The bodies of Sarah Packwood, 54, and her husband, James Clibbery, 70, have been found after the couple disappeared at sea six weeks ago.
The married couple were trying to sail across the Atlantic Ocean on their yacht, Theros. They regularly posted videos about their adventures, including this one, on YouTube.
They set sail from Nova Scotia, Canada on June 1, starting a 3,228km, 21-day journey across the Atlantic to the Azores. Their family last heard from them on June 13. The pair were reported missing on June 18 after no one had heard from them for five days.
Their last known position was southeast of Sable Island. Canada’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre searched the area but did not locate a vessel. Similar searches in the Azores also came up empty.
Bodies found
Then on July 10, authorities were alerted when an inflatable life raft containing human remains washed up on Sable Island, 290km off the coast of Nova Scotia. Sable Island is a national park reserve known for its sandy beaches and wild horses. (Sable is French for sand.)
The Halifax detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the rescue coordination center in Nova Scotia responded to the call. They later released the following statement: “A 10-foot inflatable boat was found washed ashore with two deceased people on board. At this time, it’s thought to be a lifeboat for a larger vessel named Theros.”
Though the authorities did not comment on the identities of the deceased, Cribbery’s son confirmed that his father and his wife had died. “My father, James Brett Clibbery, and his wife, Sarah Justine Packwood, have regrettably passed away,” he commented on social media. “There is still an investigation, as well as a DNA test to confirm, but it is hard to remain hopeful.”
This journey across the Atlantic was to be the second stage of their so-called Green Odyssey, a series of adventures that did not use fossil fuels. Initially, they drove across the country in their electric vehicle from Saltspring Island, British Columbia to Nova Scotia.
No one is sure what happened or why the pair had to deploy their life raft. One theory under investigation is that Theros was hit by a cargo ship but that the large vessel did not notice the collision. Other possibilities include a fire or some kind of power failure.
