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One last sunrise to sunset. One more session navigating the pitiless slide. One more day of blistered hands gripping unforgiving oars.

Yet after traversing 8,000+ sea miles across the ocean – a monumental half-year voyage across the Pacific that included intimate meetings with marine giants, failing beacons and cocoa supply emergencies – the sea had one more challenge.

Powerful 20-knot gusts near Cairns continuously drove their tiny rowboat, their boat Velocity, away from solid ground that was now painfully near.

Friends and family waited ashore as a scheduled lunchtime finish became 2pm, followed by 4pm, then dusk. Ultimately, at 6:42 PM, they arrived at Cairns Yacht Club.

"Those final few hours were brutal," Rowe expressed, finally standing on land.

"The wind was pushing us off the channel, and we truly doubted we would succeed. We found ourselves beyond the marked route and contemplated a final swim to land. To finally be here, following years of planning, proves truly extraordinary."

The Extraordinary Expedition Starts

The English women – Rowe is 28 and Payne 25 – set out from Peruvian shores on May fifth (an earlier April effort was halted by steering issues).

During 165 ocean days, they covered approximately 50 sea miles each day, paddling together in daylight, single rower overnight while her teammate dozed a bare handful of hours in a tight compartment.

Perseverance and Difficulties

Nourished by 400kg of preserved provisions, a saltwater conversion device and an integrated greens production unit, the pair have relied on an inconsistent solar power setup for limited energy demands.

For much of their journey across the vast Pacific, they lacked directional instruments or signaling devices, turning them into a "ghost ship", almost invisible to other vessels.

The duo faced nine-meter waves, crossed commercial routes and endured raging storms that, periodically, shut down every electronic device.

Groundbreaking Success

Still they maintained progress, one stroke after another, during intensely warm periods, under star-filled night skies.

They established a fresh milestone as the initial female duo to paddle over the South Pacific, non-stop and unsupported.

And they have raised more than £86,000 (179,000 Australian dollars) supporting Outward Bound.

Daily Reality at Sea

The pair did their best to keep in contact with the world outside their tiny vessel.

Around day one-forty, they reported a "chocolate emergency" – diminished to merely two remaining pieces with another 1,600 kilometers ahead – but granted themselves the pleasure of opening one bar to honor England's rugby team triumph in global rugby competition.

Personal Reflections

Payne, from a landlocked part of Yorkshire, lacked ocean experience prior to her independent Atlantic journey in 2022 achieving record pace.

She now has a second ocean conquered. But there were moments, she acknowledged, when they doubted their success. Starting within the first week, a route across the globe's vastest waters appeared insurmountable.

"Our power was dropping, the water-maker pipes burst, yet after numerous mends, we accomplished a workaround and barely maintained progress with little power during the final expedition phase. Every time something went wrong, we simply exchanged glances and went, 'of course it has!' Still we persevered."

"Having Jess as a partner proved invaluable. The remarkable aspect was our collaborative effort, we resolved issues as a team, and we perpetually pursued common aims," she stated.

Rowe hails from Hampshire. Before her Pacific triumph, she rowed the Atlantic, hiked England's South West Coast Path, scaled the Kenyan peak and pedaled across Spanish terrain. Additional challenges probably remain.

"We shared such wonderful experiences, and we're enthusiastically preparing additional journeys as a team again. No other partner would have sufficed."