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A final 24-hour stretch. Another day battling through the pitiless slide. A final stretch with aching hands gripping unforgiving oars.

However following over 15,000 kilometers on the water – an epic five-and-a-half-month journey over the Pacific Ocean that included near brushes with cetaceans, defective signaling devices and chocolate shortages – the waters delivered a last obstacle.

A gusting 20-knot wind approaching Cairns kept pushing their compact craft, their boat Velocity, away from solid ground that was now painfully near.

Loved ones gathered on land as a planned midday arrival shifted to 2pm, then 4pm, then early evening. Finally, at 6.42pm, they came alongside Cairns Yacht Club.

"Those final few hours were brutal," Rowe said, at last on firm earth.

"Breezes were forcing us off course, and we truly doubted we would succeed. We drifted outside the navigational path and contemplated a final swim to land. To finally be here, after extensive preparation, seems absolutely amazing."

The Extraordinary Expedition Starts

The UK duo – Rowe is 28 and Payne 25 – pushed off from Lima, Peru on May fifth (an initial attempt in April was halted by steering issues).

During 165 ocean days, they maintained 50 nautical miles daily, working as a team through daytime hours, one rowing alone at night while her crewmate slept a bare handful of hours in a tight compartment.

Survival and Challenges

Sustained by 400 kilograms of dehydrated meals, a saltwater conversion device and an onboard growing unit for micro-greens, the pair have relied on an inconsistent solar power setup for a fraction of the power they've needed.

For much of their journey over the enormous Pacific, they operated without navigation tools or location transmitters, creating a phantom vessel scenario, nearly undetectable to passing ships.

The women endured 30-foot swells, crossed commercial routes and survived violent tempests that, periodically, silenced all of their electronics.

Record-Breaking Achievement

And they've kept rowing, one stroke after another, across blazing hot days, below stellar evening heavens.

They achieved an unprecedented feat as the pioneering women's team to cross the southern Pacific by rowing, continuously and independently.

And they have raised more than £86,000 (Australian $179,000) benefiting the outdoor education charity.

Existence Onboard

The duo made every effort to maintain communication with civilization away from their compact craft.

Around day one-forty, they announced a "sweet treat shortage" – reduced to their final two portions with over 1,000 miles remaining – but allowed themselves the indulgence of unwrapping a portion to mark the English squad's victory in the World Cup.

Personal Reflections

Payne, from a landlocked part of Yorkshire, was unacquainted with maritime life prior to her independent Atlantic journey in 2022 achieving record pace.

She now has a second ocean conquered. However there were instances, she conceded, when they feared they wouldn't make it. As early as day six, a route across the globe's vastest waters appeared insurmountable.

"Our electrical systems were diminishing, the desalination tubes ruptured, but after nine repairs, we accomplished a workaround and barely maintained progress with reduced energy throughout the remaining journey. Whenever issues arose, we simply exchanged glances and went, 'naturally it happened!' But we kept going."

"Having Jess as a partner proved invaluable. What was great was that we worked hard together, we addressed challenges collectively, and we consistently shared identical objectives," she stated.

Rowe hails from Hampshire. Prior to her Pacific success, she paddled the Atlantic, trekked England's coastal trail, climbed Mount Kenya and biked through Spain. Further adventures likely await.

"We had such a good time together, and we're enthusiastically preparing additional journeys collectively once more. No other partner would have sufficed."