Edinburgh brothers in world-record-breaking row bid backed by Hollywood star
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A trio of Edinburgh brothers attempting a world-record-breaking row across the Pacific Ocean have been backed by Hollywood star, Mark Wahlberg.
Ewan, Jamie, and Lachlan Maclean still have over 5,000 miles still to go to reach Sydney but received a welcome boost when they got a surprise call from The Perfect Storm star who hinted that their story could make it onto the big screen one day.
Wahlberg connected with the three brothers over faith, family, and resilience. He pledged to help raise awareness for their mission.
He said: "When I was preparing to do The Perfect Storm , I went out on a sword boat — in Ocean City, Maryland, a longliner, and we were actually fishing. We caught some pretty big tuna — 500, 600 pounder. I don't know how you guys are gonna wrestle that thing onto that boat, man. Oh my gosh.
'What you guys are doing is next level. You're living out a sense of purpose – combining passion with impact. That's rare, and it's humbling to watch. People need to hear about what you're doing.
'I couldn't be more inspired by the grit, the determination, the resiliency. What you guys are doing for such an amazing cause, and how hard you're willing to sacrifice yourself and your own wellbeing for the good of others, is so inspiring. For you guys to do this under your own free will – it's pretty crazy. Some would say we might need to give you a couple of psychological examinations.'
The actor, who has restaurants in Australia, even promised to have a good meal waiting for the brothers when they row into Sydney.
The Macleans expect to spend more than 100 days on board their 28-foot carbon fibre boat which they named Emily Rose in honour of their late sister. Rowing in two hour shifts, they're surviving on freeze-dried meals and desalinated water.
Ewan Maclean, who left his job as a Dyson engineer to help design and build the boat, said: 'It's been much harder than we expected but today we had dolphins surfing near the boat, and that lifted our spirits — and then we hear we get to speak to Mark Wahlberg, so spirits are absolutely through the roof.
'We are such big fans, and speaking to him is like a dream come true for us. It's so cool… but it's bloody surreal.'
Lachlan, who will turn 28 next week, is the youngest of the trio. He added: 'We're all operating in such little sleep that we thought it all could have been a hallucination.'
The brothers, who previously set three world records rowing the Atlantic in 2020, are rowing for The Maclean Foundation, their charity supporting clean water projects in Madagascar.
You can follow their journey and donate to their cause here.
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