Rowing duo to set off on Pacific Ocean challenge

Two women are preparing to set off on a non-stop row across the world’s biggest ocean.

Miriam Payne, 24, from Market Weighton in East Yorkshire, and Jess Rowe, 27, from Hampshire, plan to set off from Peru on Friday on an 8,000 mile (12,875km) voyage across the Pacific Ocean.

The team, named Seas the Day, aim to arrive in Australia in six months.

Miss Payne rowed the Atlantic Ocean alone in 2022 and set a record time in the solo female category of the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.

The challenge is nearly three times as long as the Atlantic row, Miss Payne said.

“The idea of it being the world’s largest ocean was a bit too enticing”.

The pair met in Antigua, at the finish line of the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge, in February 2023. Miss Rowe completed the challenge in a team of four.

“I’m not solo this time,” Miss Payne, an astrophysics graduate, said. “I’ve got company, which will be nice to have someone to share the highs and lows with.”

Miss Rowe said: “We both decided we love it [rowing] and wanted to do something even bigger together.”

The pair said weather conditions could impact whether they set off on Friday, as planned.

If they cannot depart then, they will set off at the beginning of next week.

Miss Payne said it would be “up to mother nature to decide” whether they reach the east coast of Australia within six months.

A number of other challenges will face the team along the way, including sleep deprivation, storms and shipping lanes.

“We’ve done a load of preparation,” Miss Rowe said. “First aid, electronics, hydraulics, we’ve got to know how to repair anything on our boat.”

The team will not sleep for more than two hours at a time, as they will work on a shift pattern.

Seas the Day are taking on the challenge to raise money for The Outward Bound Trust, a UK charity that aims to teach children important life skills for adventure.

“We are just so excited to get out there now,” Miss Payne said.

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