Canadian Couple Found Dead Lifeboat After Attempting To Cross The Atlantic In Green-Powered Vessel

A British Columbian couple’s attempt to sail across the Atlantic Ocean ended in tragedy, as their remains were discovered on a remote sandbar off Nova Scotia’s coast, authorities reported Monday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that a 70-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman, both from British Columbia, were found deceased in a small inflatable boat that washed ashore on Sable Island National Park Reserve. While official identification is pending for the woman, multiple news outlets have named the victims as Brett Clibbery, 70, and Sarah Packwood, 54.

The couple embarked on their transatlantic journey from Nova Scotia on June 11 aboard their 42-foot sailing vessel, the Theros. The couple was trying to show how transatlantic crossing coud be done entirely on green power. Concerns arose when they were reported missing a week after their departure. The last known signal from Clibbery’s GPS device was detected on June 13, approximately 40 miles southwest of Sable Island.

On July 12, park officials alerted the RCMP after discovering human remains in a 10-foot life raft on Sable Island, located about 180 miles off the Nova Scotia coast. The Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service has since positively identified one set of remains as the male victim.

Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the couple’s demise, and the Theros remains unrecovered. The RCMP stated that while the deaths are not currently considered suspicious, an investigation is ongoing to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Clibbery’s son James spoke out about his father and stepmother’s death in a Facebook post.

“They were amazing people, and there isn’t anything that will fill the hole that has been left by their, so far unexplained passing,” he wrote. “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.”