After about 8,300 nautical miles Jess Rowe and Miriam Payne can’t wait to share their ‘tales of the high seas’ when they land in Cairns, Queensland
Rowe (L) and Payne approach the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea on 17 October, 2025. Photograph: Brian Cassey/AFP/Getty Images
Six months in a rowboat in the South Pacific Ocean might sound like a nightmare. But for British women Jess Rowe, 28, and Miriam Payne, 25, the blisters and salt sores are all just part of the adventure of a lifetime, as they row from South America to Australia in their nine-metre vessel, Velocity.
The aptly named Rowe and Payne are now approaching the finish line of what has been at times a torturous journey, with the pair expected to arrive in the city of Cairns in tropical far north Queensland at about midday local time on Saturday.
“Mother Nature has been utterly brutal at times but ultimately, she let us pass and we have loved our time living at sea,” Rowe and Payne tell the Guardian.
The pair pushed off from Lima, Peru, in May after an initial April attempt was cut short by rudder failure. Since their successful relaunch, they have rowed with calloused hands around the clock, averaging 50 nautical miles daily. By the end of their trip they will have rowed an estimated 8,300 nautical miles (15,300 km) while raising money for the Outward Bound Trust….
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After the truth-shower 