After nearly half a year battling the world’s largest expanse of water, British adventurers Jess Rowe and Miriam Payne have etched their names into the record books as the first all-female team to row nonstop and unsupported across the Pacific Ocean from Peru to Australia. Their journey, which began on May 5, 2025, in Lima and concluded triumphantly in Cairns, Australia, on October 18, was a feat of endurance, ingenuity, and sheer determination, as reported by both Telegraph Sport and The Guardian.
The pair, aged 28 and 25 respectively, spent 149 days at sea, rowing their nine-meter vessel, Velocity, in relentless two-hour shifts. While one rowed, the other snatched precious moments of sleep in their cramped cabin, using nothing more than lightweight towels as bedding. Describing their experience, Payne told Telegraph Sport, “People would think that we get lonely or feel isolated, but we really don’t. We’re loving our time out here and we’re really getting on well together and just having so much fun. It’s so peaceful out here. It’s never the same because the waves are always changing. We’ve had scorching hot, calm days and very windy days.”
The serenity of the open ocean was punctuated by a relentless parade of challenges. Salt sores from constant exposure to the waves became a daily torment. “It’s just not fun, just being wet all the time, just being covered in salt,” Payne admitted. The duo’s resilience was tested by burst water pipes, malfunctioning solar panels, and a critical breakdown of their manual hand water pump. When the pump failed, Rowe recounted how Payne ingeniously “repaired it with a pair of her knickers,” using the fabric as a makeshift filter to keep the desalination process going. This quick thinking was vital, as the solar-powered batteries that ran their electric water maker often failed, forcing them to conserve power and rely on manual means for drinking water.
Their troubles began even before their main voyage. An initial attempt to cross the Pacific in April 2025 ended abruptly when their boat’s rudder snapped off just eight days into the journey, leaving them stranded 350 miles off the coast of Lima. With the help of sailor Alec Hughes, who towed them back to shore, they managed to repair the boat and relaunch a few weeks later. “If he hadn’t come to our rescue, we would have had to abandon our boat and probably get picked up by the Peruvian navy,” Rowe said, highlighting just how close they came to disaster before even leaving South America behind.
Once underway again, Rowe and Payne faced 30-foot waves, navigated busy shipping lanes, and endured storms that knocked out their electronics. According to The Guardian, their solar panel system malfunctioned, causing the batteries to discharge rapidly and forcing them to switch off most of their navigation equipment—including the chartplotter and the beacon that alerts passing ships. This turned Velocity into what Rowe’s father described as a “ghost ship,” requiring constant manual navigation and lookout. The risk was ever-present, with the women having to be extremely cautious to ensure their vital water generator kept running.
Despite these hardships, the ocean also offered moments of awe and wonder. Payne recounted a highlight: “Our highlight has to be seeing a sperm whale. It came within less than five metres from the boat and it was just so incredible. We’ve seen whales and dolphins, sea lions and an incredible variety of seabirds, but nothing like that up close.” They also encountered sharks, turtles, and caught fish for food, supplementing their otherwise monotonous diet of freeze-dried meals and snacks. As Rowe put it, “We absolutely can’t stand them; they’re foul! We both decided which meals we liked best on the Atlantic and packed lots of those, and our taste buds have changed.” To break the monotony, they grew radishes, cabbages, leaves, and microgreens in an onboard unit—a rare treat amid the endless packets of dehydrated food.
The journey also required quick adaptation and flexibility. Originally, the pair had planned to finish in Brisbane, but stubborn headwinds in August forced a change of course. With guidance from Cairns fisherman Alec Dunn, they navigated through islands and the Great Barrier Reef, finally arriving at Cairns Marlin Marina to the cheers of supporters. Their arrival was not just a personal triumph but a historic moment, setting a new record as the first all-female pair to row nonstop and unsupported across the South Pacific Ocean.
Throughout their ordeal, Rowe and Payne maintained a sense of humor and perspective. Their boat was affectionately nicknamed “the office,” and their toilet—simply a bucket—was dubbed “dumpy.” They received encouragement in the form of letters from schoolchildren, which buoyed their spirits as they neared the finish line. “Stubborn determination from start to finish” is how they described the secret to their success, telling The Guardian that their time was “spent in the wild in our teeny tiny rowing boat.”
Raising over £50,000 for The Outward Bound Trust, a UK-based charity that helps children develop lifelong skills through adventure, was another major achievement. Their success was not just about breaking records but also about inspiring others. Once settled in Cairns, the duo expressed their desire to invite local children to visit them at the marina to hear “tales of the high seas,” hoping to pass on the lessons of resilience and adventure they learned during their epic crossing.
The perilous nature of ocean rowing was underscored by other recent attempts and tragedies. The Guardian noted that Lithuanian Aurimas Mockus had to be rescued during his solo crossing attempt due to a tropical cyclone, and Australian Tom Robinson was saved after his boat capsized. The memory of American Paralympian Angela Madsen, who died attempting a solo journey in 2020, served as a sobering reminder of the risks involved. Yet, the successes of Michelle Lee, the first woman to row solo nonstop and unsupported across the Pacific from Mexico to Port Douglas in 2023, and the Scottish trio of brothers who rowed from Peru to Cairns earlier in 2025, show that the spirit of adventure is alive and well.
For Rowe and Payne, the end of their journey brought not just the satisfaction of a world record, but also the simple joys they had long dreamed of—chief among them, a hot pizza. “The lure of hot pizza has never been far from our minds,” they joked, and surely, no meal could be more deserved.
As the sun rose over Cairns and the cheers of supporters echoed across the marina, Jess Rowe and Miriam Payne proved that with grit, resourcefulness, and a bit of humor, even the wildest dreams can be realized on the open sea.
