A sailing couple from Salt Spring Island is believed to be dead after two people were found deceased inside a lifeboat washed ashore in Nova Scotia.
Halifax RCMP says Mounties and crews from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre were connected by Parks Canada around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, July 10.
According to police, the 10-foot inflatable boat was found at Sable Island National Park Reserve, which is about 300 kilometres southeast of Halifax.
In their most recent news release, Halifax RCMP says, “It’s thought to be a lifeboat for a larger vessel named Theros … The remains are believed to be those of two sailors, a 70-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman, from British Columbia.”
The Salt Spring Island-based Facebook page Theros Sailing Adventure was created by Brett Clibbery and Sarah Packwood.
Their most recent post from June 11 stated they were setting sail on the second leg of their trip, which they called “The Green Odyssey.” They were on board Theros, a 42-foot sailboat.
“Powered by the wind and sun. Heading east to the Azores,” reads the post.
Halifax RCMP says the couple was “reported missing to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre on June 18 after leaving Halifax Harbour on June 11…”
They were “en route to the Azores,” added Mounties.
Clibbery and Packwood announced their voyage in early May, travelling from B.C. to Nova Scotia in an electric car prior to boarding Theros for Portugal.
“We’re going on a brand-new adventure. It’s probably the biggest adventure of our lives so far,” said Packwood at the time via their YouTube channel.
The couple documented their journey up until June 8 via the video platform.
The channel’s description reads, “We are Brett Clibbery, a Canuck and Sarah Packwood, a Brit, who happened to meet at the number 87 bus stop on Whitehall (near Trafalgar Square) in London in 2015, and have been travelling and co-creating adventures ever since.”
Condolences have been pouring in on social media.
Police say the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service is working to make positive identifications.
“The investigation is ongoing, with assistance from Parks Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre and the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service,” added Halifax RCMP.
