The bodies of a missing couple attempting to sail across the Atlantic have been found in a lifeboat that washed up on Sable Island, Nova Scotia.
Brett Clibbery, 70, and his wife, Sarah Packwood, 60, were reported missing on June 18. They set sail aboard the Theros, a GibSea 42-foot sailboat powered by the wind and solar power, from Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia on June 11, with the intent of making landfall some 2,000 miles away in the Azores in Portugal. Sadly, on July 10, their bodies were found.
According to a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), it’s not clear exactly what made them abandon ship, but authorities are investigating the possible causes.
Sable Island, where Clibbery and Packwood were found, is a sliver of sand about 200 miles from Halifax. Known as “the graveyard of the Atlantic,” it has been the site of hundreds of shipwrecks.
“They were amazing people,” wrote Clibbery’s son James on Facebook, “and there isn’t anything that will fill the hole that has been left by their, so far unexplained passing.”
The couple’s trip was one leg of something they called the “Green Odyssey.” They were attempting to show that it is possible to travel all over the world without the use of fossil fuels.
They posted their last video to their Facebook page, Theros Sailing Adventure, on June 11.
According to reports, they intended to be sailing for around 21 days, weather permitting. The winds were calm when they left so they planned for a few extra days. When they reached around 150 miles from the Azores, they were planning on making an AIS ping — which is an automatic tracking system that uses transceivers on ships used by vessel traffic services — to let everyone know they were okay.
Sadly, that was not to be the case. An investigation is underway.
“Living will not be the same without your wisdom, and your wife was quickly becoming a beacon of knowledge, and kindness,” James Clibbery wrote. “I miss your smiles. I miss your voices. You will be forever missed.”
The post Bodies of Missing Couple Sailing Across the Atlantic Found in Nova Scotia first appeared on The Inertia.
Source Agencies
