A couple who went missing after trying to sail across the Atlantic in a yacht have been found dead after washing up in a lifeboat.
Sarah Packwood, 54, and Brett Clibbery, 70, were traveling on their wind and solar-powered yacht, Theros, when they went missing, per BBC News.
The couple were reported missing a week after departing from Nova Scotia on June 11, with the intention of reaching a group of islands known as the Azores - 900 miles west of Portugal - by July 2.
Packwood and Clibbery are believed to have abandoned their yacht for a lifeboat before tragically passing away at sea.
James Clibbery, Clibbery's son, confirmed their deaths in a Facebook post, describing the past few days as "very hard."
He expressed deep sorrow, stating the couple would be "forever missed" and added: "There isn't anything that will fill the hole that has been left by their, so far unexplained passing."
Their bodies were discovered last week on Sable Island, 290 kilometers off the coast of Nova Scotia.
The circumstances surrounding the tragic end to their voyage remain unclear.
A "multi-agency" investigation is underway, as confirmed by local police following the discovery of the bodies.
The couple was documenting their journey on their YouTube channel Theros Adventures, showcasing their efforts to travel using electric, wind, and solar power.
Their trip to the Azores was intended to be the first fully “green” voyage on Theros, which they had modified by removing its diesel engine, dubbing it the Green Odyssey.
This was not their first attempt to cross the Atlantic; in 2019, they were forced to turn back due to storm forecasts.
On the day they set sail, Clibbery and Packwood shared a video showing them 16 nautical miles off the coast of Nova Scotia, enjoying fair winds and calm seas. This video was their last.
One theory under investigation, according to Canadian news website Saltwire, is that the yacht may have been struck by a passing cargo ship that failed to notice the collision.
"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.
So far, there has been no sight of the yacht's wreckage despite efforts by the Canadian coastguard and military aircraft to locate any debris.
The couple's story began at a bus stop in London in 2015, leading to their marriage on the yacht a year later, per News.com.au.
They also celebrated a Celtic marriage ceremony at Stonehenge before moving to Canada, where they purchased land on Salt Spring Island near Vancouver.
Packwood, a poet, musician, and reiki healer, was described as an “accomplished sailor,” having learned to sail during her university years in England.
The couple had previously sailed 8,050 kilometers along the Pacific Coast of Canada, the USA, and South America.
Documenting their travels, Packwood wrote: “We spent a year aboard Theros on the high seas together, sailing on the first leg of our round-the-world voyage in stages from Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, to Dartmouth in Nova Scotia, via Central America, the Panama Canal, and crossing the Western Caribbean.”
Our thoughts are with Clibbery and Packwood's loved ones at this time.
