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A final 24-hour stretch. One more session navigating the pitiless slide. A final stretch with aching hands holding onto unyielding oars.

Yet after traversing 8,000+ sea miles on the water – an extraordinary 165-day expedition across the Pacific that included intimate meetings with marine giants, malfunctioning navigation equipment and cocoa supply emergencies – the ocean presented a final test.

A gusting 20-knot wind near Cairns continuously drove their compact craft, the Velocity, from the terra firma that was now achingly close.

Friends and family waited ashore as an expected noon touchdown became 2pm, subsequently 4pm, then early evening. Ultimately, at 6:42 PM, they reached the Cairns sailing club.

"Those last hours tested every fiber," Rowe expressed, at last on firm earth.

"Breezes were forcing us off course, and we genuinely believed we might fail. We ended up outside the channel and contemplated a final swim to land. To ultimately arrive, after extensive preparation, just feels incredible."

The Epic Journey Begins

The British pair – Rowe is 28 and Payne 25 – departed from Lima, Peru on 5 May (an earlier April effort was derailed by a rudder failure).

During 165 ocean days, they averaged 50 nautical miles a day, rowing in tandem during the day, single rower overnight while her crewmate slept minimal sleep in a confined sleeping area.

Perseverance and Difficulties

Nourished by 400kg of preserved provisions, a water desalinator and an integrated greens production unit, the pair have relied on a less-than-reliable solar system for limited energy demands.

Throughout the majority of their expedition over the enormous Pacific, they lacked directional instruments or signaling devices, turning them into a "ghost ship", nearly undetectable to passing ships.

The pair have borne 9-metre waves, navigated shipping lanes and weathered furious gales that, on occasion, silenced all of their electronics.

Groundbreaking Success

And they've kept rowing, one stroke after another, during intensely warm periods, below stellar evening heavens.

They achieved an unprecedented feat as the initial female duo to cross the southern Pacific by rowing, without breaks or external assistance.

Furthermore they gathered more than £86,000 (A$179,000) for the Outward Bound Trust.

Life Aboard

The women attempted to maintain communication with civilization beyond their small boat.

Around day one-forty, they reported a "chocolate emergency" – down to their last two bars with another 1,600 kilometers ahead – but granted themselves the pleasure of unwrapping a portion to mark the English squad's winning the Rugby World Cup.

Individual Perspectives

Payne, hailing from inland Yorkshire, was unacquainted with maritime life prior to her independent Atlantic journey during 2022 establishing a record.

She has now mastered another ocean. However there were instances, she acknowledged, when failure seemed possible. As early as day six, a path over the planet's biggest sea felt impossible.

"Our energy was failing, the water-maker pipes burst, but after nine repairs, we accomplished a workaround and simply continued struggling with minimal electricity throughout the remaining journey. Whenever issues arose, we just looked at each other and went, 'of course it has!' Yet we continued forward."

"Jess made an exceptional crewmate. The remarkable aspect was our collaborative effort, we resolved issues as a team, and we perpetually pursued common aims," she remarked.

Rowe is from Hampshire. Before her Pacific triumph, she paddled the Atlantic, hiked England's South West Coast Path, ascended Mount Kenya and cycled across Spain. Additional challenges probably remain.

"We shared such wonderful experiences, and we're already excited to plan new adventures as a team again. I wouldn't have done it with anybody else."