Charlie’s boys row into record books

Our own Charlie MacLean isn’t short of accolades – MBE, Master of the Quaich, multiple awards for writing, he even has his own chair at SMWS Queen Street!

And now it would seem that our former Tasting Panel chair has even more reason to feel proud, as his sons Jamie, Ewan and Lachlan have become the first team to row unsupported from South America to Australia. In doing so they completed the fastest ever full crossing of the Pacific Ocean propelled only by the strength of their own bodies.
The brothers completed 9,000 miles from Peru, arriving at Cairns Marlin Marina in Queensland, Australia, in the early hours of Saturday, 30 August. That was after spending 139 days, five hours, and 52 minutes at sea, landing them straight into the record books and beating the previous Pacific Ocean rowing record by 20 days.

Their vessel was co-designed by legendary ocean rower Mark Slats and poignantly named after the sister they never knew, Rose Emily, who was tragically lost during pregnancy. The expedition launched on April 12 with the goal of raising £1m for clean water projects in Madagascar through their charity, The MacLean Foundation. With global support pouring in from fans, celebrities and fellow adventurers, the brothers have now reached their target and have helped supply over 40,000 people with clean safe water for life.

As a team they’ve endured weeks of seasickness, a terrifying overboard incident when Lachlan was thrown into the sea during a night shift, broken equipment and a dwindling food supply that nearly ran out. And all of this on top of the relentless physical strain of rowing up to 14 hours a day for nearly five months.

Despite all of this, they kept going. Driven by brotherhood, purpose and the knowledge that every stroke brought clean water closer for thousands in need.
“We’ve shed tears of joy and cried with fear. But we kept lifting each other up,” says Ewan. “This was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I couldn’t have contemplated it without my brothers.”

Jamie adds with a laugh: “This won’t surprise anybody, but all I want is a pizza. We were seriously running low on food and had to push hard to make it. But right now, I’m just so grateful to be back on land, with friends, family and proper food.

Support for the MacLeans has come from around the world, including Ewan McGregor, Mark Wahlberg and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Wahlberg went as far as to suggest turning their story into a movie, while Jamie played the bagpipes to McGregor live from the ocean.

Jamie also joined an impromptu performance with The All-American Rejects, playing the intro to their song ‘Swing, Swing’ via satellite to Comic-Con in San Diego.

The challenge also sparked a wave of charity efforts online, with some care home residents rowing along in physiotherapy and a five-year-old running a mile every day during his school break.

The brothers previously broke three world records when they took on the Atlantic back in 2019. Now, with two oceans conquered, they’ve returned home to Scotland for a well-earned dram with their dad, before eventually heading back to Madagascar, the country that inspired their mission.

The Mission Continues
Clean water is a cause close to the MacLeans’ hearts, especially Lachlan’s, who spent time in Madagascar after university. As Jamie put it: “Rowing the Pacific changed us. It taught us to appreciate the simple things; a bed, a shower, a hug, but most of all, it reminded us of the power of purpose. We rowed an ocean, now we want to help others cross theirs.”

Everyone here at the Society sends our sincere congratulations to the MacLean boys. Their efforts are nothing less than breathtaking and we look forward to seeing them at one of our Members’ Rooms for a toast to their efforts.

Donate to their fundraising efforts or find out more by visiting www.themacleanbrothers.com