Couple found dead after trying to cross Atlantic ocean on sailing trip

The bodies of a couple, Briton Sarah Packwood and her Canadian husband Brett Clibbery have been discovered on a washed-up life raft nearly six weeks after they embarked on a sailing trip across the Atlantic Ocean.

The couple, who set off from Nova Scotia in their 13-meter (42-foot) eco-friendly yacht, Theros, were last seen on 12 July when their life raft was found on Sable Island near Nova Scotia.

Sarah Packwood and Brett Clibbery were reported missing on 18 June, having departed Nova Scotia a week earlier with plans to sail to the Azores, approximately 3,228 kilometers away. The journey was expected to take 21 days.

In a Facebook post, Mr. Clibbery’s son, James, confirmed the couple’s deaths, expressing the profound grief felt by their family.

He wrote, “There isn’t anything that will fill the hole that has been left by their, so far unexplained passing.”

The circumstances surrounding the couple’s tragic end remain unclear, and an investigation is currently underway, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told the BBC on Sunday.

One theory being explored by investigators is that the yacht may have been struck by a passing cargo ship that did not notice the collision.

According to Canadian news website Saltwire, an anonymous source suggested that the sailboat crew might have been unable to avoid the collision or could have been below deck with Theros on automatic pilot.

The Canadian coastguard and military aircraft have not located any wreckage or signs of the boat, Saltwire reported.

In a video posted to their YouTube channel, Theros Adventures, the couple detailed their ambitious “Green Odyssey” trip, which aimed to demonstrate sustainable travel using sails, solar panels, batteries, and an electric engine repurposed from a car.

“We’re doing everything we can to show that you can travel without burning fossil fuels,” Mr. Clibbery said in the video from 12 April. Ms. Packwood added, “It’s probably the biggest adventure of our lives so far.”

The couple’s journey began with a chance meeting in London in 2015, when Ms. Packwood was preparing to donate a kidney to her sister, and Mr. Clibbery, a retired engineer, was visiting the city.

They married a year later on their yacht in Canada and reaffirmed their vows in a traditional handfasting ceremony at Stonehenge in 2017, as detailed in Ms. Packwood’s personal blog.