World-breaking Maclean brothers conquer the Minch after two previous failed attempts

A trio of brothers have finally crossed the Minch from Ullapool to Stornoway, after being forced to abandon their journey twice before.

Jamie, Ewan and Lachlan Maclean took 13 hours to cross the Minch, which separates the Isle of Skye and the Outer Hebrides, a distance of 45 nautical miles.

The trio have been waiting for ideal conditions to make their attempt, after the previous two were aborted due to bad weather.

The brothers are known for their extreme travels, having broken world records by rowing across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and raising more than £1 million for charity.

The trio set sail at 1pm on July 15, landing in Stornoway in the early hours of Thursday.

Speaking about the crossing, Jamie Maclean said: “The Minch was very kind to us, which certainly wasn’t the case the last two times we tried it.

“Not completing the crossing had eaten away at us, so it feels brilliant to have finally done it. Now that we’ve conquered it, we can get on with our lives.

Jamie Maclean delivered their new book to the Baltic Bookshop in Stornoway. Story Shop

“We had the Pacific playlist booming, morale was very high, and even the freeze-dried meals went down a treat. There’s nothing quite like a homemade chicken ruby when you’re out on the water.”

The attempt was not a guarantee as their boat, Emily Rose, only arrived in Ullapool the day of the crossing.

It had been shipped all the way from Sydney by Menzies Aviation, following the completion of the brother’s 9,000-mile expedition across the Pacific.

Their stories of the voyage are captured in their new book, Three Brothers in a Boat, which they delivered a signed copy of to the Baltic Bookshop in Stornoway.

Lachlan Maclean added: “Just a few years ago, we were complete rowing novices, so it feels strange to say that we genuinely enjoyed rowing across the Minch.

“It can be an unforgiving stretch of water, and we have experienced that first-hand during our previous attempts.

“Writing the book was incredibly emotional and presented a completely different type of challenge. I was probably more daunted by starting the book than I was by setting off across the Pacific.

“We’re incredibly proud of it and can’t wait for people to read it, starting with readers in Stornoway.”