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One more day. One more day up and down the unforgiving ocean. One more day of blistered hands holding onto unyielding oars.

However following over 15,000 kilometers at sea – an epic five-and-a-half-month journey across the Pacific that included intimate meetings with marine giants, failing beacons and chocolate shortages – the waters delivered a last obstacle.

Strong 20-knot breezes near Cairns kept pushing their small vessel, their boat Velocity, away from solid ground that was now painfully near.

Supporters anticipated on shore as a scheduled lunchtime finish evolved into afternoon, subsequently 4pm, then dusk. Ultimately, at 6:42 PM, they came alongside Cairns Yacht Club.

"Those final few hours were brutal," Rowe said, at last on firm earth.

"Gusts were driving us from the passage, and we honestly thought we weren't going to make it. We drifted outside the navigational path and considered swimming the remaining distance. To finally be here, following years of planning, just feels incredible."

The Epic Journey Begins

The English women – aged 28 and 25 respectively – pushed off from Lima, Peru in early May (a first try in April was stopped by equipment malfunction).

During 165 ocean days, they covered approximately 50 sea miles each day, working as a team through daytime hours, one rowing alone at night while her teammate dozed just a few hours in a tight compartment.

Perseverance and Difficulties

Sustained by 400 kilograms of dehydrated meals, a water desalinator and an onboard growing unit for micro-greens, the women counted on an unpredictable photovoltaic arrangement for a fraction of the power they've needed.

During most of their voyage across the vast Pacific, they've had no navigation equipment or location transmitters, turning them into a "ghost ship", nearly undetectable to passing ships.

The pair have borne 9-metre waves, navigated shipping lanes and weathered furious gales that, at times, shut down every electronic device.

Record-Breaking Achievement

Still they maintained progress, stroke by relentless stroke, through scorching daylight hours, below stellar evening heavens.

They have set a new record as the first all-female pair to paddle over the South Pacific, continuously and independently.

Furthermore they gathered in excess of £86k (A$179,000) supporting Outward Bound.

Existence Onboard

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

On "day 140-something", they declared a "cocoa crisis" – down to their last two bars with still more than 1,600km to go – but allowed themselves the indulgence of opening one bar to honor England's rugby team winning the Rugby World Cup.

Personal Reflections

Payne, from a landlocked part of Yorkshire, had not been at sea prior to her independent Atlantic journey in 2022 achieving record pace.

She now has a second ocean conquered. However there were instances, she conceded, when failure seemed possible. As early as day six, a way across the world's largest ocean felt impossible.

"Our energy was failing, the desalination tubes ruptured, however following multiple fixes, we achieved an alternative solution and barely maintained progress with little power throughout the remaining journey. Every time something went wrong, we merely made eye contact and went, 'naturally it happened!' Yet we continued forward."

"It was really great to have Jess as a teammate. The remarkable aspect was our collaborative effort, we problem-solved together, and we were always working towards the same goals," she stated.

Rowe originates from Hampshire. Prior to her Pacific success, she paddled the Atlantic, walked the southwestern English coastline, scaled the Kenyan peak and biked through Spain. Additional challenges probably remain.

"Our collaboration proved incredibly rewarding, and we're enthusiastically preparing additional journeys together as well. No other partner would have sufficed."