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A final 24-hour stretch. One more session navigating the unforgiving ocean. Another round of raw palms clutching relentless paddles.

But after more than 8,000 nautical miles on the water – an extraordinary 165-day expedition through Pacific waters that included close encounters with whales, malfunctioning navigation equipment and chocolate shortages – the ocean presented a final test.

Powerful 20-knot gusts off Cairns continuously drove their tiny rowboat, their boat Velocity, off course from land that was now painfully near.

Friends and family waited ashore as an expected noon touchdown shifted to 2pm, followed by 4pm, then early evening. Finally, at 6.42pm, they came alongside the Cairns marina.

"Those final few hours were brutal," Rowe expressed, finally standing on land.

"Breezes were forcing us off course, and we honestly thought we weren't going to make it. We ended up outside the channel and thought we might have to swim to shore. To at last reach our destination, after extensive preparation, seems absolutely amazing."

The Extraordinary Expedition Starts

The UK duo – 28-year-old Rowe and 25-year-old Payne – pushed off from Lima, Peru in early May (an earlier April effort was stopped by equipment malfunction).

Across nearly half a year on water, they covered approximately 50 sea miles each day, working as a team through daytime hours, individual night shifts while her teammate dozed a bare handful of hours in a confined sleeping area.

Survival and Challenges

Nourished by 400kg of preserved provisions, a saltwater conversion device and an onboard growing unit for micro-greens, the duo depended upon a less-than-reliable solar system for a fraction of the power they've needed.

Throughout the majority of their expedition through the expansive ocean, they've had no navigation equipment or signaling devices, making them essentially invisible, nearly undetectable to passing ships.

The pair have borne 9-metre waves, traversed marine highways and endured raging storms that, periodically, shut down every electronic device.

Historic Accomplishment

Still they maintained progress, one stroke after another, across blazing hot days, below stellar evening heavens.

They established a fresh milestone as the first all-female pair to cross the southern Pacific by rowing, non-stop and unsupported.

Furthermore they gathered more than £86,000 (A$179,000) for the Outward Bound Trust.

Existence Onboard

The pair did their best to maintain communication with civilization away from their compact craft.

On "day 140-something", they announced a "sweet treat shortage" – down to their last two bars with still more than 1,600km to go – but allowed themselves the indulgence of breaking one open to mark the English squad's triumph in global rugby competition.

Personal Insights

Payne, hailing from inland Yorkshire, lacked ocean experience before her solo Atlantic crossing during 2022 establishing a record.

She now has a second ocean conquered. Yet there were periods, she acknowledged, when failure seemed possible. As early as day six, a path over the planet's biggest sea felt impossible.

"Our power was dropping, the water-maker pipes burst, however following multiple fixes, we achieved an alternative solution and barely maintained progress with reduced energy during the final expedition phase. Whenever issues arose, we just looked at each other and went, 'typically it occurred!' Yet we continued forward."

"Having Jess as a partner proved invaluable. What was great was that we worked hard together, we resolved issues as a team, and we consistently shared identical objectives," she stated.

Rowe hails from Hampshire. Before her Pacific triumph, she crossed the Atlantic by rowing, hiked England's South West Coast Path, climbed Mount Kenya and cycled across Spain. There might still be more.

"We shared such wonderful experiences, and we're eagerly anticipating future expeditions together as well. I wouldn't have done it with anybody else."