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One last sunrise to sunset. One more day up and down the unforgiving ocean. One more day of blistered hands holding onto unyielding oars.

Yet after traversing 8,000+ sea miles at sea – an extraordinary 165-day expedition through Pacific waters that included intimate meetings with marine giants, defective signaling devices and sweet treat crises – the ocean presented a final test.

A gusting 20-knot wind near Cairns kept pushing their small vessel, their rowing boat Velocity, from the terra firma that was now frustratingly within reach.

Supporters anticipated on shore as an expected noon touchdown became 2pm, subsequently 4pm, then early evening. Ultimately, at 6:42 PM, they reached the Cairns sailing club.

"The concluding hours proved absolutely punishing," Rowe expressed, eventually on solid ground.

"Gusts were driving us from the passage, and we genuinely believed we might fail. We drifted outside the navigational path and thought we might have to swim to shore. To at last reach our destination, after talking about it for so long, proves truly extraordinary."

The Extraordinary Expedition Starts

The English women – Rowe is 28 and Payne 25 – set out from Peruvian shores on 5 May (an initial attempt in April was derailed by a rudder failure).

Across nearly half a year on water, they covered approximately 50 sea miles each day, paddling together in daylight, one rowing alone at night while her teammate dozed a bare handful of hours in a tight compartment.

Endurance and Obstacles

Sustained by 400 kilograms of dehydrated meals, a water desalinator and a vessel-based sprout cultivation system, the women counted on a less-than-reliable solar system for only partial electrical requirements.

During most of their voyage across the vast Pacific, they lacked directional instruments or signaling devices, making them essentially invisible, hardly noticeable to maritime traffic.

The women endured 30-foot swells, traversed marine highways and survived violent tempests that, periodically, shut down every electronic device.

Historic Accomplishment

And they've kept rowing, one stroke after another, through scorching daylight hours, below stellar evening heavens.

They achieved an unprecedented feat as the initial female duo to paddle over the South Pacific, without breaks or external assistance.

Furthermore they gathered more than £86,000 (179,000 Australian dollars) supporting Outward Bound.

Existence Onboard

The pair did their best to stay connected with society beyond their small boat.

On "day 140-something", they declared a "cocoa crisis" – down to their last two bars with another 1,600 kilometers ahead – 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, had not been at sea before her solo Atlantic crossing in 2022 in a record time.

She now has a second ocean conquered. But there were moments, she admitted, when they doubted their success. Starting within the first week, a path over the planet's biggest sea appeared insurmountable.

"Our energy was failing, the freshwater system lines broke, however following multiple fixes, we managed a bypass and just limped along with reduced energy during the final expedition phase. Every time something went wrong, we just looked at each other and went, 'typically it occurred!' Still we persevered."

"It was really great to have Jess as a teammate. The remarkable aspect was our collaborative effort, we resolved issues as a team, and we consistently shared identical objectives," she remarked.

Rowe originates from Hampshire. Before her Pacific triumph, she rowed the Atlantic, walked the southwestern English coastline, scaled the Kenyan peak and biked through Spain. 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."