Brothers aiming to break Pacific rowing record depart with haggis for dinner

Three brothers aiming to become the fastest people to row across the Pacific Ocean have departed on a 9,000-mile adventure, and their luggage includes haggis, neeps and tatties.

Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan Maclean departed Lima, Peru, on a 14,000km, non-stop and unsupported row across the Pacific, expecting to arrive in Sydney, Australia, on August 2.

Their boat was cheered on by hundreds of supporters and the Peruvian Navy brass band, while middle sibling Jamie played the bagpipes.

The siblings from Edinburgh became the fastest and youngest trio to row the Atlantic Ocean in 2020, raising more than £200,000 for charity, and this expedition is considered one of the most remote and physically demanding open-water rows ever attempted.

Custom-built carbon fibre vessel Rose Emily was launched from Yacht Club Peruano on Saturday evening with the brothers rowing in two-hour shifts, with no resupplies or safety boat on the 280kg boat, to raise £1 million for clean water projects in Madagascar.

The departure was delayed more than a month by customs issues holding their boat and 500kg of food in port, including 75kg of oats and a menu of high-calorie comfort meals, for around 120 days at sea.

The Rare Whisky 101 Pacific Row aims to raise more than £1 million for The Maclean Foundation — the clean water charity the brothers founded with their father, whisky writer Charles Maclean MBE.

The Maclean brothers preparing for the Pacific row (The Maclean brothers/PA Wire). PA Media

The siblings prepared for the expedition by moving to a croft in Nedd in the Highlands to train on the Minch, a strait which separates the mainland from Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides.

Lachlan Maclean, 26, said: “I can’t believe the buzz of leaving that atmosphere. I’ve never heard bagpipes alongside a brass band before, but I think it could catch on.

“We’ve been like coiled springs this past month. Being stuck with our boat and food held in customs could have been incredibly stressful but the team at Yacht Club Peruano gave us a place to sleep, store our gear and stay sane. Now we’re just excited to be on the water.

“It’s definitely daunting, but we’ve prepared so long that we’re desperate to get going. In many ways we’re a bit weird – I’m probably happier on the water. I’ve never been good at replying to emails, and now I have the best excuse in the world.”

The brothers packed a meal of haggis, neeps and tatties, to celebrate Lachlan’s birthday in June.

The Maclean brothers training off Toward, South Cowal, near Dunoon, Argyll and Bute (The Maclean brothers/PA Wire). PA Media

Ewan Maclean, 33, a former Dyson engineer, said: “We usually forget things when we’re going away for the weekend, so preparing for 120 days at sea has not been without its challenges. But here we are, and we’re so happy to be on the water.

“During our last row, we started thinking about how we could spend more time at sea and help more people, and this challenge was born. The more we looked into rowing the Pacific, the more we realised why so few attempt it – you have to bring an awful lot of food to sustain yourselves for that period of time, which gets pretty heavy. And it’s an awful long time.

“But if we want to raise £1 million we had to go for something big. During our visits to Madagascar, we’ve seen what access to clean water can do — it helps kids get an education, helps entire communities thrive. That’s what drives us.”

Their attempt is dedicated to their unborn sister, Rose Emily, and their mother Sheila hand-painted the name on the boat.

Jamie Maclean, 31, added: “We know this will be hard for mum and dad, having all three of us isolated at sea. But they’ve been incredibly supportive. They’ve worked just as hard as we have to prepare and we can’t wait to see them when we row into Sydney Harbour.”

The brothers trained for the voyage with elite sport performance consultant Chloe Lanthier, a performance physiologist for Nasa and professional athletes including Rafael Nadal and Paris Saint-Germain.

Their route from Lima to Sydney spans roughly 9,000 miles, depending on conditions and the brothers aim to arrive before the British and Irish Lions’ third test in Sydney on August 2.