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One last sunrise to sunset. Another day battling through the unforgiving ocean. One more day of blistered hands clutching relentless paddles.

However following over 15,000 kilometers on the water – a monumental half-year voyage through Pacific waters that included intimate meetings with marine giants, defective signaling devices and cocoa supply emergencies – the sea had one more challenge.

Strong 20-knot breezes off Cairns repeatedly forced their tiny rowboat, their boat Velocity, away from solid ground that was now painfully near.

Friends and family waited ashore as an expected noon touchdown became 2pm, followed by 4pm, then early evening. At last, at eighteen forty-two, they came alongside the Cairns sailing club.

"Those last hours tested every fiber," Rowe stated, finally standing on land.

"Breezes were forcing us off course, and we honestly thought we weren't going to make it. We found ourselves beyond the marked route and thought we might have to swim to shore. To at last reach our destination, after extensive preparation, just feels incredible."

The Epic Journey Begins

The UK duo – 28-year-old Rowe and 25-year-old Payne – pushed off from Lima, Peru on May fifth (an earlier April effort was halted by steering issues).

Over 165 days at sea, they averaged 50 nautical miles a day, rowing in tandem during the day, one rowing alone at night while her teammate dozed a bare handful of hours in a confined sleeping area.

Survival and Challenges

Kept alive with 400kg of mostly freeze-dried food, a seawater purification system and an integrated greens production unit, the pair have relied on an inconsistent solar power setup for limited energy demands.

During most of their voyage through the expansive ocean, they lacked directional instruments or location transmitters, turning them into a "ghost ship", hardly noticeable to maritime traffic.

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

Groundbreaking Success

Still they maintained progress, each pull following the last, across blazing hot days, under star-filled night skies.

They established a fresh milestone as the pioneering women's team to cross the southern Pacific by rowing, non-stop and unsupported.

And they have raised in excess of £86k (Australian $179,000) supporting Outward Bound.

Daily Reality at Sea

The pair did their best to stay connected with society outside their tiny vessel.

Around day one-forty, they reported a "chocolate emergency" – reduced to their final two portions with another 1,600 kilometers ahead – but allowed themselves the indulgence of opening one bar to mark the English squad's triumph in global rugby competition.

Individual Perspectives

Payne, from a landlocked part of Yorkshire, was unacquainted with maritime life prior to her independent Atlantic journey in 2022 achieving record pace.

She has now mastered another ocean. Yet there were periods, she acknowledged, when they doubted their success. Starting within the first week, a way across the world's largest ocean seemed unachievable.

"Our energy was failing, the desalination tubes ruptured, but after nine repairs, we accomplished a workaround and barely maintained progress with minimal electricity for the rest of the crossing. Each time problems occurred, we just looked at each other and went, 'typically it occurred!' Yet we continued forward."

"Having Jess as a partner proved invaluable. Our mutual dedication stood out, we resolved issues as a team, and we were always working towards the same goals," she said.

Rowe originates from Hampshire. Preceding her ocean conquest, she rowed the Atlantic, hiked England's South West Coast Path, climbed Mount Kenya and biked through Spain. Additional challenges probably remain.

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