The bodies of a couple who disappeared during an Atlantic sailing trip have been discovered on a life raft that drifted ashore on a remote Canadian island, nearly six weeks after their last sighting.
Sarah Packwood, 54, a Briton, and her Canadian husband, Brett Clibbery, 70, are believed to have abandoned their eco-friendly yacht, Theros, before succumbing to unknown circumstances. Their raft washed up on Sable Island, a treacherous area east of Nova Scotia dubbed the “graveyard of the Atlantic.
The couple embarked on their journey on June 11, leaving Nova Scotia aboard the 13-meter (42-foot) Theros. Their plan was to sail to the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the mid-Atlantic, covering 2,050 miles (3,228 km) over approximately 21 days. However, the last GPS signal from Clibbery’s device was recorded on November 13, about 40 miles southwest of Sable Island. They were reported missing five days later.
Clibbery’s son, James, confirmed their deaths in a Facebook post, describing the loss as “very hard” and noting that a DNA test and an ongoing investigation were underway. He praised the couple as “amazing people” and lamented the void left by their unexplained passing.
Authorities are exploring the possibility that Theros was struck by a cargo ship that may not have noticed the collision. According to Saltwire, investigators suggest the couple might have been below deck while the yacht was on autopilot. No wreckage of the vessel has been found, despite searches by the Canadian Coast Guard and military aircraft. Sable Island, infamous for shipwrecks since 1583, sits on a hazardous shipping route plagued by unpredictable storms and currents.
Packwood and Clibbery met serendipitously at a London bus stop in 2015. Clibbery, then in the city to donate a kidney to his sister, introduced Packwood to his passion for sailing. Their story, chronicled in a 2020 Guardian article, highlighted their shared love of adventure. They married aboard Theros in 2016 and later settled on Salt Spring Island, Canada.
In April 2024, the couple announced their “Green Odyssey” voyage on their YouTube channel, aiming to complete the journey using only renewable energy. Their yacht featured sails, solar panels, and an electric engine converted from a car. Packwood described it as “the biggest adventure of our lives.”
Packwood, originally from Warwickshire, had a distinguished career as a humanitarian, including work in Rwanda following the 1994 genocide. The couple’s previous sailing exploits included navigating the Panama Canal and enduring severe Atlantic storms in 2019.
In their final Facebook post, they expressed optimism about their journey: “Captain Brett and First Mate Sarah set sail on the 2nd leg of The Green Odyssey aboard Theros, powered by the wind and sun, heading east to the Azores.”
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