I'll cut and past the official regs below...
When we took Diana out to sea it was a brilliant day to sail. Good winds and enough sea to make it interesting, but not enough to make anyone sick. Three miles out from San Diego Bay we cast her (ashes) off to lee, and protected by pouring close to the waterline. A few flowers made tracking her departure easier and gave everyone something to contribute so we didn't have to distribute fistfuls of Diana ash about the deck.
When we returned to the bay a "professional services" barge was just tossing their wreaths into the water at the mouth of the harbor. "So much for the three mile limit" I said to the skipper. "Great day to cast off though" he replied, and he was right. Had Diana known she could have skipped the cremation she might have asked for greater depth of water.
There is great comfort in knowing when a vessel leaves our shore, sails over the horizon and out of sight, that on a distant shore others wait in greeting, waiting for the arrival that very same ship.
Burial at Sea--Rules and Regulations | |