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One last sunrise to sunset. One more day up and down merciless swells. One more day of blistered hands gripping unforgiving 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.

A gusting 20-knot wind off Cairns kept pushing their compact craft, their boat Velocity, off course from land that was now frustratingly within reach.

Supporters anticipated on shore as a scheduled lunchtime finish shifted to 2pm, followed by 4pm, then early evening. At last, at eighteen forty-two, they came alongside the Cairns marina.

"Those final few hours were brutal," Rowe stated, at last on firm earth.

"The wind was pushing us off the channel, and we truly doubted we would succeed. We ended up outside the channel and thought we might have to swim to shore. To at last reach our destination, following years of planning, seems absolutely amazing."

The Extraordinary Expedition Starts

The English women – aged 28 and 25 respectively – departed from Lima, Peru on May fifth (an initial attempt in April was stopped by equipment malfunction).

During 165 ocean days, they covered approximately 50 sea miles each day, working as a team through daytime hours, single rower overnight while her crewmate slept just a few hours in a tight compartment.

Endurance and Obstacles

Kept alive with 400kg of mostly freeze-dried food, a seawater purification system and an onboard growing unit for micro-greens, the pair have relied on an unpredictable photovoltaic arrangement for only partial electrical requirements.

During most of their voyage across the vast Pacific, they operated without navigation tools or beacon, making them essentially invisible, nearly undetectable to passing ships.

The women endured 30-foot swells, navigated shipping lanes and weathered furious gales that, periodically, disabled all electrical systems.

Groundbreaking Success

And they've kept rowing, each pull following the last, through scorching daylight hours, beneath celestial nightscapes.

They have set a new record as the initial female duo to cross the southern Pacific by rowing, without breaks or external assistance.

And they have raised over eighty-six thousand pounds (Australian $179,000) benefiting the outdoor education charity.

Life Aboard

The women attempted to stay connected with society away from their compact craft.

During the 140s of their journey, they reported a "chocolate emergency" – reduced to their final two portions with over 1,000 miles remaining – but allowed themselves the indulgence of opening one bar to mark the English squad's winning the Rugby World Cup.

Personal Reflections

Payne, hailing from inland Yorkshire, 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 admitted, when they doubted their success. Starting within the first week, a way across the world's largest ocean seemed unachievable.

"Our energy was failing, the water-maker pipes burst, yet after numerous mends, we managed a bypass and barely maintained progress with reduced energy during the final expedition phase. Every time something went wrong, we simply exchanged glances and went, 'naturally it happened!' Yet we continued forward."

"Jess made an exceptional crewmate. Our mutual dedication stood out, we problem-solved together, and we consistently shared identical objectives," she said.

Rowe hails from Hampshire. Preceding her ocean conquest, she paddled the Atlantic, trekked England's coastal trail, climbed Mount Kenya and pedaled across Spanish terrain. There might still be more.

"We shared such wonderful experiences, and we're enthusiastically preparing additional journeys as a team again. No other partner would have sufficed."