Directions & FAQ

In the booking stage of planning the funeral, two items will be discussed: Where we will be meeting and how to make the payment.

Payment

You will discover in our conversation and when checking out other companies that we will spend the time with you to answer all of your questions, are polite and caring, and will do everything we can to promise the best funeral possible. Since we do not make any profit whatsoever and are a legal charter, there is no way that a legal business that makes a profit could be cheaper. Please do not get caught up in comparing apples to oranges. If someone quotes you a cheaper price the facts are simple: They are running an illegal charter. By not paying taxes, fees for a City of Long Beach Business license, State licensing, monies to make sure the boat is safe by being USCG Certified, being located on a cheaper dock which is not allowed by the City of Long Beach for Charters guess what? By cutting out all or some of the legal requirements, their costs are obviously less and they are cheaper than a non-profit. Please beware for all of the legal requirements are there for one reason only: your safety. Are you really willing to risk your safety and those of your loved ones to save $100?
I am certain your life is more valuable than that!

Also look closely at the REAL Cost. We absorb the taxes, harbor fees, and provide free of charge food, drinks, flowers, Memorial Certificate, letters to the Mortuary and Crematorium, and the filing of all legal paper work. We are the only company that does not charge more should you book a weekend, holiday, or an afternoon. I think you will find that we are also the only company to offer our services at Your Convenience, not ours: we will take you out any day at any time you wish.

Another discovery will be the so called ‘6 Packs’. These are vessels that are only allowed by law to carry a maximum of 6 passengers. Beware! They are not USCG Certified vessels. What does this mean to you? We spent $50,000 to meet the safety requirements of a USCG Certified vessel. 6 pacts do not have these safety features for you and your loved ones. Also their Captain is licensed at a much lower lever than a USCG Certified vessel’s Master Captain. Long and short: Our boat is safer for you and your loved ones by Definition. I hope you would agree that you have stumbled upon why you should chose a USCG Certified vessel over a ‘6 Pack’, even if it’s not us. What is more important than your safety at sea?
The payment can be made by clicking on the 'Donate' button on the front page of our web site. Should you wish to donate more than our discussed costs; the monies go directly to our Charitable Trust for the burials-at-sea for the Military. I do all the burials of the homeless Veterans so any donation goes to a very good and honorable cause.

• It is important to know that we incur many expenses on your behalf once you have booked your reservation. Remember, you have made a donation to a non-profit organization.

The payment Our timely payment secures and completes your reservation. Should you wish to donate more than our discussed costs; the monies go directly to our Charitable Trust for the burials-at-sea for the Military. I do all the burials of the homeless Veterans so any donation goes to a very good and honorable cause.

• It is important to know that we incur many expenses on your behalf once you have booked your reservation. Remember, you have made a donation to a non-profit organization.

If you chose to cancel for any reason instead of requesting a postponement, we are sad to say that we cannot issue a refund. I really wish we could, but the truth is, there are no funds to refund. We do not want to sound callus or greedy or unkind. We are fine people, run a beautiful Charitable Trust and make no profit. We do not even take a salary, which we could by State law. Therefore, we cannot issue a refund should you cancel. As with other non-profits, we have operational expenses. Thus, should you wish to cancel, there are fees, taxes, and expenses plus the charges to us by PayPal, our bank, The City of Long Beach (8% tax), those that have been hired to prepare our vessel for the ceremony, fuel, and the Master Captain. All of these are paid when you book your outing. Seeing all these expenses behind the scenes may explain why we do not make any profit whatsoever. You may also keep in mind that you are making a donation. An analogy would be if you made a donation to The March of Dimes and later asked for a refund. They would be unable to do that. We certainly urge you to reschedule should you have any difficulties. The monies you have donated are used for the new date that you have set up.

Meeting places:

The meeting place differs depending upon where we have planned the ceremony. We will always meet at a designated location at least 30 minutes before the boat leaves the dock. It will be very important for me to have a cell number where you can be reached just prior to your arrival. Also, it will be very important for you and those attending to arrive early and for you to call me just prior to your arrival. Everyone should use the public restrooms for boat restrooms never work very well. We will meet with you then walk you to the boat. Please keep your party together so that we can board on time. It is very important that you plan your arrival time to give you and your party ample time to do whatever you need to do prior to our arranged meeting time. Please remember this and plan for traffic. We need to leave on time so that no one will feel ‘pressured’ or ‘rushed’ in any way. There also may be a funeral after yours which we must keep from being impacted.

For destinations of Long Beach, Seal Beach, North Huntington Beach, and San Pedro we meet at a building called The Funnel House in the parking lot of Shoreline Village, Long Beach. The address is 425 Shoreline Village drive. As you enter the open parking lot, drive about 300’ and you will see a blue building on your right with the address and name on the front. Please park right there. Call when you arrive and please use the public restrooms that are right there and please keep your party together. Please call us when everyone has arrived and everyone is together ready to board. This should be at least 30 minutes before our scheduled departure.
We will walk up from the boat to greet you then walk down to the boat. The boat is right there and is about a 2 minute walk. The address again, is 425 Shoreline Village Drive Long Beach, CA 90802

Sometimes, we may be picking you up in a special place that has been previously arranged such as a Yacht Club or private dock.

We believe so strongly in honesty, transparency, and in giving. We are a non-profit public benefit charitable trust located in Long Beach, California.