For 139 days, I wasn’t rowing the Pacific Ocean. But it sure felt like I was on board. I followed the Maclean brothers on Instagram, listened to their podcast updates, and watched as three Scots in a carbon-fiber boat rowed 9,000 miles from Lima to Cairns. And next to celebrating adventure, this is what stuck with me:
This journey was never just about setting a record
The Macleans tied their mission to raising up to £1 million for clean water projects in Madagascar. Every post, every podcast episode, was infused with that bigger “why” (and I am sure many of their discussions on board when things got tough). What mattered most: all three brothers shared the same purpose. I imagined what if one had been rowing for personal glory, another for charity, and the third just to prove he could survive -139 days in the same boat would have ended in disaster. Their shared goal wasn’t optional; it was the glue that kept them pulling in the same direction, stroke after stroke, wave after wave and gave the brothers their superpower.
Even in the middle of nowhere, the Maclean brothers found ways to keep morale afloat
I’ll never forget them talking about what they most looked forward to when they finally reached land: a hot pizza, a cold beer, and clean, crisp sheets. Simple, but powerful. Those small hopes and flashes of humor (and the instruments they brought with them on the trip…bagpipes, guitar, accordion) were fuel for the hardest miles. But their perseverance was never about going it alone. It was about staying connected, sharing milestones, and refusing to give up when storms hit or exhaustion took over. Their family at home, the supporters waiting at the finish line, and the thousands following along online became part of the crew. The Macleans didn’t treat their community as spectators; I felt like they invited us into their story, turning a lonely, unpredictable ocean crossing into a shared achievement.
Following the Maclean brothers across the Pacific taught me this: extraordinary achievements don’t happen in isolation. They happen when everyone in the boat shares the same purpose, when humor and support networks keep the spirit alive, and when perseverance is celebrated not as an individual act but as a collective triumph.
And yes – when they finally stepped onto shore in Cairns, they got exactly what they’d been dreaming about: a hot pizza and a cold beer. Proof that even after an epic voyage, it’s the simple rewards, shared with others, that make the journey worthwhile.