The Maclean Brothers ©

Maclean's brother battles strong ocean waves in a rowboat

Four Months on the Ocean:

How the Maclean Brothers Pushed Their Limits

The Scottish Maclean brothers crossed the Pacific unassisted in record time, raising one million British pounds for a clean drinking water project. We spoke with Jamie Maclean about life in extremely close quarters, mental resilience, and the lessons learned from 9,750 nautical miles at sea.

Die Maclean Brüder sind im Film A Different Beast im Rahmen der Int. Ocean Film Tour Vol. 12 zu sehen. Mehr Informationen zum Film findest du hier: Filmseite A Different Beast

The Maclean brothers are featured in the film A Different Beast as part of the Int. Ocean Film Tour Vol. 12. You can find more information about the film here: A Different Beast film page

The Rowing Adventure in Numbers

Time

139 days 2,000 hours of nonstop rowing

Route

9,750 nautical miles = 18,057 kilometers

Power

3 × 2.8 Million Strokes

Logbook

100,000 words

The Maclean brothers prepare their equipment and rowboat for an ocean crossing (top view) — The Maclean brothers organize their entire setup for the ocean crossing – from the rowing boat to supplies and technical equipment.

How Life on the Ocean Changes You

You spent four and a half months rowing the Pacific unsupported with your brothers, Ewan and Lachlan. Do you feel that experience changed you?

I think I’m more empathetic. On the boat, keeping morale high and having each other’s backs was essential. Small acts of kindness and helping each other with chores made a big difference, and that’s something I’ve carried into daily life now. On a bigger scale, the charitable fundraising gave the three of us purpose. Having that focus every day helped us stay disciplined and reminded us why we were there.

The Maclean brothers (Lachlan, Jamie, Ewan) are sitting in their rowboat on the open ocean — The three brothers (from left to right: Lachlan, Jamie, Ewan) on their rowing boat in the middle of the ocean.

Three Days of Silence in the Middle of the Ocean

Out on the ocean, you decided to spend three days in silence. Whose idea was that?

(laughs) That was Lachlan’s idea. He’s the contemplative one among us and studied philosophy. Originally Lachlan wanted to do a week of silence, but we managed to whittle it down to three days. If I was to do it again, I'd probably do half a day. (laughs) We were glad we did it, but it was difficult because you still need to communicate for practical reasons, so we used taps and whistles. We also rationed music, listening for just one or two hours a day. The rest of the time was conversation or silence. At night, you could listen to music to get through your shift.

Music Between Storms and Exhaustion

You brought your instruments on the row.Did you get much time to play?

Our mum encouraged us to play music from a young age, and we brought instruments hoping to play and maybe write music. I brought my bagpipe, Ewan brought a guitar, and Lachlan an accordion, but almost every minute was filled with rowing, preparing food, fixing the boat, or sending media updates. We only played a few times when we were on storm anchor when, as you can imagine, conditions weren’t ideal.” (laughs)

View from the Maclean brothers' rowboat in rough seas — A direct view from the boat: the Maclean brothers navigating rough seas during their ocean crossing.

Sleep Deprivation and Mental Limits

What about sleep deprivation and hallucinations?

We averaged about five to six hours of sleep. You get used to it, but nights alone in the dark made my mind wander. We managed hallucinations by staying strict with hydration and nutrition, as imbalances in sugar and salts can make things worse.

100,000 Words to Remember

Did you keep a diary?

We didn’t keep personal diaries, but we kept a ship’s log for our dad, who doesn’t use social media and gets frustrated with it quickly. We wrote daily entries, taking turns every three days. It became about 100,000 words in total and was one of the best things we did. It helped us reflect and now lets us remember the small details that made the experience special. The log entries will be invaluable if we are to write a book.

The Maclean brothers row on the ocean at sunset — A powerful moment at sunset: the Maclean brothers on their rowing boat during the long journey.

Film Tour dates – Volume 12

Back on Land: The Overwhelm of Everyday Life

What was it like to settle back into life on land after 139 days at sea?

Physically we felt fine, but mentally it took a couple of months. Lachlan definitely had quite overwhelming experiences, just trying to go food shopping and to a supermarket for the first time. For four and a half months, we didn't have to think about what we wanted to eat next or what was on the menu or what stuff to buy. There are all these small, trivial decisions to make in everyday life, and they add up to a sort of background noise that we didn't have for a long time. On the other hand, we had been more connected to the outside world on this crossing because of fundraising and media, which sometimes boosted morale but also pulled us out of the experience. Each time we reconnected, it took effort to settle back into life on the boat.

“Mission Accomplished” – What Comes Next?

What happened after you reached your fundraising goal?

We had this lofty goal to hit one million pounds for clean water, and I think, in truth, when we left South America, we were trying to manage our own expectations. We didn’t anticipate that we were going to hit the target. The support we received showed how thousands of small donations can make a huge impact. It linked the micro—small kindnesses—with the macro—meaningful change for others. But, once we reached the goal, it felt like ‘mission complete,’ and we were a bit lost about what to do next. We’ve spent a good amount of time reflecting on the row and putting that into writing. The aim is to not return to our day jobs but to continue the momentum from this challenge.

There will always be an itch for adventure, whether at sea or on land.

Jamie Maclean

What’s Next?

So, what’s next the Maclean brothers?

We want to do something completely different. There will always be an itch for adventure, whether at sea or on land. We’re excited about doing more projects around Scotland—coastal, island, and land based—and keeping things open.