Two sailors, identified as James Brett Clibbery (70) and Sarah Justine Packwood (54), were found dead on Sable Island, Nova Scotia on July 10, 2024. Their bodies were discovered in a 10-foot inflatable boat that had washed up onto the shore. The couple had set sail from Halifax Harbor for a planned tour across the Atlantic in their yacht, Theros, on June 11.
The pair met in London, U.K., where Packwood was originally from, and moved to Canada together in 2018. They documented their travels on their YouTube channel Theros Adventures and had modified the yacht to rely on sails, solar panels, batteries and a car engine.
The investigation into the cause of death is ongoing. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that there were no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Sable Island is known as 'the graveyard of the Atlantic' with over 350 recorded shipwrecks since 1583.
The couple had set off for the Azores, a collection of Portuguese islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, about 2,000 miles away. Their last known position was around 40 miles southwest of Sable Island on June 13. The life raft they were found in is believed to have belonged to their larger vessel.
Clibbery's son James spoke out about his father and stepmother's death in a post shared to Facebook on July 13. '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.
The couple had documented their travels extensively on their YouTube channel and social media accounts. They described themselves as adventure travelers who were passionate about sustainable sailing without burning fossil fuels.
The RCMP noted that an update will be issued should the investigation uncover any criminality.
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