Scottish Brothers Smash Pacific Ocean Rowing Record, Raise Over £700,000 for Clean Water Projects
Three intrepid Scottish brothers, Jamie, Ewan, and Lachlan Maclean, shattered the world record for the fastest unsupported ocean rowing voyage across the Pacific on Saturday. Their incredible journey spanned 139 days as they traversed approximately 9,000 miles from Peru to Cairns, Australia – marking them as the first team ever to successfully complete a full crossing from South America to Australia by rowboat.
Their arduous expedition brought them face-to-face with storms, bouts of seasickness, injuries, and even treacherous weather that once sent Lachlan overboard. Yet, despite these challenges, the trio from Edinburgh persisted and surpassed their fundraising target of £1 million ($1,350,450) for clean water projects.
Upon their triumphant arrival at Cairns Marlin Marina, the Maclean brothers were greeted by over 50 family members, supporters, and well-wishers, including their mother Sheila. As they rowed ashore, they played bagpipes and waved the Scottish, Australian, and United Kingdom flags with pride.
In the hours leading up to their arrival, Ewan, the eldest brother, sent a humorous message via radio to the marina: “Do you have pizza and beer? I repeat, do you have pizza and beer? Over.” The 33-year-old acknowledged that the journey had been the most challenging experience of his life but one he could never have undertaken without his brothers by his side.
Jamie, the middle brother, shared that towards the end of their odyssey, things began to look grim. “We seriously thought we might run out of food,” he admitted. However, their indomitable spirit and unwavering determination proved instrumental in their success.
The Maclean brothers now plan to continue fundraising efforts, with a goal of supplying clean water to 40,000 people residing in Madagascar through their charity, the Maclean Foundation. The previous record for the fastest full, unassisted, nonstop Pacific row was held by Russian solo rower Fyodor Konyukhov, who completed the feat in 160 days back in 2014.