.  One simple phone call handles it all. 

The company also designed and manufactures the Atlantic Sea Burial Shroud®.

For more information or images, visit http://www.newenglandburialsatsea.com, call toll free New England Burials At Sea, Capt Brad White at 877-897-7700 or direct (781) 834-7500, email OceanBurial@aol.com.

 

©2005-2012 New England Burials at Sea LLC, All rights reserved. Patents pending.

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Ash Scatterings Over the Sea by Air Now Available

November 17th, 2011

CONTACT: Brad White, New England Burials At Sea tel: 877.897.7700, email: Oceanburial@aol.com

“Burial At Sea Air Scatterings” Offered Through New England Burials at Sea LLC

1953 Cessna Specially Fitted for Air Scatterings

1953 Cessna Specially Fitted for Air Scatterings

Marshfield, MA — New England Burials At Sea, (NEBAS) has recently launched an additional “burial at sea air scattering” service to help bring closure to families who wish to honor their loved ones with final flight ash scattering by plane over the sea.  New England Burials At Sea LLC, (NEBAS) offers burial at sea scatterings by plane or ocean vessel, eco-friendly full body sea burials and pet burial at sea.

 The vast majority of cremations may never have a proper, dignified “celebration of life” burial ceremony. Many client families have either a commercial, military or sport enthusiast pilot in the family who loved flying.

Company founder Captain Brad White recently announced this new service air scattering now offered at NEBAS – The New England Air Scattering™ – a memorial ash scattering by a specially fitted 1953 high wing Cessna airplane piloted by a decorated Koren war pilot Ev Cassagneres of Connecticut with over 65 years of flight experience and who personally knew Charles Lindbergh and his family. Pilot Cassagneres is also a well respected and published author on the topic.

Ash Scatterings by Plane
Capt Brad White (left) and Pilot Ev Cassagneres (Right)

White said, “Pilot Cassagneres has developed a special in flight procedure for an all-at-once unattended scattering of cremated remains that can be geo-targeted over a special coordinate selected by the family from New York to Maine.” White added, “Pilot Steve Goyette of Massachusetts has been flying for over 35 years and often flys his authentic military low wing airplane which is a North American L – 17 War Bird from Rhode Island to Maine and is experienced in air acrobatics. Pilot Goyette is equipped to take passengers to witness and view the air deployment alongside Pilot Cassagneres.”

“In addition, we can station a vessel at a certain water based location near the intended air flight scattering path that the plane can fly over while dipping it’s wings in a full respect final air tribute salute while in full radio contact with the boat or ground so the family can hear the pilot’s reading of the final Captain’s prayer.”

NEBAS burials at sea are legal, approved per U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and EPA regulations and are easy to plan. For ash scatterings, NEBAS voyages out three nautical miles and the family scatters their loved ones cremated remains with a customized sea tribute service and returns to port all within about three hours.

All ash scattering rates include an official parchment sea and or air burial certificate marking the latitude and longitude of a loved ones’ final resting place and start at $495.00. Air scatterings are more.

Passenger-ready vintage military aircraft lets people watch the ash scattering from the air along side the aircraft.

NEBAS is the best known company in the nation for sea burials that uses only properly insured and licensed captains with current USCG certifications that only employ clean, safe and up to date vessels from Maine to Miami as well as San Francisco to San Diego. Vessels vary from vintage Maine down east style to sport or luxury level vessels accommodating up to 400 people.

According to Capt. White, “We are the best fully licensed and insured professional air scattering operation in the U.S., and the only one in New England, using a precise method of ash scattering by air.  We can now offer a proper ‘Air Burial At Sea’ which is a truly great and final tribute to a loved one, especially one who loved flying.”

With a team that has over one hundred years of combined flying experience, White is proud to announce these new affiliations to continue the significant growth rate of the company by further expanding NEBAS services.

About NEBAS

New England Burials At Sea LLC, (NEBAS) offers burial at sea scatterings by plane or ocean vessel, eco-friendly full body sea burials and pet burial at sea.  The company has been serving families from Maine to Miami since 2006.  NEBAS is recognized by the EPA, US Navy, U.S.C.G. and many funeral homes and crematories.

Burial at Sea Services offered include: Private Ash Scattering Cruises with family; Unattended Ash Scattering –Captain’s service; Full Body Ocean Burials –With family; Ceremonies for Pets’ Ashes as well as Memorial Cruises to the same coordinates on future anniversaries.  Through their Belated Burial at Sea (www.belatedburial.com), NEBAS helps bring closure to families who wish to honor their loved ones with a memorial ash scattering that pays tribute to a loved one for whom a family may not have already held a committal service.

NEBAS offers a unique Concierge Program specifically for families traveling to the New England area for NEBAS services.  The company has partnered with the pet friendly Fairmont Battery Wharf Hotel,  Rowe’s Wharf Water Transport Company, Winston Flowers and CityView Trolley company of Boston to help ensure NEBAS guests are as comfortable as possible during their time of grief and mourning – and one simple phone call handles it all.

The company also designed and manufactures in MA the Atlantic Sea burial Shroud®.

For more information or images, visit http://www.NewEnglandBurialsAtSea.com, or call toll free New England Burials At Sea, Capt Brad White at 877-897-7700 or direct at (781) 834-7500, email OceanBurial@aol.com.

  ©2005-2012 New England Burials at Sea LLC, All rights reserved. Patents pending.

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New England Burials at Sea for Pets featured on NECN

July 29th, 2011

New England Cable News.com(NECN: Peter Howe) – Living in a corner of the world so defined by its coasts and bays, many New Englanders dream, after their deaths, of the simple majesty of being burined at sea, or their remains scattered to the waters.

That’s something that’s helped Captain Brad White here to build over the last six years a booming business — New England Burials at Sea LLC — that, after many special requests, he’s just formally expanded to include burials of family pets at sea.

“What I’ve found is that when people pass away, and they’d like to be buried at sea, they want to go with Fluffy, or Fido,” said White, himself an owner of three Belgian barge dogs, called Schipperkes, bred to serve as watchdogs, chase off water rats, and work the horses that would tow barges down Belgian canals.

“People that have their dog or cat with them — or parakeet, or even horse, as we’re starting to do equine horse burials at sea — we find that people get closure when they see the cremated remains travel off into the water behind the vessel,” White said.

Working off his 33-foot sportfish picnic boat, White Cap, or other vessels, White and his colleagues set an informal altar to hold an urn of remains before they are scattered and use a Plimoth Plantation antique handbell to ring “eight bells,” the nautical end-of-watch signal. Services start at around $95 for pets and $395 for humans for a simple 20-minute ride out to the three-mile federal waters limit to dispose of ashes, and can include more involved services with videography, flowers, and other services. White, who used to handle product development and store openings for the high-end Sharper Image, has even designed a biodegradable canvas shroud for full-body animal burials at sea. As with a human version, it is weighted down with cannonballs made by the same factory that makes them for the U.S.S. Constitution in Charlestown, also known as “Old Ironsides,” to ensure the body sinks, and the shroud itself decomposes along with the body in three to six months. Bear in mind, it requires substantial government approvals to do this — a Coast Guard license as a master captain to take people to see, plus an Environmental Protection Agency permit to dispose of bodies in federal waters. Through partners in ports along the East Coast, he’s offering at-sea burials to customers from Maine to Miami.

Two numbers that give an indication of how big a business this could become: Every year about 2.5 million people die in America, but it’s estimated probably 11 or 12 million pets do. At the same time, over the last 25 years, estimates of how many Americans choose to have their bodies cremated have risen from 12 to 15 percent to now as many as 60 percent. With more and more families spreading across the country, interring remains in a cemetery family members would have a hard time travelling to visit may be less emotionally meaningful than a ceremony placing the ashes for eternity at a special place. For someone who keeps the ashes of a beloved pet in an urn, choosing to have those ashes scattered in the sea when their own ashes go there too just may have a special appeal.

“It’s beautiful,” White says. “When the cremated remains go in the water, they leave here from Boston or Cape Cod, they go up to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, over to Europe … ”

With videographer David Jacobs.

Article originally posted at www.necn.com

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Burials at sea, now available for pets.

July 29th, 2011 
July 5, 2011 3:15 PM By Kaivan Mangouri, Globe Correspondent

New England Burials At Sea, which runs mourners out into the ocean to scatter the ashen remains of loved ones, is now extending its services to those who want a marine memorial for their beloved pets. Company founder Brad White said pet burials at sea resulted from his own interests as a dog lover.

“We are enlarging it. Pets are people too,” White said. “People want a dignified last wish and final chapter for their pets.”

White, who has several dogs, also founded Midnight Pass, a company that manufactures beds, strollers, and other pet-related products. His contact with other owners led to the pet burial at sea services.

“We get many requests to scatter the cremated remains of pets alongside the remains of the pet parent,” White said of many of his ocean burials. “We know how much we love our pets, and in today’s transient society, many owners don’t want to exhume pet remains when they move.”

White offers pet burials starting at $95. After the the ashes are scattered into the ocean, there is usually a poem reading, and then flowers or wreaths are placed in the water. Owners receive a sea burial certificate, which, White said, often helps to bring some closure if they cannot make the trip themselves.

Most of the pet burials are unattended, although he performed one that had 40 people in attendance.

Nearly 40 percent of deaths resulted in cremations in 2009, according to the Cremation Association of North America, double the amount in 1985 – a rise that some in the funeral business attribute to the green movement. The figure is expected to grow to nearly 60 percent in the next 15 years.

Although he does not want to think of it, when the time comes for his 12-year-old Schipperke dogs, White intends to bring them out to the ocean.  “I would prefer to scatter their remains because they love being on the boat,” White said. “It’s in their blood and in my blood.”

Link to original article: www.boston.com/Boston/businessupdates/…/index.html and Your browser may not support display of this image. Sea burial company extends service to departed pets. Kaivan Mangouri can be reached at kmangouri@globe.com.

 

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Answers to Burial at Sea Frequently Asked Questions for your Pet

July 6th, 2011
Answers to Burial at Sea Frequently Asked Questions for your Pet

 

What time of year are you open for Burials at Sea? We offer year round services.

 

Description: We offer ash scatterings and will perform full body burials on larger vessels out of larger ports such as Boston, Hyannis, Wildwood, NJ and others so please inquire.  (Burial Shroud is required).

What size pets can be buried at sea?  From a bird to a horse.

Can I get a deal if I have you scatter two pets at the same time?  Yes, we offer packages.

 

What types of boats?  Typically power and we offer many different vessels ranging in size from 33 feet to 150 feet and can accommodate up to four hundred people. For safety, all of our boats are fully insured and piloted by a Coast Guard licensed captain & certified crew. An additional fee may apply to travel to specific destinations significantly beyond our south shore of Boston office or outside of our established network. We can typically relocate the proper vessel to any port with advance planning. 

Do I need a funeral director?  No you do not.

 

We are not funeral directors nor do we own a crematory.  We are maritime planners and can recommend many Pet Crematories in your general area.

Do you use a casket?  We typically scatter ashes, “Cremated remains”.  IF asked to do a full body “non cremated” animal —we use the Atlantic Sea Burial Shroud® that we manufacture out of durable organic cotton so that it completely bio degrades in 3-6 months. We believe that if a body is preserved to withstand the rigors of the sea environment in a made solid casket that the likelihood of it being dredged up later is high (As has happened before) therefore we only use ocean friendly organic materials.  This shroud can also be used in a place of worship prior to the sea burial ceremony.

How does the cannon ball weight system work?  We have designed our Atlantic Sea Burial Shroud to have a separate cannon ball chamber from the body.  We load the shroud with four oversized cannon balls that weigh almost 40 lbs each which means we exceed the federal requirement of 150lbs.  This is important to make sure that the body stays where deployed.  After all has biodegraded, the cannon balls create their own reef which fish and marine life appreciate.

Can the family attend?  You bet and prices do vary by port.

How far to sea do you go? At least three (3) miles to sea.  We typically exceed all federal and state requirements and go farther for full body burials to 600’ + of water (Typically 25-50 miles form shore).

How long does it take to decompose in the ocean?  According to the experts (US Navy, FBI and Funeral directors) about three – six months.

Does my pet have to be embalmed? No, not possible. 

How much does it cost?  Will vary from port to port but generally:   

We know that pets are also beloved members of any family and we treat their ash scattering ceremonies with deep respect and seriousness.

At this time we scatter ashes for pet burials at sea.  Please inquire about special Pet Shrouds made from Organic Cotton for full body burials.

Rates for Pet Ash Scattering Ceremonies can be found on our Rate & Options page at www.NewEnglandBurialsAtSea and prices start at just $95.00 for ash scatterings.

Pet burial services include a Burial Certificate marking the time, date, latitude and longitude  of the ash scattering ceremony.  Please email a photo of your pet to Captain Brad White before the charter if you wish to include your pet’s picture on the certificate free of charge.

Ash Scattering for Pets (Unattended Ceremony): $95.

Ash Scattering for Pets (Attended Ceremony with family):  $995 for up to six from our local port.  Up to $2,495 for up to 30 people.

Please contact Captain Brad for rates by port regarding Attended Ash Scattering Ceremonies for Pets.

Can I prepay?  Yes, if your pet is in declining health.

 

Reservation Details: Payment is required prior to departure.  If the family wishes to attend, and they are encouraged, a 50% deposit reserves the boat / necessary crew for your date and time for up to three hours. All of the arrangements can be made by telephone fax or email. An additional fee may apply to travel to specific destinations significantly beyond our south shore of Boston office. We can typically relocate the proper vessel to any port with advance planning. 

DEPOSITS: Booking Deposit required to hold a date & receipt of deposit monies acknowledges POLICY acceptance.  50% Deposit with reservation. 50% Deposit shall be due/payable 3 days before sailing. Most Credit Cards Accepted as well as Pay Pal, bank checks and wires.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation Policy: Day of sailing 25% refundable, within three days of sailing 35% of deposit is refundable. Within 4-14 days of sailing 50% refundable, within 21 days of sailing 75% refundable, within 30 days of sailing 100% refundable

 

WEATHER POLICY:  Your safety and enjoyment at sea is our prime area of focus and responsibility. Should poor weather be forecasted or occur during your charter period, the Captain reserves the right to cancel and/or postpone a sailing for the safety of the passengers and crew. Deposits are 100% refundable in this instance.  If the charter has commenced and poor weather eventually rolls in, a mutually acceptable pro rated cost adjustment share of the total fee will be charged, with a minimum fee of $250.

The We Promise 100 % SATISFACTION GUARANTEE POLICY: We guarantee your complete satisfaction, if you are not pleased; the Captain will make it right to your liking. We promise.

CHECKS: There will be a $25.00 service charge for any checks returned by the bank.

What is included in the price?  Our quoted pricing includes, the vessel, fuel, taxes, soft drinks, quoted time portal to portal (We journey at least three miles from shore) vessel captain, the steering captain and our services for the arrangements, planning and sea tribute, six signed and sealed burial certificates,  a suggested order of service and an “e-book” of poems and readings you might like to look through and consider for your sea tribute, Eight-Bells End of watch blessing, Ships Horn while circling flower field, Waters, ice and soft drinks are provided if a family attends. 

The quoted price does not include, food, flowers, urns, parking, music, photography.

 

Do you have available options?  Yes for photography, video, catering, music etc.  Just ask us and we will send you the current list.

 

Can we visit the burial site at sea on the anniversary of my Pet’s birthday or date of death?  You bet for a full body burial area as they do not move.  Please note that a pet’s cremated remains will travel and you can see the chart of travel on our website if you want to get an idea as to how cremated remains do travel the oceans with currents.

 

Do you have references? We sure do and are happy to share them from Funeral home recommendations to individual family recommendations.

While at sea, the captain is the sole authority aboard…At sea leadership is very important for the comfort of passengers and the safe running of a vessel while at sea. Social input is always welcome. The captain will be in command at all times of the vessel. What the captain says happens. Enjoy your voyage and be sure to sign the guest book!  Restricted Items (What Not To Bring): Not allowed on board: Illegal substances (non prescription drugs & illicit drugs) or weapons of any kind are to be brought aboard the boat.

Violators will be returned to the dock immediately and the trip cancelled without refund.

 Is the vessel Handicap Accessible? Yes, within limits—and many larger vessels are fairly easy to board (allow an extra half hour at boarding). 

Are you insured?  Yes by a top rated company.

Are you licensed?  Yes, USCG Master Merchant Mariner, 100 Gross Tons, Towing and Sail – Near Coastal, License # USA 000012723, Mariner # 2724307

If I choose to come aboard

 

Is there a bathroom aboard?  Yes and we call it a “head”

What happens if Uncle Fred is late because he is lost in finding the dock and our family is attending?  The ship departs and sails on time.  Our schedule is much lime a commercial airliner.  We do offer additional unscheduled time on an hourly rate of $200 -$800 per hour based on vessel.  Be sure to ask us about our “Door to shore®” livery program to help alleviate that type of situation in getting all passengers to the and from the vessel safely and on time.

What’s for breakfast or lunch? Light refreshments are provided.   Depending on your package selection, you can bring your own snacks, or hearty box lunches can be provided.

What about Alcohol?  Responsible Beer and wine consumption are allowed and within reason and ask details if the ship has a cash bar or if BYOB…

Can we bring music on CD’s on an IPod?  You bet—we have a portable system with remote control for playback and we also have available an optional bagpiper-notice is required for scheduling.

 

Can we take pictures and or video? Yes and we encourage it and the captain will take a family shot for you and we also have photography packages available.

How do we dress for the event aboard?  We suggest casual, with a wind breaker, light colored comfortable non slip shoes and you may leave the high heels at home while at sea. 

Do I need to bring any special gear? Please see What to Bring for more specifics on personal clothing and gear needs.   

 

Do people generally get sea sick?  No if they follow our sea tradition instructions.

  • If I am prone to getting sea sick, what should I do?  We recommend you consider staying and viewing from shore as when one person gets sick, others may too.  You can view through supplied binoculars and we will call you via cell phone when we start.  You can listen to what we are doing.  Or, visit our how to prevent sea sickness page and try your best!  The White cap has a very steady platform and takes the gently waves nicely.  We usually do not have any issues. . If you get woozy while boating, we recommend checking with your Doctor first and taking Dramamine at least 2 hours before departing the dock if you want it to work. It will not work if you wait and take it while underway. Wrist bands and behind the ear devices also work–check with your pharmacist should for your particular preventative situation.

 

Planning your Trip. Pre Boarding… What to Bring and Do…

  • Soft sole shoes that are comfortable are suggested for the best safety aboard the boat. Don’t forget your camera, sunscreen, sun glasses and other personal objects. Soft sided coolers are the best and easiest to move around the vessel decks.  Windbreaker/sweater and light duty rain gear in the event storms roll in. The weather can changed quickly here in New England.
  • Please bring your snacks and beverages. (Unless otherwise specified in your event package). Please inquire about Beer and wine as several vessels have cash bar’s onboard ad BYOB may not be available.   If BYOB is allowed, cans are welcome, bottles while underway are not. Hard liquor is saved for dockside for everyone’s safety and enjoyment later post cruise.
  • Any known or potentially unknown medical conditions should be reported to the captain before disembarking so as to not spoil the trip for the others; such as pregnancy, bad backs/necks and or susceptibility to sea sickness.

 

Where do we meet the vessel?  Exact location to be advised.

How do I get to the boat? Exact location to be advised.

What local accommodations do you recommend? Please contact us for references as we have many suggestions with preferred seating, pricing and more.

 

Who can I call if I have any questions? Contact our booking office Toll Free at (877) 897.7700 or by e-mail at

OceanBurial@aol.com.  Boat direct 781.834.7500.

Can I contact the boat directly? Yes. The mobile vessel phone on the captain’s belt is (617) 966-1986. The vessel also monitors VHF channel 16.

Some Questions to ask yourself when selecting a reputable Sea Burial Business

  1. What type of boat is being used for your size of family? 
  2. Is it USCG approved with all the required safety equipment?
  3. Are the licensed Coast Guard Captains that are performing your service current with their certifications? Ask for a current copy of their USCG License if you are unsure.
  4. Is the Sea Burial business recognized by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as a responsible business in filing all required paperwork on a timely basis?
  5. Does the Sea Burial business work closely with your funeral home or crematory as needed for no extra charge? 
  6. Does the service have a reference list available of current clients that you can speak with?
  7. Will the burial at sea service perform your service at your geographic location of choice?
  8. Does the sea burial business perform the sea burial within 48 hours if asked (weather permitting) versus other services taking up to 30 days?
  9. Is there someone at the toll free # during business hours when you call or just an answering machine?

10.  Is the service member in good standing of the local Chamber of Commerce or other nationally recognized group or agency?   

11.  Is the service doing burials at sea full time or as a weekend fill in to typical fishing charters.

12.  Ask to see pictures of the suggested vessel and ask if you can visit it.

New England Burials At Sea provides all of the above and more.  Call us today toll free at (877) 897.7700 for your burial at sea needs to request a free info pack. -Capt Brad White

Booking Office

New England Burials At Sea LLC

Captain Brad White – Founder
PO Box 489, 149 Old Main St
Marshfield Hills, MA 02051-0489, Toll Free: (877) 897.7700
Phone: (781) 834.7500, Fax: (781) 834.0113, Cell; 617.966.1986 Email: OceanBurial@aol.com

 

©2006-2011 – New England Burials At Sea LLC. All rights reserved. Patents pending

Posted in Pet Burials At Sea | No Comments »

Burials at sea, now available for pets.

July 6th, 2011

Burials at sea, now available for pets.

July 5, 2011 3:15 PM     By Kaivan Mangouri, Globe Correspondent

New England Burials At Sea, which runs mourners out into the ocean to scatter the ashen remains of loved ones, is now extending its services to those who want a marine memorial for their beloved pets. Company founder Brad White said pet burials at sea resulted from his own interests as a dog lover.

“We are enlarging it. Pets are people too,” White said. “People want a dignified last wish and final chapter for their pets.”

White, who has several dogs, also founded Midnight Pass, a company that manufactures beds, strollers, and other pet-related products. His contact with other owners led to the pet burial at sea services.

“We get many requests to scatter the cremated remains of pets alongside the remains of the pet parent,” White said of many of his ocean burials. “We know how much we love our pets, and in today’s transient society, many owners don’t want to exhume pet remains when they move.”

White offers pet burials starting at $95. After the the ashes are scattered into the ocean, there is usually a poem reading, and then flowers or wreaths are placed in the water. Owners receive a sea burial certificate, which, White said, often helps to bring some closure if they cannot make the trip themselves.

Most of the pet burials are unattended, although he performed one that had 40 people in attendance.

Nearly 40 percent of deaths resulted in cremations in 2009, according to the Cremation Association of North America, double the amount in 1985 – a rise that some in the funeral business attribute to the green movement. The figure is expected to grow to nearly 60 percent in the next 15 years.

Although he does not want to think of it, when the time comes for his 12-year-old Schipperke dogs, White intends to bring them out to the ocean.  “I would prefer to scatter their remains because they love being on the boat,” White said. “It’s in their blood and in my blood.”

Link to original article:   www.boston.com/Boston/businessupdates/…/index.html

and  Sea burial company extends service to departed pets. 

Kaivan Mangouri can be reached at kmangouri@globe.com. 

Posted in Ash Scattering, Pet Burials At Sea, Press Releases | No Comments »

Mother Jones: What Happens When You’re Buried at Sea?

May 18th, 2011

Getting tipped overboard is just the beginning.
The gory—and fascinating—science of sleeping with the fishes.

05-09-01 –  motherjones.com – By Dave Gilson

Last Monday, at around 11 in the morning local time, Osama Bin Laden’s body dropped from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson into the Arabian Sea. According to the Pentagon, the hours-old corpse had been washed and placed in a simple white sheet in accordance with Islamic practice. It was then sealed inside a weighted bag and laid on top of a board, which was tilted until “the body slid off into the sea.”

Back on land, the controversy surrounding Bin Laden’s last splash was just beginning. But beneath the waves, nature was taking its course, quietly and methodically turning the world’s most-wanted terrorist into fish food. You could say Osama bin Laden had received the ultimate green burial, courtesy of the United States Navy.

Obviously, the decision to consign Bin Laden to the deep was motivated by expedience rather than eco-friendliness. Seafarers from Odysseus to Ahab have long known that there’s no better way to quickly be rid of a corpse than to toss it overboard. But only recently has this salty custom been rediscovered as a relatively efficient way to be laid to rest with minimal environmental impact.

“I have noticed a great increase in interest in burial at sea,” says Ann Rodney, an environmental protection specialist in the New England office of the Environmental Protection Agency’s ocean and coastal unit, which oversees burials in American waters. The agency doesn’t have hard data on how many Americans choose sea burial, but Rodney suspects the numbers, though small, are growing. “Ten years ago, I might get one or two calls a year about it. Now I get at least one call a week.”

If you’re intent on going into a watery grave, you’ll need to enlist someone like Brad White, a 52-year-old licensed ship captain who has been depositing bodies in the Atlantic since 2005. His company, New England Burials at Sea, based in Scituate Harbor, Massachusetts, does an average of six full-body burials a year and has 25 “pre-need” requests on the books. People who choose to be buried at sea, he says, “typically have a love for the ocean, do not want to be cremated, and prefer ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

They want to become part of the Earth again via our oceans.” To help them realize this, White offers burials that he says are not only historically authentic but environmentally sound. “About five or six years ago, someone kept asking me, ‘Can you do a full body?’, and I kept saying no, since I didn’t want to put a casket in the ocean.” He turned to nautical history for an alternative. Traditionally, 18th and 19th century American and British sailors who died at sea where wrapped in a sailcloth shroud with a few cannonballs or leg irons as ballast and then sent overboard. This inspired White to create the Atlantic Sea Burial Shroud, a canvas body bag that comes in seven colors, with your choice of piping or fringe. The shroud zips up, so there’s no need for the traditional final stitch sewn through the nose—a superstitious precaution meant to rouse the comatose. For ballast, White sells custom-made 37.5-pound cannonballs. “Barbell weights work well, too,” he says.

In 2007, a fishing boat off the Massachusetts coast pulled up the remains of a body that had been buried at sea six years earlier. Besides honoring nautical tradition, White says, a shrouded body has less impact than a corpse inside a coffin—the standard for the Navy, which offers full-body burials for veterans, provided the bodies are embalmed and sealed inside a metal casket with a few holes drilled in it. White prefers not to handle embalmed bodies. “We’re into clean waters and clean oceans,” he says. His system is designed to be as biodegradable as possible. Grommets in the shroud “help the body sink because air comes out. And when a body decomposes, body gases come out. It also allows sea life to go in and do what sea life does. What’s left after everything degrades are the cannonballs, and they make their own reef.”

Plus, White adds, “A Navy ship deploys a body from 10 stories high. We have a gentle deployment system that slides the body into the ocean. It drops maybe six inches to a foot.” (Bin Laden’s body reportedly fell from the hangar deck of the Vinson, which is about 55 feet above the waterline.)

Beyond cost—White’s full-body burial services start at $9,750—there’s little stopping you from visiting Davy Jones’ locker, though the EPA must be notified within 30 days of your final voyage. The agency’s main concern is that once sunk, bodies stay that way. Burials must take place at least three miles offshore and in at least 600 feet of water (1,800 feet in certain areas, such as the Gulf Coast). If you use a casket, the agency recommends drilling at least six three-inch holes in it to “facilitate rapid flooding and venting of air.” It also suggests adding four pounds of additional weight for every pound of body weight, which means the coffin for a 150-pound person would weigh more than 750 pounds. And to make sure coffins don’t pop open when they hit the water, the EPA advises wrapping them in stainless-steel chains, gift-box style.

The only nod to clean-water standards is a requirement that all wreaths or flowers tossed in the water must be “readily decomposable in the marine environment.” The EPA will get on your case if you dump formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, into a stream or lake, but it won’t blink if you put a body filled with formaldehyde-based embalming fluid into the Pacific Ocean. While there is no research on the effects of sunken bodies on ocean ecosystems, Rodney says that logic suggests it’s minimal. She cites the adage “dilution is the solution.” In other words, it’s a big ocean out there.

The rules for burial at sea are more stringent in the United Kingdom. Bodies can’t be embalmed and must be clad in biodegradable material (“commensurate with modesty”); coffins must be made of softwood and may not have plastic, zinc, copper, or lead fittings. Like the EPA, British regulators are preoccupied with preventing bodies from washing up on shore or getting snagged in fishing equipment. They require coffins to be heavily weighted and drilled with 40 to 50 holes. Just in case, each body must have an ID tag locked around its neck.

Though it is rare, bodies do occasionally resurface. Last September, a fisherman came across a floating corpse, naked except for a sock, a few miles off of Florida’s Atlantic coast. A brief homicide investigation revealed it belonged to a North Carolina man who’d been buried at sea a day earlier, wrapped in a plastic tarp. In 2007, a fishing boat off the Massachusetts coast pulled up the remains of a body that had been buried more than six years earlier.

Usually, the ocean does not give up the dead so easily. As he was developing his sea shroud, White did some of his own research into underwater decomposition, running trials with the bodies of various mammals. “We would use store-bought roast turkeys, chickens. Animal Control supplied us with roadkill foxes, possums, raccoons. We used a little bit of everything,” he recalls. He also consulted FBI forensic experts, who informed him that after two days in the water, most bodies are “unrecognizable.” White concluded that a body and a shroud on the sea floor should completely disintegrate within three to six months.

Results may vary depending on a burial spot’s depth, temperature, and its abundance (or lack) of sea life. Generally, the deeper and colder the water, the slower bodies decompose. A 2008 paper in Forensic Sciences described the differing conditions of remains retrieved from two airplane crashes in more than 1,500 feet of water. A victim discovered off of Sicily 34 days after death was still fully dressed; a three-month-old body found off the southern coast of Africa had been “fully skeletonized” by “highly efficient necrophageous lyssianassids” (i.e., flesh-eating shrimp-like creatures).

Another recent study that monitored pig carcasses submerged in approximately 300 feet of water found that hungry sea critters can have rapid and dramatic effects on the dead. Observing a subject known as “Pig 1,” researcher Gail Anderson wrote, “It immediately attracted a number of animals including squat lobsters, Dungeness crabs and spot shrimp. Two days after it was placed on the ocean floor, a large piece of tissue was removed from the rump…the bite mark left behind suggests that the culprit was a six-gill shark.”

Gory, but that’s what it means to sleep with the fishes. Capt. White speculates that Bin Laden’s body has met a similar fate. Considering that the Arabian Sea is warm (right now its average temperature is in the 80s) and teeming with sharks—well, he says, “Go figure.”

Dave Gilson is a senior editor at Mother Jones. (reprinted with permission) Original Article at:

http://motherjones.com/environment/2011/05/bin-laden-burial-at-sea

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Press Release: Belated Burials at Sea

May 5th, 2011

It’s Never Too Late To Pay Tribute to a Loved One -

“Belated Burials at Sea” Now Offered Through New England Burials at Sea LLC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Marshfield, MA – New England Burials At Sea, (NEBAS) has recently launched a new service and website to help bring closure to families who wish to honor their loved ones with a Belated Burial at Sea (www.belatedburials.com).

The vast majority of cremations never have a proper, dignified “celebration of life” burial ceremony.   Company founder Captain Brad White recently announced a new service now offered at NEBAS – the Belated Burial – a memorial ash scattering that pays tribute to a loved one when a family is still holding onto their cremated remains and not knowing how to put them to final rest.

According to Capt. White, “Typically, during the first year following cremation, the remains are placed proudly on the fireplace mantel.  As the years go by, the remains are eventually moved to the hallway closet behind a tennis racquet and by year five, or even year 10, someone has an epiphany that a burial at sea or other ‘celebration’ would be a great final and proper tribute.”

NEBAS is the best known company in the USA for sea burials and it uses only properly insured and licensed captains with current U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) certifications who only use clean, safe and up to date vessels from Maine to Miami as well as San Francisco to San Diego.  Vessels vary from vintage Maine down east style to sport or luxury level vessels accommodating up to 400 people.

NEBAS Burials at sea are legal, approved per USCG and EPA regulations and are easy to plan.  For ash scatterings, NEBAS voyages out three nautical miles and the family scatters their loved ones cremated remains with a customized sea tribute service and returns to port all within about three hours.  Traditional Ash Scattering rates include an official parchment sea burial certificate marking the latitude and longitude of a loved ones’ final resting place and start at $495.00. NEBAS also offers full body ocean burials with their patent pending organic Atlantic Sea Burial Shroud®

For more information or to make arrangements for a Belated Burial , contact NEBAS

Toll free at (877) 897-7700 or visit the website at www.belatedburials.com.

About NEBAS

New England Burials At Sea LLC, (NEBAS) offers burial at sea scatterings and eco-friendly full body sea burials, serving families from Maine to Miami for groups up to 400 people since 2006 and is recognized by the EPA, US Navy, U.S.C.G. and many area funeral homes and crematories.

NEBAS offers a unique Concierge Program specifically for families traveling to the Boston area for NEBAS services.  The company has partnered with the pet friendly Fairmont Battery Wharf Hotel,  Rowe’s Wharf Water Transport Company, Winston Flowers and CityView Trolley company of Boston   to help ensure NEBAS guests are as comfortable as possible during their time of grief and mourning – and one simple phone call handles it all.

The company also designed and manufactures the Atlantic Sea burial Shroud®.

For more information or images, visit http://www.newenglandburialsatsea.com, call toll free New England Burials At Sea, Capt Brad White at 877-897-7700 or (781) 834-7500, email OceanBurial@aol.com.

©2005-2011 New England Burials at Sea LLC, All rights reserved. Patents pending.

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Bin Laden at Sea?? Our professional opinion on the recent comments in the press

May 3rd, 2011

Why the USA buried Osama Bin Laden at Sea

Since the operation in Pakistan eliminating Bin Laden, we at www. NewEnglandBurialsAtSea.com have had scores of people contact us and visit our site to ask questions about Muslim burials at Sea. I thought it best to post in our blog known scientific, geographic and religious facts.

The US Navy did the right thing by burying the body within 24 hours.

Muslims, as a rule, do not bury at sea.  Muslims typically use a traditional in ground burial and position their dead casket free, bound in a shroud  in the ground facing Mecca. (See exact religious custom detail below).

The Arabian Sea has a mean water temp of 68 degrees, perfect for the 56 species of sharks to habitat, some of which are  man eating.

A Full Body burial at sea from an aircraft carrier or destroyer is not necessarily a “gentle” ride as the Navy described.  It is the equivalent of dropping heavy weight from the tenth story of the Empire State Building. 

At New England Burials at Sea LLC we deploy a shrouded full body at actual sea level in a very gentle way.

Our experience tells us that cold water ocean burials are best (Atlantic and Pacific oceans specifically) and most practical using our Atlantic Sea Burial Shroud® that we developed which is properly weighted with over 150 pounds of cannon ball ballast and has the proper exhaust venting system to insure that the body stays on the ocean floor.

“Muslim belief is that the dead human body should be respected and not harmed in any way. After death the body of the deceased is washed and anointed with scents, the washing is done by the family members, men wash the bodies of men and women wash the bodies of the women, when there is the death of a child a man or woman may perform the washing ritual, there is an exception to a man washing the body of men and the same for women, this is when there is a lose of a spouse. A husband may wash his wife and the wife may do the same for her husband. After the washing of the body the body is placed in a plain white shroud were the head and the feet are tied with a piece of the same shroud, it is tied in such a way where the head and feet can not be distinguished from one another.

The burial usually happens within 24 hours and gives reason for preplanned funeral arrangements relieving the stress on the family. Silence is recommended for most of the funeral proceedings which take place outside of a mosque. The deceased is laid in the grave on his or her right side without a casket if permitted by law with their head facing the Muslim holy city of Mecca in the capital city of Saudi Arabia. At the gravesite, it is discouraged for people to place flowers, headstones or markers. There is typically a mourning period of three days and according to the Quran if there is a surviving widow there is an extended mourning period of 4 months and 10 days for which the widow may not remarry, move, nor wear jewelry or decorative clothing. Often there is a special meal to remember the deceased attended by friends and family and it is appropriate to send flowers after the funeral.”

In closing on this topic, we have had many questions on this recent event so if we have not answered them all for you, check out our FAQ section or send us an email (OceanBurial@aol.com) or give us a ring toll free at: (877) 897.7700.

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Podcast: Captain Brad on Cape Cod

April 15th, 2011

Audio Podcast of Captain Brad White Discussing Cape Cod

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