TSB concludes investigation into sailboat that disappeared off Nova Scotia

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has concluded its investigation into the Theros, a sailboat that disappeared off the coast of Nova Scotia in June, but was unable to determine definitively what happened.

A report on the incident that led to the deaths of the Theros's two crew members said whatever happened is "consistent with an occurrence involving a fire on board the sailing vessel." The report was released on Feb. 10.

The Theros left Halifax on June 10, 2024, and was on its way to the Azores, Portugal. It was reported missing to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax on June 18 after somebody phoned in to express concern that the vessel's position had not been updated on the website for the boat's satellite communication device. 

The centre checked the emergency beacon for the Theros and found it was unregistered and there was no recent activity in the area where it had been.

It then checked the Theros's automatic identification system and noted it had stopped transmitting a signal at 12:21 p.m. AT on June 13.

The centre tried to contact the Theros directly and never got a response. It then informed "other relevant authorities" about the situation and made "ongoing broadcasts" to vessels in the area of the Theros's last known position to find out if anyone had seen it.

On July 10, two bodies later confirmed to be the crew of the Theros were found in a 3.3-metre life-raft that washed up on Sable Island. In its report, the board noted this indicated the crew members — a 54-year-old woman and a 70-year-old man from British Columbia — had abandoned the vessel. The Theros was not found.

One of the crew members was found wearing a flotation suit that had sustained fire damage.

"The suit was melted on the left side from top to bottom. The fire damage had occurred while the crew member was wearing the suit; it would not have been possible to don the suit in the damaged condition," the report noted.

The other crew member was not wearing a flotation suit.

The Theros's propulsion system had been retrofitted with an electric system that incorporated an electric car battery, the report noted.

The board also investigated the possibility the Theros could have collided with a commercial tanker that was roughly 18.5 kilometres away from its last known position on June 13, but so far there has not been a definitive link.

The report doesn't name the two crew members, but a family member confirmed to CBC in July they were Brett Clibberry and his wife, Sarah Packwood. The experienced sailors, who lived on B.C.'s Salt Spring Island, documented their travels on YouTube.