Tragic end for BC sailors found dead in lifeboat off Nova Scotia coast

It has been a tragic end for a B.C. couple who set off on a sailing adventure last month across the Atlantic.

Brett Clibbery and Sarah Packwood set off from Halifax on June 11 en route to the Azores, a Portuguese territory in the mid-Atlantic.

The pair were reported missing June 18 and were found dead in a life raft this week.

Global's Troy Charles has more on the mystery surrounding what may have happened.

#GlobalNews #sailing

[deborahporter]

She was so excited to take the Oath of Canadian citizenship just over a year ago, and they had just finished building their home on Salt Spring Island. Truly positive and happy people. RIP.

[ykmaggie]

We had a fire aboard 4 years ago. You cannot imagine the panic. There is far less time than you think and your thinking in such an emergency is severely impaired. So sorry for this couple and their families

[alexkelso]

I sank off Fraser Island two years ago, whale strike. Vessel went down in under five minutes. Was wearing PFD with personal EPIRB and hand held VHF. Thank you coast Gaurd Noosa, I think of you guys often.

[davemacmurchie]

Certainly strange that they made it into the dinghy without getting out a distress call. It suggests some sort of sudden catastrophe like collision or fire. The ocean is well supplied with unexpected hazards like shipping containers that have been lost from commercial vessels.
My shipmates and I still think that's what we hit on a trip to the Azores in 1975, but don't know for sure. We know we hit something in the middle of the Atlantic and were taking on water, but never found out what it was other than some red paint transferred to our hull. Luckily a small leak ("casual water") that we were able to deal with, but it might have been much worse and if so, probably nobody would ever have known.

[PerryHowell-hv]

Sorry for your loss. You seemed like happy, decent people who were living a good life. RIP.

[patrickcowan]

RIP. At least you lived the adventure. Safe journey in the next adventure.

[spelunkerd]

The weakness of sailing a small yacht with a tiny crew in calm seas is the night watch. They could have hit a container, a ship, or even Sable island while asleep. Then if things happen fast the boat is going down before you have time to think, or even send out a message.

[Cnd]

Very sad to hear. The ocean is a very mean place

[Joepops]

Sable Island has been known as the graveyard of the Atlantic for very good reasons. It's a sand bar that claims many ships. RIP sailors.

[boblatkey]

I have an emergency satellite transponder that fits in my front pocket. It's about 3/4 of an inch thick 2 inches tall and one and a half inches wide. You can literally put it in your shirt pocket. Such a bummer. Very peculiar as to why they couldn't call for help.

[JeannetteMacneil]

They died doing what they loved, sad, condolences to their family .

[victoriagraham]

There are alot more details to come so for now my sympathy to their family

[NicoletaWestren-jkkg]

I live in SW Nova Scotia. Based on the timing, I believe they were hit with a horrible thunderstorm that swept on the south side. We had lightning hitting trees here. Lightning was awful that weekend and I was watching on an app. There were so many of them south east of Nova Scotia over the ocean ☹️

[jamesstuart]

These two looked experienced. No way they would have gone offshore without an EPIRB, a personal locator and an approved life raft

[RandomDudeOne]

People sail across the Atlantic all the time, not sure what they were trying to prove doing the same thing.

[melstiller]

How very, very sad that they didn't make it, much less to the Azores. RIP 🙏 🙏💔💔

[lauriefullerton]

not that I have any clue but in a race from Newport to Bermuda on June 14, at night one of the boats hit a submerged object (more likely than not a container that had fallen off a ship). THey are not always easy to detect. Their boat sank almost immediately but they were rescued by another yacht nearby..as it was a race so boats were close by. others encountered dangerous "sea junk" too. with all the storms, hurricanes etc. could it be possible there is even more sea junk out there. very deadly to smaller boats that is for sure.

[jesusisgod]

My worst nightmare is sailing in the Atlantic. Brave people.

[peterrollinson-lorimer]

Tragic. I can't imagine their anguish.

[roadboat]

That is very very sad. Have done voyages like this. They were experienced and looked like a very nice vessel. It is actually pretty rare for something like this to happen. No sat phone, EPIRB, InReach. Nothing. But able to get in raft. Mysterious.