The three Scottish brothers made history by completing the fastest unsupported non-stop row in the Pacific Ocean, the world’s largest ocean, in 139 days.
Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan McLean roamed 9,000 miles from Peru to Australia, becoming the first team to successfully complete the opposite South America.
Survive with freshly raised fish and freeze-dried diets, they overcome marine nature, reduce food supply and reduce tropical storms.
On Saturday, the Edinburgh trio returned to the land after four and a half months of rowing in a self-built, Formula 1-inspired carbon-fibre boat.
In doing so, they outweighed the previous time record crossing set by the Russian Konikhov, who rowed a solo from Chile to Australia in 2014.
Arrived just before noon, the brothers played bagpipes and were greeted by friends and family, including their mother Sheila, and celebrated by waving flags of Scotland, Australia and British.
“We still have sea legs, so to be honest, we wobble everywhere, but it’s so nice to be on land,” Ewan told Australian public broadcaster ABC, describing the experience as “pretty overwhelming.”
A few hours ago, Ewan was uploading a video on Instagram and sending a message to the Marina.
“Do you have pizza and beer? Again, do you have pizza and beer? Over.”
Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan set out from the Peruvian capital, Lima, in mid-April, with their first goal of reaching Sydney by August 2nd.
However, they rerouteed to Cairns due to bad weather.
“The last few weeks were really tough,” Jamie told ABC. “When we thought we were going to arrive, our expectations are crushed, after a storm, we’re hit by a storm, just knocked back and thrown north.”
During the night shift, when Ewan managed to save him, it follows the terrifying man-overboard incident in Lachlan.
“The side-on-wave came out of nowhere. I was like a few seconds to respond, and it just hit me,” Lachlan told ABC. “I immediately took me. I hit the lifeline on the right board. I basically did a backwards flip under the water.”
Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan believe that their family ties are crucial in their mission.
Despite the extreme challenges, they were able to remain positive and often found moments of joy in the most harsh times.
“We can talk very directly to each other,” Jamie said before. “The key to this trip was good communication.”
Named Rose Emily in honor of her lost sister during her pregnancy, their boat is considered to be the fastest and lightest sea rowfish boat ever built, made from the legendary Mark Slats of the sea rowfish.
McClairn embarked on the sea crossing, pursuing both the world record and the goal of raising £1 million to fund Madagascar’s clean water project.
In 2020, they looked for ways to support charities fighting for clean drinking water around the world, and thought about the potential impacts of taking on a major physical challenge.
They made a bold decision to cross the Atlantic, reaching three world records in the process. They completed a 3,000-mile journey in just 35 days, becoming the first trio of their brothers, and the youngest and fastest trio to cross from the Canary Islands to Antigua.
After returning to dry land, they realized that their mission for clean water was not finished, and concluded that the best way to promote the cause was to go a step further and “take over the largest body of water on the planet.”
Their family-owned, nonprofit organization, the MacLean Foundation works to ensure clean water for the community by pairing with partner organizations in Madagascar to build boreholes.
The Pacific Challenge aims to raise awareness and funds for the construction of boreholes throughout the city of Ambohimanarina in Madagascar. The brothers’ aim is to provide clean water to more than 40,000 people.
“We want to have a positive impact on others, and that’s ultimately the purpose of this journey,” Ewan previously told CNN. “When I see donations coming, the message of support has really helped us through some pretty dark times.”
McLean’s mission has so far raised £850,859 ($1.15 million) of its latest Ocean Crossing target of £1 million ($1.35 million).
