Scots trio in record bid closer to space station than land

Brothers are attempting to row the Pacific

- By Richard Elias

ATRIO of Scottish brothers attempting a world record-breaking challenge across the Pacific Ocean are currently closer to astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) than to anyone on land.

Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan Maclean are 40 days, and around 2,700 nautical miles, into their 9,000-mile journey after setting off from the Peruvian capital Lima on an unsupported journey to Sydney, Australia.

The Edinburgh-born siblings are hoping to become the fastest team to row the Pacific and raise £1million for The Maclean Foundation, providing clean water projects in Madagascar.

While the ISS orbits approximately 250 miles above sea level, the brothers are still some 1,150 nautical miles away from the nearest inhabited land mass, the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia.

Beneath their boat, the Pacific Ocean plunges to nearly four miles straight down, which is deeper than Ben Nevis stacked five times over.

Despite the deep blue below, they regularly close their minds to the thought of sharks and dive in to clean the boat’s hull - giving them a fighting chance at the world record they hope to claim.

To stave off the loneliness and