New podcast episodeSaying goodbye at sea - how a burial at sea works

Leonie Meyer

 · 06.06.2025

Mark Terence Jones talks about his vocation as a burial officer in the YACHT podcast.
Photo: Adler-Schiffe GmbH & Co. KG
In the 41st podcast episode of YACHT - the sailing podcast host Timm Kruse addresses a topic that many people find difficult: the funeral. His guest is Mark Terence Jones, who has found his vocation as a burial officer on Sylt and explains the process.

In this episode, Mark Terence Jones talks about his career, his work and emotional moments. The Englishman, who has found his calling in dealing with death, explains how a burial at sea works: from the preparations with the next of kin, to the process on board and the burial of the urn on the high seas.

The ceremony

Contact with mourners is a special experience for Mark Terence Jones. Many are attending a burial at sea for the first time. The ceremony offers the opportunity to say goodbye, celebrate life and preserve memories. The native Englishman also reveals how the ceremony can be organised flexibly and with dignity - even when unexpected situations arise.

Why the sea as a final resting place?

Another theme is the fascination of the sea. Many people feel a deep connection to the water and long for a final journey on the sea, as Mark Terence Jones explains. For many people, the sea symbolises freedom, eternity and comfort. The burial officer, who works at Adler-Schiffe GmbH & Co. KG, explains that the number of burials at sea has risen significantly in recent years and what this might be due to.

Emotional moments and social change

Despite the often heavy subject matter, the episode is characterised by a positive mood. Mark Terence Jones emphasises that the sea can also have a comforting effect as a final resting place and that rituals play an important role in dealing with grief. Society's attitude towards death is changing: more and more people are already thinking about their funeral during their lifetime in order to prevent disputes and realise individual wishes - the burial officer also addresses this.


Here you can listen to the YACHT podcast with Mark Terence Jones

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Leonie Meyer

Leonie Meyer

Editor News & Panorama

Leonie Meyer was born in Detmold in 1997. The passion for boating runs in her family: every year they spend their summer holidays in Croatia with their boat. Even as a child, she leafed through her father's BOOTE magazine.

After training as a design assistant at school, she moved to Magdeburg to study International Journalism. During this time, she completed an internship abroad at a German daily newspaper in Greece and an internship at BOOTE magazine. After graduating with a BA (2020), Leonie did a graduate internship in Mallorca. Her last stop was a cross-media traineeship at a daily newspaper in OWL. Leonie Meyer has been working as an editor in the watersports digital editorial team since 2023 and turned her passion into a career.

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