Maclean Brothers Set Record for Non-Stop and Unsupported Row Across the Pacific Ocean

Jamie, Ewan, and Lachlan Maclean have set a new record for rowing non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific Ocean. The three brothers from Edinburgh set off in April 2025 on their 9,000-mile journey, from Lima, Peru, to Cairns, Australia, completing the crossing in 139 days.

The Macleans are the first team to row the full Pacific from South America to Australia. The previous record for the fastest full, unassisted, non-stop Pacific row was 162 days, set by Russian solo rower Fyodor Konyukhov in 2014.

Their expedition, called the Rare Whisky 101 Pacific Row, is raising funds for The Maclean Foundation, a charity established with their father, whisky writer Charles Maclean MBE. According to their webpage, they have raised more than £843,000 so far of a £1m target for clean water projects in Madagascar.

The BBC reports that the row had been going relatively smoothly until about half way across the ocean when the conditions became more challenging. During one 36-hour storm in July, Lachlan was washed overboard. The 27-year-old said he was lucky to be attached to the boat by a safety line during 40mph (64km/h) winds and 6m (20ft) waves. He was dragged along behind the craft before Ewan, 33, was able to help him to scramble back on board.

The brothers, who completed a record-breaking row across the Atlantic in 2020, tried to get at least five or six hours of sleep in blocks of up to three hours around long shifts at the oars. Sharing a chocolate bar, or making each other a coffee, helped to raise their spirits.

Lachlan said: “Our super power is being brothers. You can be totally frank with each other and we obviously have so much shared history, and that maybe means you are less likely to fall out.”