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One last sunrise to sunset. Another day battling through the unforgiving ocean. One more day of blistered hands holding onto unyielding oars.

Yet after traversing 8,000+ sea miles on the water – an epic five-and-a-half-month journey through Pacific waters that included intimate meetings with marine giants, failing beacons and chocolate shortages – the sea had one more challenge.

Strong 20-knot breezes approaching Cairns repeatedly forced their compact craft, the Velocity, away from solid ground that was now painfully near.

Friends and family waited ashore as a planned midday arrival evolved into afternoon, followed by 4pm, then twilight hours. Ultimately, at 6:42 PM, they came alongside Cairns Yacht Club.

"Those final few hours were brutal," Rowe expressed, eventually on solid ground.

"The wind was pushing us off the channel, and we genuinely believed we might fail. We drifted outside the navigational path and considered swimming the remaining distance. To finally be here, after extensive preparation, just feels incredible."

The Monumental Voyage Commences

The English women – 28-year-old Rowe and 25-year-old Payne – departed from Lima, Peru on May fifth (an initial attempt in April was stopped by equipment malfunction).

Across nearly half a year on water, they averaged 50 nautical miles a day, working as a team through daytime hours, individual night shifts while her teammate dozed minimal sleep in a cramped cabin.

Survival and Challenges

Nourished by 400kg of preserved provisions, a water desalinator and a vessel-based sprout cultivation system, the women counted on an unpredictable photovoltaic arrangement for limited energy demands.

During most of their voyage across the vast Pacific, they lacked directional instruments or beacon, making them essentially invisible, almost invisible to other vessels.

The women endured 30-foot swells, navigated shipping lanes 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, beneath celestial nightscapes.

They have set a new record as the first all-female pair to paddle over the South Pacific, without breaks or external assistance.

And they have raised in excess of £86k (179,000 Australian dollars) benefiting the outdoor education charity.

Existence Onboard

The pair did their best to keep in contact with the world away from their compact craft.

Around day one-forty, they announced a "sweet treat shortage" – down to their last two bars with another 1,600 kilometers ahead – but granted themselves the pleasure of opening one bar to mark the English squad's winning the Rugby World Cup.

Individual Perspectives

Payne, originating from Yorkshire's non-coastal region, had not been at sea prior to her independent Atlantic journey in 2022 achieving record pace.

Another ocean now falls to her accomplishments. However there were instances, she conceded, when they doubted their success. As early as day six, a way across the world's largest ocean seemed unachievable.

"Our electrical systems were diminishing, the water-maker pipes burst, however following multiple fixes, we managed a bypass and barely maintained progress with minimal electricity throughout the remaining journey. Each time problems occurred, we merely made eye contact and went, 'of course it has!' But we kept going."

"Having Jess as a partner proved invaluable. The remarkable aspect was our collaborative effort, we addressed challenges collectively, and we were always working towards the same goals," she remarked.

Rowe originates from Hampshire. Preceding her ocean conquest, she paddled the Atlantic, hiked England's South West Coast Path, scaled the Kenyan peak and biked through Spain. Further adventures likely await.

"We had such a good time together, and we're eagerly anticipating future expeditions as a team again. I wouldn't have done it with anybody else."