Three Scottish brothers stepped ashore in Australia yesterday after claiming a new record for rowing non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific, “over the moon” to be back on dry land.
Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan MacLean set off in a carbon fiber dinghy from Lima in Peru in April for the 14,500km journey, enduring violent storms and sickness during their 139 days at sea.
At one point, Ewan was swept overboard before being pulled back into the boat, while they battled exhaustion and feared running out of food.
Photo: AFP
“The fastest human-powered crossing of the full Pacific Ocean, non-stop and unsupported,” they said on social media after arriving in Cairns.
“After 139 days at sea, we are over the moon to be back on land with our friends and family,” they added.
The brothers, from Edinburgh, were given a bagpipe welcome in front of family and friends after the treacherous ordeal, which garnered support from celebrities including Mark Wahlberg and Ewan McGregor and Flea from the band Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Photo: AFP
“Things got tough towards the end, and we seriously thought we might run out of food,” middle brother Jamie said. “Despite how exhausted we were, we had to step up a gear and make it before supplies ran out, but now we get to eat proper food.”
A pizza was on the menu as his first meal.
While the mid-Pacific — from California to Hawaii — is well traveled, relatively few have attempted the full Pacific from South America to Australia. Lithuanian solo rower Aurimas Mockus had to abandon his crossing attempt this year due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
This has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I couldn’t have even contemplated it without my brothers,” Ewan said. “There have been countless setbacks to overcome, some leaving us lost, but we’ve always lifted each other up.”
“At times we’ve cried with sadness and with fear, but our spirits have been lifted, time and time again, by the support of so many rallying behind us,” he said.
Days before landing in Cairns, the brothers said they had to battle currents off the coast.
“We’re going to be rowing three up as we navigate through the Great Barrier Reef and away from shipping lanes, all while fighting against horrendous winds,” they posted on social media.
“None of this crossing has been easy, so this is a fitting end.”
The brothers were raising money for clean water projects in Madagascar, a campaign that has already generated more than US$1.64 million.
The money they raised would fund projects that provide clean water to 40,000 people living in Madagascar through the brothers’ charity — the Maclean Foundation.
The previous record for the fastest full, unassisted, nonstop Pacific row was 160 days, set by Russian solo rower Fyodor Konyukhov in 2014.
The Maclean brothers completed the journey in 139 days, five hours and 52 minutes.
The brothers have also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from sponsorships with whisky distilleries such as Rare Whisky 101 and Talisker, paying tribute to their father’s background as a whisky expert.
They broke three world records crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 2020, without ever having rowed professionally, making the journey from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in 35 days.
Additional reporting by The Guardian
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