
Halfway there: Seas the Day hits the midpoint of the Pacific
Jess and Miriam have hit another huge milestone, reaching the halfway point of their brilliant record-setting row across the Pacific Ocean, 8,000 miles non-stop and unsupported, from Peru to Australia. That’s over 4,000 nautical miles down, and while there’s still a long way to go, the achievement is both physically and emotionally significant.
They’ve done it powered by nothing more than teamwork and two oars, through power failures and busy seas, the team have continued to prove that nothing will get in their way.
Life on the water
Rowing up to 15 hours a day, their world is one of 2-hour shifts, endless ocean, and the constant push to stay upright, hydrated, and hopeful. Their bodies are battered, their hands blistered, and their power and water systems continue to demand continuous improvisation.
From the 11th July ship’s log, the reality hits hard:
“We had a monster wave hit us last weekend just as I was coming out of the cabin for my shift… terrible timing. Mims shouted “BIG WAVE” and I climbed out and slammed the hatch shut as quickly as possible.
I clung on with both hands on the hatch handles, trying to get them sealed, but the weight of the water was pushing me off, and I was clinging on, trying not to fall overboard. I did manage to keep the door closed, and we still have a dry cabin, but the knockdown nearly took hold of my salopettes, which Mims rescued from the water moments after the wave had cleared.
I hadn’t seen the wave and just had visions that we were capsizing, but thankfully, we didn’t. This is why it’s so important to keep our hatch doors shut at all times and clip onto the jackstay on deck before stepping out of the cabin, as these big waves just come out of nowhere.
A few scrapes and bruises and a swollen right hand left me unable to row properly for the next 24 hours or so … not sure how but my hand blew up like a balloon and I’m incredibly grateful to Mims who took on extra rowing hours.”
They’re currently navigating toward the South Pacific islands, where visibility, charting, and hand-steering become even more critical. And every single day, they celebrate when the water maker holds out.
As Jess puts it:
“It’s not magic, it’s maintenance.”
Resilience that doesn’t quit
This journey hasn’t been smooth sailing, and it was never meant to be. Just in the last few weeks, they’ve:
- Lost an oar (quickly replaced, thanks to spares on board)
- Snapped a shroud supporting their grab lines (tied back up using spare Dyneema)
- Broken a manual water pump intake filter, which they fixed using a pair of underwear.
“Not something we expected to be adding to the spares kit of any future ocean rows.” - Resorted to hand-steering for up to six hours a day to manage power limitations
- Repaired their bowline, hopping into the Pacific with a rubber ring to re-tie it
- Power is still a concern but they’ve adapted. They’re hand-pumping water when needed, powering up essentials with precise planning, and preparing to be even more vigilant as they approach the Pacific islands, where geography demands extra care.
And through it all, they’re choosing the road less travelled, and finding strength in it. As one letter from a family friend reminded them:
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Moments of magic
Despite the exhaustion and relentless admin of survival at sea, the journey also holds moments of real wonder:
- Moonlit rows under skies lit up by the Milky Way
- Sunrises with no light pollution
- Surfing down waves with wind at their backs
- Laughing through spilled porridge, flying fish, and seagull visits
- And, as the ship log on 16th July shared, the joy of finally having dry mattresses and no jellyfish stings
A campaign making waves
What’s extraordinary is what they’re building along the way.
Since restarting in May, Seas the Day has reached millions:
- 8.4M+ video views across Instagram, TikTok & Facebook
- TikTok followers up to 118K, Instagram tripled to 17K, Facebook following 3x increase
- Reels frequently hitting 155K–198K views, with one viral moment (Jess nearly falling asleep mid-row) reaching 3.6M views
- On-board content answering FAQs has reached 2.2M views on TikTok
- 175K+ interactions and 1,737 link clicks via Instagram alone — all organic, no paid ads
And the mission behind the miles matters more than ever.
Jess and Miriam are rowing to raise £50,000 for The Outward Bound Trust, a charity helping young people build confidence and life skills through outdoor adventure. Every mile they row supports a future where more young people believe in themselves, just like they do.
4,000 down, 4,000 to go
With just halfway of the journey to go, the rowers have been reflecting on the highs and lows of the journey so far.
Miriam says: “The quote of the trip has been ‘get comfortable being uncomfortable’ but we are persevering as this row is about more than ourselves. We are being driven through all the issues by keeping a positive mental attitude and by the hope our progress inspires young people to get outdoors and explore, push their own limits and realise their own potential. We are aiming to raise over £50,000 to help thousands of young people reach their potential with the support of the Outward Bound Trust.”
Jess comments: “We’ve had some incredible highs and lows along the way so far. The lows started 7 days into our first attempt when the rudder broke, and then having to restart quickly from Lima to leave within a safe weather window, to avoid typhoon season as we approach Australia. Another problem has been the issues that started to arise with our power system at the beginning of the restart, which has meant we can barely use our electronics for plotting our route, navigation, communication and more. We limit our auto-helm use to half the day, manually steering the rest and conserve what power we have, to run our water maker – a process that has been significantly harder than it should be due to the installer not using pipes rated for the appropriate pressure, causing us to have to repair it 7 times.”
However, she continues: “The highs have been the amazing nature we have seen such as dolphins, turtles, birds and more. The most special of which was our encounter with a 19m sperm whale. These extraordinary moments in our natural world make every low pale in significance.”
While most Pacific rowers stop after completing the 2,800-mile journey to Hawaii, the Seas the Day team are taking on the full crossing, a staggering 8,000 miles from Peru to Australia. The route could take up to six months to complete, and at their current pace, they’re expected to reach the finish line in October.
Thanks for being part of the journey
Whether you're tracking their journey via the Seas the Day website, made possible by Ava Global Logistics, or following along on social media, you’re part of something unforgettable.
Jess and Miriam are still only half way through the journey, but what they’ve already achieved is extraordinary. And they’re only just getting started!