'An unbelievable accomplishment'

DUO SUCCEED IN ROWING ACROSS PACIFIC OCEAN

- By DEBORAH HALL

AN adventurous duo who challenged themselves to row across the Pacific Ocean have succeeded, at the same time reportedly creating a new world record.

Miriam Payne, 26, of Market Weighton, East Yorkshire, and Jess Rowe, 28, from Hampshire, encountered a broken rudder, equipment failure, salt sores and plenty of close calls in the 7,730-nautical mile journey.

The rowers, calling themselves the Seas the Day team, stepped back on dry land in Cairns, Australia, on Saturday.

They had set out from Lima, in Peru, on May 5 the voyage had begun in April but just days in, their rudder broke in rough seas and forced them back to shore for repairs.

A post on social media from Ocean Rowing Stats said: “New World Record. Congratulations to Seas the Day (Miriam Payne & Jess Rowe) who set out from Lima, Peru on 5 May 2025 and successfully rowed the 7730 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean, arriving in Cairns, Australia on 18 October 2025 with a time of 165 Days, 12 Hours and 33 Minutes to become the fastest pair to row the Pacific Ocean.”