Viking Ship Ash Casket

Have you ever thought how wonderful it would be to have your ashes sent off to sea or on a lake in a Viking ship? At Cradle to Grave we can provide you with a lovingly crafted Viking ship complete with sail, wooden shields and an ash urn.

Our beautiful Viking ship caskets are designed by Cath and her partner Tosh. They have been created to give your loved one a send off you won't forget. I myself have fantasized about having a Viking funeral and being laid to rest in a long-ship, and launched off to sea and have arrows shot at it to set it on fire and then sail off into the sunset.

Now our dream can be a reality, but on a smaller scale.

Our boats are fully watertight and can be floated on a calm lake or a calm sea. They are made of Somerset willow, making them 100% bio-degradable, produced with all natural materials enabling them to be used in a burial of ashes. In the interim period, the boat can be purchased and used as an ornament and can be shown off to all your friends.

Each Viking Ship comes with an authentic stripy red and white sail, but can also be printed with a family crest or a design of your choice, as you can see from our gallery featured below. A small square ash basket with a canvas ash bag sits inside the boat.you can choose between willow shields or handcrafted wooden shields.

My brother died a year earlier. We decided to hold a one-year remembrance for him in this way. Family members came from Europe and The west coast to participate. Our boating friends were happy to help.

The weather was perfect with light waves less than a foot as we headed out onto the lake in our motorboat. We played a selection of music and welcomed everyone to write private prayers to place in the basket of the boat along with several photos and mementos.

Under way, a seven jet formation of the Blue Angels, the US Navy jet performance demonstration team, just happened to fly In front of our bow as we motored out to the deep waters of the Great Lake. Less than 300 meters above us, perhaps a kilometer in front of us. The best I can figure, looking at their show schedule, they were flying from one air show location to the next.

The coincidental timing of the fly by was astounding. Why they were in formation, and so low? Perhaps they decided to give us a “show”. A minute timing difference one way or the other and we would not have crossed paths so closely, so dramatically. They were as modern day Valkyries. It was truly amazing! We were listening to Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” at the time.

When we reach the memorial location, we launched the Viking boat, setting it afire, said prayers, read poems, read a code of “what it means to be a Viking”, listened to Wagner’s “Siegfried’s Funeral March” Followed by “I Vow to Thee”, as performed at Churchill’s funeral.

We followed the recommendation of using two bricks as ballast for the boat. Kindling was placed at the bottom of the the hull. Larger, 5 cm cubes of hickory fueled the burn. We used the small wood chunks to avoid any dangerous floating debris the larger wood logs could have created. A little bit of lighter fluid helped start the combustion. The ship burned for about half an hour, down to the waterline, and the boat sank out of sight as the water flooded the hull. Thank you for constructing such a “seaworthy” boat.

We played continued with the music on the way back to harbor, including Pink Floyd‘s “Wish You Were Here“ and Bob Marley’s “Three little Birds”.

The coat of arms on the mast has special significance to my brother and me. He had a tattoo of it on his right bicep.

Thank you for helping us fulfill my brother’s last wishes. All who witnessed and participated in the farewell were moved by this most special ceremony. Even the most seasoned boaters said this tribute was unique and exceptional, just as my brother wanted.

Henry

FIRESHIP ON LAKE MICHIGAN, USA

Some advice on using our Viking Ship Caskets

It's really important to make a decent fire using completely dry seasoned kindling wood and small seasoned logs for the fire and to fill the boat up like in the photo below, as you ideally need the boat to burn for at least 20 minutes to get the full effect. A reasonable amount of lighter fuel (do not drench otherwise it will burn too quickly) sprayed on the sail and about 4 or 5 firelighters in the bottom of boat under fire should do the trick. Make sure the vessel is absolutely balanced in the water before launching off and setting on fire.