Seas the Day complete record-breaking Pacific crossing

After 165 days at sea, British adventurers Jess Rowe (28) and Miriam Payne (26) have today arrived in Cairns, completing their extraordinary non-stop, unsupported 8,000-plus-mile (15,200 km) Pacific Ocean crossing from Lima, Peru to Cairns, Australia.

The pair, who together form the Seas the Day Ocean Rowing Team, are now the first women’s team to have ever rowed the full Pacific Ocean non-stop and unsupported upon completion of their crossing from South America to Australia.

In addition to their record-breaking achievement, the pair have been rowing to support The Outward Bound Trust, a UK-based charity that helps young people develop resilience and life skills through adventure. 

"Jess and Miriam have just rowed one third of the planet and shown young people exactly what confidence through challenge looks like. Their grit, humour and teamwork are everything we stand for at Outward Bound. We’re inspired by them, and deeply grateful for their determination and fundraising in the face of adversity.” said Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of Outward Bound

At the time of their arrival, the duo had raised more than £86,000 (AUD $179,000/ USD $116,000), surpassing their initial goals of £50,000 and £75,000 and resetting to a new post-arrival target of £100,000 and climbing.

A triumph of endurance and resilience

Launching for a second time (after rudder failure) in May 2025, Jess and Miriam have
endured over five months of storms, blistering heat, isolation, and mechanical breakdowns while rowing in gruelling two-hour shifts non-stop.

Launching for a second time (after rudder failure) in May 2025, Jess and Miriam have endured over five months of blistering heat, isolation, and mechanical breakdowns while rowing in gruelling two-hour shifts nonstop.

During the voyage, they experienced “ghost-ship” electrical blackouts (caused by a fault in the system whereby the batteries were discharging too quickly needing them to switch off most of the other electronics like their navigational chart plotter and AIS beacon to alert other ships in the area of their position), relentless waves, and equipment breakdowns, countered by moments of wonder, close encounters with a plethora of marine wildlife, phosphorescent seas, and night skies full of stars.

As they made landfall, the pair reflected on the scale of their achievement, the challenges of their final approach, and the warmth of a Cairns welcome.

“We still can’t quite believe it’s real. After so many days at sea, to finally see land, and the welcome we’ve had here in Cairns, is beyond words,” said Jess Rowe.

“Those final few hours were brutal. 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 finally be here, after talking about it for so long, just feels incredible.

We had such a good time together, and we’re already excited to plan new adventures together as well. I wouldn’t have done it with anybody else,” she said.

Looking back on some of the most challenging moments, Miriam Payne said they had only got to day six when they thought the journey might end. 

“Our power was dropping, the water-maker pipes burst, but after nine repairs, we managed a bypass and just limped along with little power for the rest of the crossing. Every time something went wrong, we just looked at each other and went, ‘of course it has!’ But we kept going.” 

“It was really great to have Jess as a teammate. 

“What was great was that we worked hard together, we problem-solved together, and we were always working towards the same goals,” she said.

Hot pizza, an ice-cold beer, and the promise of a real shower marked the perfect welcome ashore. With family time and a well-earned rest ahead, the pair say they can’t wait to explore Far North Queensland’s natural beauty and Cairns nightlife before plotting their next adventure.

Putting the achievement in perspective

Jess and Miriam’s journey places them among the world’s elite ocean rowers, marking:

• First female team to row the pacific mainland to mainland non-stop and unsupported.
• First pair to row the pacific mainland to mainland non-stop and unsupported.
• The youngest team to row the pacific mainland to mainland non-stop and unsupported.

Their accomplishment spans one-third of the planet, powered solely by human endurance, determination, and courage.

Seas the Day expedition snapshot

• Departure: Lima, Peru (relaunch) on 5 May 2025
• Arrival: Cairns, Australia on Saturday 18 October 2025
• Distance: 8,213 nautical miles (15,210 km)
• Boat: Velocity, a 9m Rossiter Ocean 2 vessel
• Rowing schedule: Two-hour rowing shifts, 1800-0600 – row together 0600 to 1800 (15hrs a day each on the oars) consuming 5,000 calories/day

The women launched from Lima in May 2025 after an initial attempt in April was cut short by rudder failure just 300 nautical miles into the journey. Since relaunching, they have rowed in gruelling two-hour shifts around the clock, up to 16 hours a day, averaging 50 nautical miles a day (with an incredible 84 nautical miles in one day accomplished in their final weeks). 

They have battled storms, water-maker failures, ‘ghost ship’ electronics shutdowns, and the relentless toll of sleep deprivation, countered by moments of wonder rowing beneath star-filled skies, encounters with dolphins, sea lions and even a sperm whale - improvised with limited gear, celebrated fresh catches after months of freeze-dried meals, and shared their journey with a global following now topping 110,000 Instagram supporters (as well as over 135,000 on Facebook and 135,000 on TikTok, and their videos since restarting have been watched over 75 million times.

Their boat Velocity, was laden with safety and communications equipment, 200+ days of food including specially formulated Better You vitamin sprays for each of them to help recovery between rows.

The team also carried other unique technologies on board to help them both recover and eat better. They are using Nurosym’s system, which utilises targeted electrical impulses via the Vagus Nerve for neuromodulation to help them maintain calmness and consistent energy, enabling peak biological performance throughout.

Additionally, the British company Home Harvest developed a special on-board growing unit, enabling a sustainable and reliable supply of nutritious leaves and microgreens throughout the row.  This has helped them to supplement their freeze-dried food with fresh produce and has given the team an emotional and physical lift throughout.

Outward Bound exists to help young people find confidence through challenge – and Jess and Miriam have just shown what that looks like on the world stage. Their journey has been a masterclass in grit, teamwork and belief. To the Seas the Day team: thank you for your phenomenal achievement, your generosity and the inspiration you’ve shared with every young person who dares to dream big.