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A final 24-hour stretch. One more session navigating the pitiless slide. A final stretch with aching hands clutching relentless paddles.

But after more than 8,000 nautical miles at sea – a monumental half-year voyage across the Pacific that included close encounters with whales, defective signaling devices and sweet treat crises – the waters delivered a last obstacle.

A gusting 20-knot wind approaching Cairns repeatedly forced their small vessel, the Velocity, away from solid ground that was now frustratingly within reach.

Friends and family waited ashore as an expected noon touchdown became 2pm, subsequently 4pm, then early evening. Finally, at 6.42pm, they reached Cairns Yacht Club.

"Those last hours tested every fiber," Rowe said, eventually on solid ground.

"The wind was pushing us off the channel, and we honestly thought we weren't going to make it. We found ourselves beyond the marked route and thought we might have to swim to shore. To at last reach our destination, after extensive preparation, proves truly extraordinary."

The Epic Journey Begins

The UK duo – 28-year-old Rowe and 25-year-old Payne – departed from Lima, Peru on May fifth (an initial attempt in April was stopped by equipment malfunction).

During 165 ocean days, they averaged 50 nautical miles a day, rowing in tandem during the day, individual night shifts while her partner rested just a few hours in a tight compartment.

Endurance and Obstacles

Nourished by 400kg of preserved provisions, a saltwater conversion device and a vessel-based sprout cultivation system, the duo depended upon an unpredictable photovoltaic arrangement for limited energy demands.

For much of their journey across the vast Pacific, they operated without navigation tools or location transmitters, making them essentially invisible, hardly noticeable to maritime traffic.

The pair have borne 9-metre waves, traversed marine highways and survived violent tempests that, on occasion, silenced all of their electronics.

Historic Accomplishment

Still they maintained progress, each pull following the last, through scorching daylight hours, beneath celestial nightscapes.

They established a fresh milestone as the pioneering women's team to cross the southern Pacific by rowing, non-stop and unsupported.

And they have raised more than £86,000 (Australian $179,000) benefiting the outdoor education charity.

Life Aboard

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

During the 140s of their journey, they declared a "cocoa crisis" – diminished to merely two remaining pieces with another 1,600 kilometers ahead – but permitted themselves the luxury of breaking one open to honor England's rugby team winning the Rugby World Cup.

Personal Reflections

Payne, hailing from inland Yorkshire, had not been at sea before her solo Atlantic crossing in 2022 achieving record pace.

She now has a second ocean conquered. However there were instances, she conceded, when they feared they wouldn't make it. As early as day six, a path over the planet's biggest sea appeared insurmountable.

"Our power was dropping, the freshwater system lines broke, however following multiple fixes, we achieved an alternative solution and simply continued struggling with minimal electricity for the rest of the crossing. Each time problems occurred, we just looked at each other and went, 'typically it occurred!' Yet we continued forward."

"Jess made an exceptional crewmate. What was great was that we worked hard together, we resolved issues as a team, and we perpetually pursued common aims," she remarked.

Rowe is from Hampshire. Before her Pacific triumph, she rowed the Atlantic, walked the southwestern English coastline, climbed Mount Kenya and cycled across Spain. Additional challenges probably remain.

"We shared such wonderful experiences, and we're enthusiastically preparing additional journeys collectively once more. No other partner would have sufficed."