We Are Story ShopA trio of Scottish brothers have set a new world record after completing the fastest row across the Pacific from Peru to Australia.
Jamie, Ewan and Lachlan Maclean arrived in the Australian city of Cairns on Saturday, August 30 just at 1.52am BST.
Their arrival marked the end of the 139-day, five hour and 52 minute journey crossing the world’s largest ocean.
The brothers had earlier been expected to arrive on Friday, but their arrival was pushed back.
We Are Story ShopThe trio, from Edinburgh, first set off on their record-breaking row from Lima in Peru on April 12.
Since then they have travelled 9,000 miles, a distance equivalent to 343 marathons, and spent 139 days on the Pacific Ocean.
Throughout their gruelling challenge the brothers have garnered support from around the world including the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Ewan McGregor and Flea.
We Are Story ShopArriving on Australian shores following their 9,000-mile journey, the Scots were reunited with more than 50 family and friends who made the trip from the UK, including mother Sheila.
Middle brother Jamie, 31, described the moment they first spotted land on the horizon as “euphoric”.
“We were all worried, you know – we were fighting the east Australian current,” he told the BBC’s Breakfast programme on Saturday.
“So, we have three up on the oars – of course, you’re facing backwards.
“You row for a couple hours, then maybe scoff down some food, rehydrate, keep rowing … So you pass about 20 nautical miles, you don’t get up.
“We looked up, we didn’t see much on the horizon – row, row, row.
“And then little by little, you see a faint smudge appear. And you think, is that…?
“You kind of pinch yourself, and you chat, and you’re like, ‘nah, it’s just a cloud’.
“And you go back down, you row, row, row, and at that point, actually, night descended, so we went on to our night shifts and it wasn’t till the morning after, as the sun rose, we could see the hills of Cairns.
“What a euphoric moment that was on board.”
Jamie said all he wanted upon landing was a pizza – calling the journey the most “incredible, relentless and often surreal experience” of his life.
“Things got tough towards the end and we seriously thought we might run out of food. Despite how exhausted we were, we had to step up a gear and make it before supplies ran out, but now we get to eat proper food,” he said.
“Ocean rowing has given us newfound appreciation for things we used to take for granted – like going for a shower, lying in bed, or simply leaning on something stationary.”
The siblings from Edinburgh became the fastest and youngest trio to row the Atlantic Ocean in 2020, raising more than £200,000 for charity, and this new expedition is considered one of the most remote and physically demanding open-water rows ever attempted.
Custom-built carbon fibre vessel Rose Emily was launched from Yacht Club Peruano, with the brothers rowing in two-hour shifts, with no resupplies or safety boat on the 280kg boat, to raise £1 million for clean water projects in Madagascar.
Ewan, 33, said the experience was the “hardest” thing he had ever done.
“There have been countless setbacks to overcome, some leaving us lost, but we’ve always lifted each other up,” he said.
“We’ve shed tears of joy and laughed till our cheeks hurt.
“And at times we’ve cried with sadness and with fear, but our spirits have been lifted, time and time again, by the support of so many rallying behind us.”
There were moments of danger and fear, too, like when youngest brother Lachlan was swept overboard by a rogue wave in the middle of the night.
“We got caught up in an anticyclone about just over halfway,” the 27-year-old told BBC Breakfast.
“I was going into the cabin, and I was standing at the stern looking up, looking for a gap in the waves to clamber in, and this rogue wave came in from the side.
“I had no time to react and I was washed overboard.
“It was pretty scary. The wave was maybe 25 feet tall.
“Ewan, fortunately, was on the oars, he saw it happen, which I think, actually, it was probably more scary for you,” Lachlan added, turning to his older brother.
“And, you know, if you imagine your sibling is there on the boat, it’s pitch black and then this huge wave comes in, the boat got thrown to 90 degrees, and then when we came back up, I was nowhere to be seen.
“But Ewan kind of clambered back, he stretched over the side, gave me a hand to get back in. And, yeah, I live to tell the tale.”
Ewan told the BBC: “You know, we were so diligent with all of our safety, we always wear climbing harnesses, were always tending to the boat.
“And that was a real wake-up call.
“It was a kind of definite reminder that we cannot get complacent.”
On board, they brought 500kg of food, including 75kg of oats and a menu of high-calorie comfort meals.
The Rare Whisky 101 Pacific Row aimed to raise funds for The Maclean Foundation — the clean water charity the brothers founded with their father, whisky writer Charles Maclean MBE.
According to their webpage, they have raised more than £790,000 so far.
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