Couple found dead after trying to cross Atlantic
The bodies of a British-Canadian couple who embarked on a transatlantic sailing trip have been discovered on a life raft that washed ashore nearly six weeks after they were last seen.
Sarah Packwood from Britain and her Canadian husband, Brett Clibbery, are believed to have abandoned their yacht and perished before their raft was found on Sable Island near Nova Scotia, Canada, on July 12.
The couple had been reported missing on June 18 after setting off from Nova Scotia in their 13-meter (42-foot) eco-friendly yacht, Theros, a week earlier. They were en route to the Azores, approximately 3,228 kilometers away, with the journey expected to take 21 days.
James Clibbery, Mr. Clibbery’s son, confirmed the couple’s deaths on Facebook, describing the past few days as “very hard.” He said they would be “forever missed” and that their unexplained passing has left a void that nothing can fill.
The exact cause of the couple’s tragic end remains unclear, and an investigation is ongoing, as confirmed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. One theory under investigation is that a cargo ship may have collided with their yacht without realizing it, according to Canadian news site Saltwire.
“The sailboat crew were either unable to avoid collision” or they could have been down below with Theros on automatic pilot, an anonymous source told Saltwire.
The Canadian coastguard and military aircraft have not spotted wreckage or any sign of the boat, Saltwire reports.
In a video posted to their YouTube channel, Theros Adventures, the pair explained how their trip – dubbed the Green Odyssey – would rely on sails, solar panels, batteries and an electric engine repurposed from a car.
“We’re doing everything we can to show that you can travel without burning fossil fuels,” Mr Clibbery said in the video, posted on 12 April.
“It’s probably the biggest adventure of our lives so far,” Ms Packwood added.
The pair met by chance in London in 2015, when Mr Clibbery, a retired engineer, was preparing to donate a kidney to his sister.
They married in Canada on their yacht a year later, before affirming their vows in a traditional handfasting ceremony at Stonehenge in 2017, according to Ms Packwood’s personal blog.
Their story was featured in a 2020 “How We Met” article in The Guardian.
Ms Packwood, originally from Long Itchington, Warwickshire, had worked in Rwanda with the UN after the 1994 genocide and had extensive experience as a humanitarian.
In what would be their final post on 11 June, the pair wrote on Facebook: “Captain Brett and First Mate Sarah set sail on the 2nd leg of The Green Odyssey on board Theros – GibSea 42 foot sailboat. Powered by the wind and sun. Heading east to the Azores.”
