Three brothers from Edinburgh have claimed a new record for rowing non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific Ocean after almost 140 days at sea.
Jamie, Ewan, and Lachlan MacLean endured violent tropical storms, which forced them into making lengthy detours on their 9,000-mile (14,484km) journey from Peru to Australia.
During one storm, Lachlan was swept overboard by a large wave before being pulled back into the boat. The brothers, who have been reunited with their family and friends in Cairns, in eastern Australia, said they were looking forward to pizza - and a decent night's sleep.
Ewan told BBC Breakfast: It's still slightly surreal - it's going to take a wee while for our feet to touch the ground, but what an amazing reception we've had in Cairns. Jamie described the crossing as physically and mentally 'relentless', but added: 'Together we form a pretty good team, and together we've overcome this massive challenge.'
The Scottish trio have beaten the previous record of 162 days for the fastest full, unassisted, non-stop Pacific row, set by Russian solo rower Fyodor Konyukhov in 2014. Their final time was 139 days, five hours and 52 minutes.
The brothers, who have so far raised more than £700,000 of a £1m target for clean water projects in Madagascar, had hoped to complete their journey in an even quicker time. But bad weather hampered the final stretch of their journey, including high winds overnight on Thursday and Friday.
Morale was a key concern for the rowers, with sleep deprivation being one of their greatest challenges. Sharing chocolate bars or making each other coffee helped to raise their spirits during the grueling days at sea. Lachlan said: 'Our superpower is being brothers. You can be totally frank with each other and we obviously have so much shared history.'
While looking forward to fresh food and a comfy bed, Lachlan said he would miss nights under star-filled skies and close encounters with whales, dolphins, and seabirds. Jamie added: 'This won't surprise anybody – but all I want is a pizza.'
