Edinburgh brothers ready for record-breaking adventure in honour of sister they never met
Three Edinburgh brothers aiming to become the fastest people to row across the Pacific Ocean are preparing to embark on their four-month, 9,000-mile adventure.
Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan Maclean, will depart from Lima in Peru at 9pm UK time on Saturday in their bid to row non-stop and unsupported to Sydney in Australia. The trio is expected to spend more than 120 days at sea in their custom-built carbon fibre ocean rowing boat, as they cover a distance equivalent to 343 marathons.
The boat, which they helped design and build, is named Rose Emily in honour of their sister, who was lost during pregnancy.
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Their mother Sheila, a watercolour artist, hand-painted the name onto the hull.
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Rowing in two-hour shifts around the clock, the brothers will put in an estimated four million oar strokes as they battle through extreme weather, sleep deprivation and complete isolation on the world's largest ocean. In 2020, they set three world records by rowing the Atlantic Ocean in just 35 days, becoming the first three brothers to row any ocean together, the youngest trio and the fastest trio to ever row the 3,000-mile journey from the Canary Islands to Antigua.
The Rare Whisky 101 Pacific Row aims to raise more than £1 million for The Maclean Foundation, a clean water charity the brothers launched with their father, Charles Maclean, following their 2020 record journey. The charity has funded boreholes helping more than 5,000 people in Madagascar but the brothers hope their latest voyage will boost its impact significantly.
Ewan, 33, a former Dyson design engineer, said the venture combined the brothers' love of the sea with the opportunity to raise money for a good cause.
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"The plan for this all started during our Atlantic row," he said.
"We realised how at peace we felt at sea - and also how truly lucky we are. We started thinking about how we could spend more time on the water and help more people - and this daft challenge was born.
The more we looked into rowing the full Pacific Ocean, the more we understood why so few attempt it. But if we want to raise a million pounds for a cause that means so much to us, we had to go for something pretty big.
"During our trips to Madagascar, we've seen what access to clean water can do - it helps kids get an education, helps communities thrive and saves lives. That's what drives us."
The brothers had been due to set off more than 10 days ago but were delayed by customs issues, with their boat held at port along with the 500kg of freeze-dried food - including 75kg of oats - that will fuel their world-record bid. Lachlan, 26, said: "We've been like coiled springs. We usually get on well but there's definitely been some tension this week - we've just been desperate to get going,".
"We're a bit weird in that we've realised we're probably happiest at sea. Life is simpler. There's peace on the water and there's a strange enjoyment in the physical toll.
"On land, there are too many competing priorities. I get more joy from a two-hour shift rowing than two hours of emails."
The trio worked with Dundee-based farm Arbuckles to freeze-dry a menu of high-calorie dishes made using Scottish ingredients, including Scotch beef chilli and Thai red curry, plus a special haggis, neeps and tatties dish for Lachlan's 27th birthday in June. The brothers will also bring bagpipes, a small guitar and a miniature accordion with them on the voyage to make music when they are resting from rowing.
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Jamie, 31, a trained architect who now builds saunas, said the journey would "honour" the sister they never met.
"We never got to meet our sister, but she's always been part of our family. We wanted to honour that. Our mum hand-painted her name on the back of the boat - so she'll be with us every mile.
"In the quiet moments - and there will be plenty, assuming Ewan and I can find somewhere to hide Lachlan's accordion - we'll know she's right there. We know this will be hard for mum and dad, having all three of us at sea, but they've been incredibly supportive.
"They've worked just as hard as we have to prepare, and we can't wait to see them when we row into Sydney Harbour."
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