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One more day. One more day up and down merciless swells. Another round of raw palms clutching relentless paddles.

But after more than 8,000 nautical miles across the ocean – an extraordinary 165-day expedition over the Pacific Ocean that included near brushes with cetaceans, defective signaling devices and chocolate shortages – the ocean presented a final test.

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

Supporters anticipated on shore as a scheduled lunchtime finish became 2pm, followed by 4pm, then dusk. Finally, at 6.42pm, they arrived at Cairns Yacht Club.

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

"The wind was pushing us off the channel, and we genuinely believed we might fail. We ended up outside the channel and contemplated a final swim to land. To finally be here, following years of planning, seems absolutely amazing."

The Extraordinary Expedition Starts

The British pair – Rowe is 28 and Payne 25 – pushed off from Lima, Peru on May fifth (a first try in April was derailed by a rudder failure).

Over 165 days at sea, they covered approximately 50 sea miles each day, paddling together in daylight, single rower overnight while her teammate dozed minimal sleep in a confined sleeping area.

Endurance and Obstacles

Kept alive with 400kg of mostly freeze-dried food, a seawater purification system and a vessel-based sprout cultivation system, the duo depended upon a less-than-reliable solar system for limited energy demands.

During most of their voyage over the enormous Pacific, they operated without navigation tools or signaling devices, making them essentially invisible, nearly undetectable to passing ships.

The duo faced nine-meter waves, traversed marine highways and survived violent tempests that, at times, silenced all of their electronics.

Historic Accomplishment

Still they maintained progress, one stroke after another, through scorching daylight hours, beneath celestial nightscapes.

They have set a new record as the first all-female pair to cross the southern Pacific by rowing, without breaks or external assistance.

And they have raised in excess of £86k (179,000 Australian dollars) supporting Outward Bound.

Existence Onboard

The pair did their best to keep in contact with the world away from their compact craft.

During the 140s of their journey, they declared a "cocoa crisis" – reduced to their final two portions with over 1,000 miles remaining – but permitted themselves the luxury of unwrapping a portion to honor England's rugby team winning the Rugby World Cup.

Personal Reflections

Payne, originating from Yorkshire's non-coastal region, lacked ocean experience before her solo Atlantic crossing in 2022 achieving record pace.

She has now mastered another ocean. Yet there were periods, she admitted, when they doubted their success. Beginning on the sixth day, a route across the globe's vastest waters appeared insurmountable.

"Our electrical systems were diminishing, the water-maker pipes burst, but after nine repairs, we achieved an alternative solution and simply continued struggling with minimal electricity throughout the remaining journey. Each time problems occurred, we just looked at each other and went, 'typically it occurred!' Yet we continued forward."

"Jess made an exceptional crewmate. The remarkable aspect was our collaborative effort, we addressed challenges collectively, and we were always working towards the same goals," she said.

Rowe hails from Hampshire. Preceding her ocean conquest, she crossed the Atlantic by rowing, walked the southwestern English coastline, scaled the Kenyan peak and biked through Spain. There might still be more.

"We had such a good time together, and we're enthusiastically preparing additional journeys collectively once more. I wouldn't have done it with anybody else."