After 165 days alone at sea, British ocean rowers Jess Rowe and Miriam Payne have completed a record-setting, non-stop and unsupported crossing of the Pacific Ocean, bringing a staggering 8,213-nautical-mile journey to a triumphant and dramatic close.

The duo made landfall in Cairns, Australia at 18:42 local time on Saturday, arriving aboard their 9-metre rowing vessel Velocity to emotional scenes at the Cairns Yacht Club.

Their ocean odyssey began in Lima, Peru on May 5 this year, following a failed first attempt in April due to rudder malfunction. Their success now makes the pair – together forming the Seas the Day Ocean Rowing Team – the first female team in history to row mainland-to-mainland across the Pacific non-stop and unsupported.

Jess (aged 28) and Miriam (aged 26) now take their place in elite ocean rowing company, becoming the first pair, the first women’s team, and the youngest team ever to achieve this trans=Pacific route under such conditions.

As the Cairns shoreline broke over the horizon, flares and cheers erupted from a waiting crowd of family, friends, and an online community that has followed their expedition in real time. On the dock, tears and embraces marked a moment of human triumph – one shaped by resilience, discipline, and the ocean’s uncompromising challenges.

“We still can’t quite believe it’s real,” said Rowe, moments after stepping onto dry land for the first time in nearly half a year. “After so many days at sea, to finally see land, and the welcome we’ve had here in Cairns, is beyond words.”

The final hours, she added, were the hardest. Strong winds threatened to push Velocity off-course. “We ended up outside the channel and thought we might have to swim to shore. But somehow, we made it.”

Payne reflected on the scale of their survival. “We only made it to day six before things started to go wrong – power failure, water-maker pipes bursting. At one point, we were limping along with barely any power, rationing everything.”

Despite nine repairs to their water-making system and near-total electronics failure for much of the journey, the duo pressed on, rowing in gruelling two-hour shifts day and night.

“It was tough,” Payne said, “but having Jess as a teammate made all the difference. We worked hard, problem-solved together, and we never lost sight of why we were doing this.”

Alongside setting world records, the Seas the Day team used the endeavour to raise vital funds for the UK charity, the Outward Bound Trust, an organisation established to help young people build confidence and life skills through outdoor adventure.

Their fundraising efforts raised more than £86,000 (AUD $179,000 / USD $116,000) by landfall – well above their original targets.

Averaging up to 16 hours of rowing per day – sometimes covering over 80 nautical miles in 24 hours – the team battled tropical heat, salt sores, chronic sleep deprivation, and punishing headwinds.

The crossing was further complicated by what the team called “ghost ship” mode – a battery fault that forced them to shut down most electronics, including the AIS beacon and chart plotter, for significant stretches of the voyage. At times, they were invisible to nearby ships, relying on sheer seamanship to navigate and stay safe.

An ocean odyssey powered solely by human effort, the achievement not only places Rowe and Payne in the pantheon of ocean adventurers but also offers a profound reminder of what focused endurance, female leadership, and purpose-driven exploration can accomplish.

As the sun set over Cairns on Saturday evening, the pair celebrated with what they’d longed for most: “Hot pizza, a cold beer, and a real shower,” Rowe laughed. As for what comes next, following a well-earned rest and some time exploring Far North Queensland, the beginnings of a new adventure are already on the horizon.

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