A British-Canadian couple, Brett Clibbery, 70, and Sarah Packwood, 60, who were attempting to sail across the Atlantic, have tragically been found dead on Sable Island, Nova Scotia. The couple had set sail from Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia on June 11 aboard their 42-foot sailboat, the SV Theros, with the intention of reaching the Azores, a group of Portuguese islands located around 2,000 miles away in the mid-Atlantic.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) reported that the bodies of Clibbery and Packwood were discovered in a lifeboat that washed up on Sable Island on July 10, after they were reported missing on June 18. The circumstances surrounding why the couple abandoned their sailboat and entered the lifeboat remain unclear, and an investigation is currently underway.
Sable Island, known as 'the graveyard of the Atlantic,' is a 27-mile long sandbar located approximately 186 miles southeast of Halifax. The island has a history of over 350 recorded shipwrecks dating back to 1583, as documented by the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
Clibbery's son, James, paid tribute to his father and Packwood on social media, describing them as amazing individuals and expressing the irreplaceable void left by their passing. The couple, self-described as adventure travelers, chronicled their journeys on a social media channel named Theros Adventures. Their ill-fated voyage was part of their 'Green Odyssey,' aimed at showcasing long-distance travel without relying on fossil fuels by utilizing an electric boat powered by solar panels.
Clibbery and Packwood's relationship began serendipitously in 2015 when they met at a London bus stop. Their bond deepened as Clibbery supported Packwood during her mother's illness and she reciprocated by caring for him post his kidney donation surgery. The couple maintained their connection even after Clibbery returned to Canada, with Packwood visiting him on Salt Spring Island near Vancouver, where the Theros was moored. It was during this time that Clibbery proposed to Packwood in the main cabin of the boat, marking a significant moment in their shared journey.
