🔗 Share this article

One last sunrise to sunset. Another day battling through merciless swells. A final stretch with aching hands holding onto unyielding oars.

But after more than 8,000 nautical miles on the water – an epic five-and-a-half-month journey across the Pacific that included near brushes with cetaceans, malfunctioning navigation equipment and sweet treat crises – the sea had one more challenge.

Strong 20-knot breezes approaching Cairns kept pushing their small vessel, the Velocity, away from solid ground that was now painfully near.

Friends and family waited ashore as a planned midday arrival evolved into afternoon, then 4pm, then early evening. Ultimately, at 6:42 PM, they reached Cairns Yacht Club.

"The concluding hours proved absolutely punishing," Rowe said, finally standing on land.

"The wind was pushing us off the channel, and we honestly thought we weren't going to make it. We ended up outside the channel and contemplated a final swim to land. To at last reach our destination, after extensive preparation, proves truly extraordinary."

The Extraordinary Expedition Starts

The British pair – 28-year-old Rowe and 25-year-old Payne – pushed off from Lima, Peru in early May (a first try in April was halted by steering issues).

During 165 ocean days, they averaged 50 nautical miles a day, paddling together in daylight, individual night shifts while her crewmate slept just a few hours in a confined sleeping area.

Perseverance and Difficulties

Nourished by 400kg of preserved provisions, a seawater purification system and a vessel-based sprout cultivation system, the duo depended upon a less-than-reliable solar system for a fraction of the power they've needed.

For much of their journey over the enormous Pacific, they've had no navigation equipment or signaling devices, making them essentially invisible, hardly noticeable to maritime traffic.

The women endured 30-foot swells, crossed commercial routes and weathered furious gales that, on occasion, shut down every electronic device.

Groundbreaking Success

Yet they continued paddling, one stroke after another, across blazing hot days, under star-filled night skies.

They established a fresh milestone as the first all-female pair to row across the South Pacific Ocean, non-stop and unsupported.

Additionally they collected more than £86,000 (179,000 Australian dollars) benefiting the outdoor education charity.

Existence Onboard

The duo made every effort to keep in contact with the world outside their tiny vessel.

During the 140s of their journey, they reported a "chocolate emergency" – down to their last two bars with still more than 1,600km to go – but allowed themselves the indulgence of breaking one open to honor England's rugby team victory in the World Cup.

Personal Insights

Payne, from a landlocked part of Yorkshire, had not been at sea before her solo Atlantic crossing in 2022 achieving record pace.

She now has a second ocean conquered. Yet there were periods, she admitted, when they feared they wouldn't make it. Starting within the first week, a way across the world's largest ocean appeared insurmountable.

"Our electrical systems were diminishing, the freshwater system lines broke, but after nine repairs, we managed a bypass and just limped along with little power during the final expedition phase. Whenever issues arose, we merely made eye contact and went, 'naturally it happened!' But we kept going."

"Jess made an exceptional crewmate. Our mutual dedication stood out, we resolved issues as a team, and we consistently shared identical objectives," she remarked.

Rowe is from Hampshire. Before her Pacific triumph, she crossed the Atlantic by rowing, hiked England's South West Coast Path, climbed Mount Kenya and pedaled across Spanish terrain. Further adventures likely await.

"Our collaboration proved incredibly rewarding, and we're eagerly anticipating future expeditions as a team again. No other partner would have sufficed."