My Adventure: by Jamie Maclean
In 2025, my two brothers and I pushed off from Lima, Peru, and pointed a small ocean rowing boat west. One hundred and thirty-nine days later we rowed into Cairns, Australia, having crossed roughly 9,750 miles of open ocean without stopping and without any outside support. It ended up being the fastest known time for a non-stop, unsupported crossing of the entire Pacific Ocean.
Our lives at sea were relatively simple: row, eat, hydrate, attempt to sleep and then you row again. There was always someone on the oars in an attempt to keep forward momentum. There were stretches of glassy calm where the boat barely seemed to move, and storms that threw us around for days at a time. We had whales surface beside us, more flying fish than we could count, near misses with Pacific islands, and the dodging of multiple cyclones.
People assume the hardest part is physical, which admittedly is relentless and never ending. But we prepared well and our bodies adapted faster than you’d think. The hard part is the monotony, the never ending psychological purgatory and the close quarters – three brothers in a space that’s about the same as an oversized dining table. And there isn’t the ability to just “go for a walk to clear your head.”
What carried us through wasn’t the record. It was the reason we were out there. Every mile was raising money for The Maclean Foundation, our charity funding clean water projects in Madagascar. The row took us past a million pounds raised – enough to change the daily lives of thousands of people who, until then, were walking hours each day for water that could make them ill. On the hardest nights, that was the thought we held onto.
This was our second ocean row. A few years earlier, we’d rowed the Atlantic, which had changed all of our trajectories in life and shown us what was possible when we worked together on a shared goal. The full story –childhood memories, the doubts, the near-misses, the moments that nearly broke us, and the unforgetabble intercations with mother nature – is in our book, “Three Brothers in a Boat”, which is being published on the 24th September 2026. It is available for preorder now.
Advice to Others:
If you’re sitting on a big idea of your own, here’s what the ocean taught us.
Start before you feel ready. We were complete novices when we began. You’ll never feel fully prepared for something this size, so the readiness has to come from doing, not from waiting. As our mentor Chloë Lanthier puts it: “Motivation is an action, not a feeling.”
Shrink it down. Nine thousand miles is paralysing. The next two-hour shift is not. Whatever your version of the Pacific is, break it into pieces small enough that the next one always feels possible. You’ll begin to build momentum and also belief.
Choose your people carefully. We had the enormous advantage not only trusting each other completely, but our whole shore team (who were critical in our charitable fundraising). Whether it’s family or friends, surround yourself with people who’ll still be pulling on the oars when you’ve got nothing left to give.
Expect the lows, and let them pass. The bad days felt permanent in the moment and were always gone by morning. Knowing that in advance makes them far easier to sit with. Focus on the positives and cherish them when they come. A positive outlook on life can help you get through nearly anything (and when in doubt, use snacks!).
Find a reason bigger than yourself. The record was nice. But the water projects in Madagascar was the thing that actually got us out of the cabin at three in the morning. Purpose will outlast all other motives. There’s a common misconception that we have to sacrifice to give to others. We discovered that it is the opposite. We gained so much from doing something challenging that excited us and that we wanted to do, but at the same time it had a positive impact on other peoples lives. We’ve continued to learn that it is possible to help yourself by helping others.
