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On Saturday, Jamie, Ewan, and Lachlan Maclean completed their incredible journey from South America to Australia, taking 139 days to traverse an astounding 14,000 kilometres (9000 miles) without stopping.
This impressive feat earned them a world record, making them the first team to achieve the full crossing and setting the fastest unsupported Pacific Ocean row.
Hailing from Edinburgh, the brothers braved seasickness, injuries, and tumultuous storms, including one fierce storm that swept Lachlan overboard. Despite these hardships, they managed to raise over €808,000 (700,000 pounds, $945,690) towards a €1.15million (1million pounds, $1.3 million) goal for clean water projects.
As the trio arrived at Cairns Marlin Marina, they were greeted with enthusiastic cheers from more than 50 family members, supporters, and fans, including their mother, Sheila. The brothers proudly played the bagpipes and waved the flags of Scotland, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
In the hours leading up to their arrival, Ewan, the eldest brother, sent a video message to the marina, playfully inquiring if they had pizza and beer waiting for him. At 33 years old, Ewan admitted that this journey was the most challenging thing he had ever done, and he wouldn’t have considered it without his siblings.
“We’ve shed tears of joy and laughed till our cheeks hurt,” he enthusiastically shared.
Jamie, the middle brother at 31 years old, revealed that at certain points during their journey, their situation seemed dire.
“We genuinely thought we might run out of food,” he admitted.
According to the Macleans, this experience profoundly transformed their outlook on life. Through their charity, the Maclean Foundation, they aim to continue raising funds for initiatives that will provide clean water to 40,000 people in Madagascar.
The previous record for the fastest full, unassisted, nonstop Pacific row stood at 160 days, set by Russian solo rower Fyodor Konyukhov in 2014.
