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One last sunrise to sunset. Another day battling through the unforgiving ocean. Another round of raw palms clutching relentless paddles.

But after more than 8,000 nautical miles across the ocean – a monumental half-year voyage 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 repeatedly forced their small vessel, the Velocity, from the terra firma that was now achingly close.

Loved ones gathered on land as an expected noon touchdown shifted to 2pm, then 4pm, then twilight hours. Finally, at 6.42pm, they arrived at Cairns Yacht Club.

"Those last hours tested every fiber," Rowe expressed, eventually on solid ground.

"The wind was pushing us off the channel, and we honestly thought we weren't going to make it. We ended up outside the channel and thought we might have to swim to shore. To ultimately arrive, after extensive preparation, seems absolutely amazing."

The Monumental Voyage Commences

The UK duo – 28-year-old Rowe and 25-year-old Payne – set out from Peruvian shores on May fifth (an earlier April effort was stopped by equipment malfunction).

Over 165 days at sea, they averaged 50 nautical miles a day, working as a team through daytime hours, individual night shifts while her teammate dozed just a few hours in a confined sleeping area.

Survival and Challenges

Nourished by 400kg of preserved provisions, a seawater purification system and an integrated greens production unit, the pair have relied on an unpredictable photovoltaic arrangement for only partial electrical requirements.

For much of their journey over the enormous Pacific, they lacked directional instruments or signaling devices, creating a phantom vessel scenario, hardly noticeable to maritime traffic.

The women endured 30-foot swells, crossed commercial routes and survived violent tempests that, on occasion, disabled all electrical systems.

Record-Breaking Achievement

Yet they continued paddling, one stroke after another, across blazing hot days, under star-filled night skies.

They have set a new record as the pioneering women's team to row across the South Pacific Ocean, without breaks or external assistance.

Additionally they collected over eighty-six thousand pounds (179,000 Australian dollars) supporting Outward Bound.

Life Aboard

The duo made every effort to keep in contact with the world beyond their small boat.

Around day one-forty, they reported a "chocolate emergency" – diminished to merely two remaining pieces with still more than 1,600km to go – but granted themselves the pleasure of opening one bar to honor England's rugby team victory in the World Cup.

Personal Insights

Payne, hailing from inland Yorkshire, had not been at sea before her solo Atlantic crossing in 2022 achieving record pace.

She now has a second ocean conquered. But there were moments, she conceded, when they feared they wouldn't make it. Starting within the first week, a route across the globe's vastest waters felt impossible.

"Our energy was failing, the freshwater system lines broke, however following multiple fixes, we achieved an alternative solution and just limped along with minimal electricity during the final expedition phase. Every time something went wrong, we just looked at each other and went, 'of course it has!' Yet we continued forward."

"It was really great to have Jess as a teammate. The remarkable aspect was our collaborative effort, we problem-solved together, and we perpetually pursued common aims," she stated.

Rowe is from Hampshire. Preceding her ocean conquest, she crossed the Atlantic by rowing, walked the southwestern English coastline, scaled the Kenyan peak and pedaled across Spanish terrain. Additional challenges probably remain.

"We had such a good time together, and we're enthusiastically preparing additional journeys collectively once more. Another teammate wouldn't have worked."