Latest news with #TheOutwardBoundTrust
BBC News
17-04-2025
- BBC News
Non-stop Pacific Ocean row halted after heavy storm damages boat
Two women who are attempting to row non-stop across the Pacific Ocean have been forced to turn back after eight days after their boat was damaged in heavy storms. Miriam Payne, from East Yorkshire, and Jess Rowe, from Hampshire, set off from Lima in Peru on 8 April to sail the 8,000 miles (12,875km) to Australia. However, after experiencing "steering issues", the pair realised the rudder of their boat, Velocity, had "completely snapped".The crew - both in their twenties - decided, for safety reasons, to return to Lima to get the boat repaired but vowed to get "back out on to the water as soon as possible." Miss Payne, from Market Weighton, met Miss Rowe in Antigua at the finish line of the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge in February 2023. Miss Rowe completed the challenge in a team of are trying to make history as the first women's team and the first pair to row the entire Pacific non-stop and unsupported. After setting off from Peru, the crew recorded daily video diaries to document their progress at sea. Everything had been going to plan until they hit heavy storms just 300 nautical miles into their journey and realised their boat had mechanical problems. Ms Rowe said: "Mim has just spotted that the rudder had been completely snapped." Ms Payne tried to fix the problem but said in the video: "We were a bit worried as we were having steering issues and we cannot figure it out and we had looked and we didn't notice the rudder was broken." On closer inspection, the 25-year-old said: "The rudder was clambering about like a wet fish." The rudder had broken in four places and, although they had a spare on board, it was decided it would be safer to return to land to fit a replacement. Ms Rowe, 28, said it was "disaapointing to have to turn around" and added it was the "smart, though hard, decision to make." Once the boat, Velocity, is repaired, they will set off again for the Australian coast. The trip will take up to six months and the women will need to consume 5,000 calories daily to row, rest, fix the vessel and eat. The team, called Seas the Day, are raising money for The Outward Bound Trust, a UK charity that aims to teach children important life skills for adventure. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
04-04-2025
- BBC News
Rowing duo to set off on Pacific Ocean challenge
Two women are preparing to set off on a non-stop row across the world's biggest ocean. Miriam Payne, 24, from Market Weighton in East Yorkshire, and Jess Rowe, 27, from Hampshire, plan to set off from Peru on Friday on an 8,000 mile (12,875km) voyage across the Pacific Ocean. The team, named Seas the Day, aim to arrive in Australia in six months. Miss Payne rowed the Atlantic Ocean alone in 2022 and set a record time in the solo female category of the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge. The challenge is nearly three times as long as the Atlantic row, Miss Payne said. "The idea of it being the world's largest ocean was a bit too enticing". The pair met in Antigua, at the finish line of the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge, in February 2023. Miss Rowe completed the challenge in a team of four."I'm not solo this time," Miss Payne, an astrophysics graduate, said. "I've got company, which will be nice to have someone to share the highs and lows with." Miss Rowe said: "We both decided we love it [rowing] and wanted to do something even bigger together."The pair said weather conditions could impact whether they set off on Friday, as planned. If they cannot depart then, they will set off at the beginning of next week. Miss Payne said it would be "up to mother nature to decide" whether they reach the east coast of Australia within six months. A number of other challenges will face the team along the way, including sleep deprivation, storms and shipping lanes."We've done a load of preparation," Miss Rowe said. "First aid, electronics, hydraulics, we've got to know how to repair anything on our boat."The team will not sleep for more than two hours at a time, as they will work on a shift pattern. Seas the Day are taking on the challenge to raise money for The Outward Bound Trust, a UK charity that aims to teach children important life skills for adventure. "We are just so excited to get out there now," Miss Payne said. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
