Captain Art Windsor, skipper of the Doral Alegria Tribute II in King Harbor, estimates he’s scattered the ashes at sea of over 10,000 deceased. Photo by Harry Munns

Burial at sea has become an appealing alternative to the traditional funeral and cemetery interment. But people outside the world of morticians and mortuaries may not realize the process of cremation and scattering of ashes on the ocean isn’t technically a burial at sea. The direct cremation is growing in popularity due to fewer people wanting an extravagant funeral service. 

“Those are very rare and very expensive. You have to have a coffin with holes drilled in the top and bottom. You have to have 250 pounds of cement in it and go out at least 12 miles,” explained Captain Art Windsor, owner of King Harbor’s Tribute Services.

The coffins must have a plaque explaining what’s inside and how it got there. “They do wind up in deep sea fishing nets from time to time,” he said.

Windsor describes Tribute Services as, “an ash scattering at sea business.” He scatters ashes from his 45 foot Doral Alegria  Tribute II. Like most funeral homes, Tribute II provides grief stricken relatives and friends a plush, comfortable atmosphere from which to bid their loved ones farewell.

And like most funeral directors, Windsor’s voice and manner ooze dignity, solemnity and empathy. He’s had some time to perfect his demeanor.

“I’ve been working it as the owner for about four years. I worked for the previous owner Larry Day until he passed away and prior to that I did scatterings out of L. A. Harbor. Altogether, it’s about 10 years,” Windsor said. It was only fitting that Windsor scattered Larry Day’s ashes before taking over the business.

What was once a notion held by seafarers and other romantics, scattering one’s ashes at sea, has become much more about cost than romance. “It’s becoming more and more popular. We’re making more and more people. God’s not making more real estate. This is really the most viable option even for people of modest means. It’s a lot less expensive.” Windsor said.

The average cost of traditional or Asian funerals in the U.S. is $6,500 according to the National Funeral Directors Association. Cremation costs about $800. Scattering ranges from about $500 to $1,000. There’s no headstone on a grassy knoll to visit, but lots of people see the entire coastline as an adequate substitute, especially when they consider they’re only paying 25 percent initially and nothing for perpetual care.

Windsor estimates he’s escorted approximately 10,000 souls on their final earthly voyage. “Between the witnessed and non-witnessed scatterings, we average about 550 a year,” he said.

The process by which a corpse travels from the place of death to the cemetery doesn’t vary much. A hearse picks up the deceased, brings him or her to the funeral home, the funeral and then the cemetery. A scattering doesn’t follow any similar, predictable path.

“A lot of families will have some sort of ceremony at home then bring the urn to the boat when they come for the scheduled scattering. Occasionally we’ll go to the funeral home and pick it up for the family or the funeral home will ask us to do it. Every once in a while a funeral director will bring them to the boat,” Windsor said.

Tribute II can accommodate groups of up to 15 mourners. “We use the Body Glove Corporate boat and a local whale watch boat for larger groups,” he said.

While cremation and scattering ashes at sea bucks the tradition of terrestrial burial, tradition still plays a huge part in the process. “We deal with all cultures. We have Hindu families, Buddhist families, Christian families, Jewish families and people with no religion at all. There’s just so many different ways people like to have a service conducted,” Windsor said.

Predictably, with so many different traditions, Tribute Services has accommodated a potpourri of requests, with and without clergy as well as with and without any religious acknowledgement, whatsoever. “We do whatever we can to make the family comfortable,” Windsor said.

Windsor seems to embrace all cultures with equal reverence but he’s seen things of a cultural nature he would choose not to repeat. “I’ll never forget one group came down in various stages of intoxication. The whole trip they argued who was getting what of grandma’s estate. I couldn’t wait to get those people off the boat,” he said.

Learn more about Tribute Services at www.tributeservices.net

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