Marcoux vanished from Eastern Passage on his way from Nova Scotia to Bermuda in November 2009.
Joseph Alexandre Hubert Marcoux (February 12, 1941 – November 9, 2009) was a solo sailor, author, public speaker, and travel writer of French and Canadian origin. He sailed solo around the world for 18 years, ending his journey in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Marcoux, who was born and raised in Charlo, New Brunswick, attended several universities and earned a bachelor’s degree. After completing his international journey, he began writing a novel and speaking about it at conferences.
Marcoux received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University after studying commerce at the Université de Moncton, Sir George Williams University, and Concordia University. He founded and sold two successful Montreal businesses, both of which were manufacturing firms. The first was a flight suit manufacturer, and the second was a picture frame manufacturer.
Marcoux purchased the “Jonathan” in Daytona Beach, Florida in August 1981. Later that year, he completed an 18-year world sailing circumnavigation by sailing solo from Australia to Halifax. Marcoux returned to live with his sister in Bedford, Nova Scotia, after an 18-year journey. During Hurricane Juan, his boat, Mon Pays, was destroyed. To pay for boat repairs, Marcoux began writing his first novel about his 18-year journey in 2005. He wrote the French version first, titled Mon Tour du Monde en 18 Ans, then the English version, titled Around the World in 18 Years. Following the publication of his book, he began speaking at conferences and writing for trade magazines.
Marcoux, sailing alone on his boat the Mon Pays, left the Eastern Passage on November 9, 2009. He intended to arrive in Bermuda on November 16. When he didn’t show up, a search was launched by Canadian and American planes.
The search was later joined by members of the Air National Guard (ANG). They scoured the ocean between Virginia and Bermuda for three days. Fixed-wing planes searched 323,000 nautical square miles for the experienced sailor. Marcoux’s vessel was said to be equipped with a VHF radio, personal flotation devices, flares, and a dinghy. The search was scaled back on November 22. There was still hope of finding Marcoux at this point. During his journey, he most likely encountered a series of storms with wind gusts exceeding 110 kilometres per hour and waves reaching 10 meters in height, according to officials. The search was officially halted shortly after the scale back, with no sightings reported.
Many newspapers received criticism after reporting Marcoux’s disappearance as “preventable” from his disappearance until 2010. Public feedback stated that any criticism of the journey was “not necessarily ours to say.”