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Rowing duo to set off on Pacific Ocean challenge

Hannah Lucas
BBC News
Seas the Day Two female rowers in their twenties on a grey rowing boat in a blue sea. It has blue branding on the right end and pink branding on the left. One of the women, Miriam Payne, is sitting down with oars in her hands. She is wearing an orange cap, sunglasses and white vest top. Jess Rowe is standing up, wearing sunglasses, blonde hair tied back and a white t-shirt. There are three small boats with white sails in the background. Seas the Day
Rowing duo Seas the Day will set off from Peru and arrive in Australia in about six months

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 Tuesday 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."

Ryan Sosna Bowd Miriam Payne with brown hair tied back and large orange sunglasses on is on a rowing boat, with an oar in each hand. She is wearing a white t-shirt, a grey watch and black shorts. She is looking at the camera smiling. Ryan Sosna Bowd
Miriam Payne rowed the Atlantic Ocean solo in 2022

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

The pair originally planned to set off on Friday, but have had to delay their departure, as some of the boat's systems need refining.

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.

Ryan Sosna Bowd Jess Rowe standing on a marina with boats in the background wearing a white t-shirt with Seas the Day branding on. She has blonde hair tied in a bun, round black sunglasses on and is smiling at the camera. Ryan Sosna Bowd
Jess Rowe has previously rowed the Atlantic Ocean as a member of a team of four women

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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