Edinburgh brothers in world-record-breaking row bid backed by Hollywood star
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Leonardo DiCaprio has a desire to be ‘more honest' since turning 50
Leonardo DiCaprio reflected on turning 50, stating he feels a desire to be more honest and not waste time. He explained that as he ages, he feels a responsibility to be more upfront in all relationships, personal and professional. DiCaprio expressed regret over declining the role of Dirk Diggler in Paul Thomas Anderson 's 1997 film Boogie Nights. He called Boogie Nights a 'masterpiece' and acknowledged Mark Wahlberg 's performance in the role he turned down. DiCaprio is set to star in Anderson's new film, One Battle after Another, which will be released in US cinemas on September 26. Leonardo DiCaprio reveals how his mindset has changed after turning 50
Daily Mirror
07-08-2025
- Daily Mirror
Maya Jama's £27 anti-frizz treatment kept her hair sleek and shiny for the Love Island finale
Maya Jama's hair stylist has shared exactly how to recreate her sleek and glossy Love Island finale hair, including the £27 treatment that stopped frizzing in the humidity Monday night's Love Island finale may have finally revealed who would be crowned this season's winner, but we still have some burning questions of our own. Namely, how did Maya Jama get her hair to stay so smooth and shiny in the Spanish heat? With plenty of us jetting off on holiday this summer, we've all had our hair fall foul of the humidity, with the high temperatures and damp air leaving our hair frizzy, dry and dull looking. However Maya's hair has never looked glossier, so we turned to her hair stylist Jay Birmingham for answers. Jay said: "For Maya's Love Island finale hair, we wanted to create a dreamy, effortless look.' To make sure her hair stayed sleek and frizz-free throughout the finale, one of the first things he applied to Maya's hair was the Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray (£27). Jay shared that he applied it in sections before blow-drying Maya's hair with the Dyson supersonic hairdryer, which helps to activate the treatment and creates that mirror-like shine that the Love Island host's hair is famous for. The Color Wow spray also makes your hair waterproof, wards off humidity, protects from heat damage and seals in moisture, making it a saviour to bring in your suitcase. Once her hair was dried, Jay used a GHD styling iron to enhance the curl definition, with particular focus on the ends. The curls were then brushed out to turn them into softer and looser waves, rather than rigid curls, to give it a more fluid look without too much texture. The shine was why we were all so fixated on Maya's hair, and to double up on the gloss factor Jay also added the Split Seal Serum from his own haircare brand, Jay B Haircare. This smoothed the hair and gave it that extra glossy finish. Finally, to make sure there wasn't a strand out of place during the finale's drama, Jay used Living Proof's Style Lab Flex Hair Spray to seal everything in place. He added that the hairspray is 'one of my go-tos for creating effortless, flowing styles. It holds without stiffness and keeps the hair touchable and brushable throughout the night." And there you have it – one ultra-glossy, mirror-like shiny 'do that Maya herself would be proud of. Now just don't forget to pack them in your suitcase.
Times
04-08-2025
- Times
I tried James Dyson's new hair oil. Is it as good as his hairdryer?
He's the British megabrain whose £300 vacuum cleaner-inspired hairdryer put lesser rivals to shame but can James Dyson convince us to switch up the products we use to nourish our locks? The inventor has dabbled with hair products before, in the form of his Chitosan styling cream, but his latest innovation is perhaps the buzziest beauty launch of the year so far. • Read more beauty product reviews and advice from our experts Dyson Omega hair oil is a blend of seven omega-rich oils, one of which is sourced from sunflowers grown on his Lancashire farm. Provenance has long been a buzzword in the food world; Dyson appears to be banking on it catching on in — and disrupting — the beauty aisles. It will cost £45.99 for what looks like a 30ml glass perfume bottle and is part of a new range that includes a £59.99 leave-in conditioning spray. They won't be launched until August 27 but I managed to secure both products before their global unveiling and I'm putting each to the test. First I spritz the leave-in spray on after a shampoo and a quick towel-dry. It's lightweight and silky. I find that the knots come away easily when I then run my hairbrush through it: big tick. There's no sticky residue and, even damp, my hair feels soft and workable. It smells nice but not remarkable. That's no bad thing — there's no hair health science behind a nice scent. I'd happily leave it there on a normal day — air-dried hair is a bit cooler than full blow-outs at the mo — but I'm keen to see how the spray reacts with heat. With my usual finger zhuzhing, paddle brush and hairdryer handiwork, it dries straight, smooth and with a nice bit of volume. In short, it does its job. • Summer's richest pickings in the M&S cyber-fallout sale Next, the hair oil. It can be used on damp hair but I'm more interested in what it adds post-styling. I work 3-4 drops through my hair, paying particular attention to the ends and more frizz-prone undergrowth. Again, it's effective: my hair looks shiny and smooth, and isn't weighed down. There are no flyaways. My husband pays it a compliment as we pass in the kitchen. However, I'm not entirely convinced it's transformative. I suspect it's only Dyson fanatics who won't think twice about parting with nearly £50 for it. Still, given that over the past decade Dyson's hairstyling tools have so thoroughly crowbarred themselves into blow-dry routines globally — the Supersonic hairdryer (£329) and Airwrap curler (£400) in particular — and are the bestselling hair electricals at John Lewis, there are plenty of those fanatics around. Join us on Thursday October 16 for an evening with legendary makeup artist and entrepreneur Bobbi Brown. Find out more and book tickets here.
