'Those final few hours were brutal': British duo finish extraordinary voyage in Australia after rowing across Pacific Ocean
One last sunrise to sunset. One more day up and down the pitiless slide. Another round of raw palms gripping unforgiving oars.
But after more than 8,000 nautical miles across the ocean – an epic five-and-a-half-month journey through Pacific waters that included close encounters with whales, defective signaling devices and chocolate shortages – the sea had one more challenge.
A gusting 20-knot wind off Cairns repeatedly forced their small vessel, their rowing boat Velocity, off course from land that was now achingly close.
Friends and family waited ashore as a scheduled lunchtime finish shifted to 2pm, subsequently 4pm, then twilight hours. At last, at eighteen forty-two, they arrived at the Cairns sailing club.
"Those final few hours were brutal," Rowe said, finally standing on land.
"Gusts were driving us from the passage, and we genuinely believed we might fail. We found ourselves beyond the marked route and contemplated a final swim to land. To at last reach our destination, following years of planning, just feels incredible."
The Extraordinary Expedition Starts
The UK duo – Rowe is 28 and Payne 25 – departed from Lima, Peru on 5 May (an initial attempt in April was halted by steering issues).
During 165 ocean days, they covered approximately 50 sea miles each day, working as a team through daytime hours, single rower overnight while her partner rested minimal sleep in a tight compartment.
Endurance and Obstacles
Kept alive with 400kg of mostly freeze-dried food, a water desalinator and an integrated greens production unit, the duo depended upon a less-than-reliable solar system for a fraction of the power they've needed.
During most of their voyage over the enormous Pacific, they operated without navigation tools or location transmitters, turning them into a "ghost ship", almost invisible to other vessels.
The duo faced nine-meter waves, traversed marine highways and weathered furious gales that, periodically, shut down every electronic device.
Record-Breaking Achievement
Yet they continued paddling, one stroke after another, through scorching daylight hours, beneath celestial nightscapes.
They established a fresh milestone as the pioneering women's team to row across the South Pacific Ocean, non-stop and unsupported.
Furthermore they gathered in excess of £86k (179,000 Australian dollars) for the Outward Bound Trust.
Life Aboard
The women attempted to stay connected with society outside their tiny vessel.
During the 140s of their journey, they reported a "chocolate emergency" – down to their last two bars with over 1,000 miles remaining – but granted themselves the pleasure of unwrapping a portion to mark the English squad's triumph in global rugby competition.
Individual Perspectives
Payne, originating from Yorkshire's non-coastal region, lacked ocean experience before her solo Atlantic crossing during 2022 establishing a record.
She now has a second ocean conquered. Yet there were periods, she acknowledged, when they doubted their success. As early as day six, a route across the globe's vastest waters seemed unachievable.
"Our energy was failing, the freshwater system lines broke, however following multiple fixes, we achieved an alternative solution and barely maintained progress with little power for the rest of the crossing. Whenever issues arose, we just looked at each other and went, 'typically it occurred!' Still we persevered."
"Having Jess as a partner proved invaluable. What was great was that we worked hard together, we problem-solved together, and we consistently shared identical objectives," she remarked.
Rowe hails from Hampshire. Prior to her Pacific success, she rowed the Atlantic, walked the southwestern English coastline, climbed Mount Kenya and cycled across Spain. Further adventures likely await.
"We had such a good time together, and we're enthusiastically preparing additional journeys collectively once more. Another teammate wouldn't have worked."
