Support truly
independent journalism
A British-Canadian couple who embarked on a “green odyssey” across the Atlantic have been found dead in a lifeboat after they were forced to abandon their solar-powered yacht.
Sarah Packwood, 54, from Warwick, and Canadian Brett Clibbery, 70, went missing on 18 June after leaving Nova Scotia, Canada, in their sailing boat a week earlier.
Their bodies were found on a three-metre lifecraft last week, after it washed ashore on Sable Island, 180 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia.
After they departed, Ms Packwood posted a farewell video message: “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.”
Ms Packwood, a poet, musician and reiki healer, was also an accomplished sailor, learning the ropes at university in England. Brett’s son James posted a tribute on Facebook saying: “The past few days have been very hard.
“My father James Brett Clibbery, and his wife, Sarah Justine Packwood, have regrettably passed away. There is still an investigation, as well as a DNA test to confirm, but with all the news, it is hard to remain hopeful.
“They were amazing people, and there isn’t anything that will fill the hole that has been left by their, so far unexplained passing.
“Living will not be the same without your wisdom, and your wife was quickly becoming a beacon of knowledge, and kindness. I miss your smiles. I miss your voices. You will be forever missed.”
The couple’s life of adventure began when they met during a chance encounter at a bus stop in London in 2015.
They married on the yacht a year later before holding a Celtic marriage ceremony at Stonehenge known as “handfasting”. They then returned to Canada, where they bought a tract of land on Salt Spring Island, near Vancouver.
Police in Halifax, Nova Scotia, have launched an investigation into the deaths and have yet to rule out accidental collision, power failure, fire or suspicious circumstances.
The BBC reports that one theory is they were forced to abandon their yacht after they were struck by a passing cargo ship which was unaware of the collision.
