Two best friends have broken the record for rowing as a pair across the Pacific, despite a perilous journey that saw them battle toppling waves, suffer steering failure and get too close to an oil tanker.
Jessica Oliver and Charlotte Harris had set out to break the women’s pairs record, but when they arrived in Hawaii they discovered they had also broken the men’s and mixed pairs records.
They crossed the Pacific on their boat, Cosimo 2.0, in an astonishing 37 days and 11 hours. The pair, who call themselves ‘Team Wild Waves’, broke the record for female couples by nine days and the record for men by two.
The couple, who have already crossed the Atlantic together, They wrapped up their latest grueling adventure in Hawaii on Tuesday, after beginning their journey 2,800 miles away on June 8 in California’s Monterey Bay.
Jessica Oliver, 32, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and Charlotte Harris, 33, from Fleet in Hampshire, set out on a 2,800-mile journey across the Pacific as part of the World’s Toughest Rowing Pacific Challenge, breaking the records for female, male and mixed pairs.
The couple pictured arriving in Hawaii; the five-week journey was grueling, with the duo facing huge waves, freezing temperatures and a technical breakdown.
Jessica, 32, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and Charlotte, 33, from Fleet in Hampshire, were competing as part of the World’s Toughest Row Pacific Challenge and became the first team to row to complete the Ultimate Ocean Row, rowing across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Jessica said of her five-week sea voyage: “It was absolutely exhausting, both from a mental and physical perspective.”
Her rowing partner Charlotte added: “We gave it our all and we’re absolutely gutted, but it was worth it.”
It was anything but easy for the couple, who faced strong winds from the north of Canada from the start and waves so big (described as “wrecks”) that they thought they might lose their boat.
The friends, who met at Cardiff University, also came close to colliding with a tanker truck during their trip.
Lighting flares to say we’d made it: Friends admitted the race had completely shattered them
Technical problems also marred the trip: the Cosimo 2.0’s automatic steering system broke down, forcing them to drive manually, depriving them of the opportunity to sleep.
However, the two women say the scariest moment was a near-collision, after they almost collided with a tanker truck that had no AIS tracking system activated.
Charlotte explained: “We were 30 seconds away from a head-on collision that would have left our boat smashed to pieces.”
Jessica added: “We barely made it off course and were thrown up and down by the wake of the boat, which passed by with just ten metres to spare.”
Their boat, Cosimo 2.0, suffered a steering problem, so the two women had to steer it manually.
Jessica’s mother, Germaine Hitchins, admitted it had been a nervous few weeks for family and friends.
They finished second in the race after being neck and neck with a rival boat for most of the course.
The women said: “The hardest part of the challenge was the race – constantly monitoring the competition and seeing how fast they were going. It was non-stop stress.”
‘The best part of the challenge was, of course, crossing the finish line with a new world record, winning the women’s category and finishing second overall.’
In 2021, the amateur pair shocked the ocean rowing world by setting a new record for the fastest female pair to cross the Atlantic, despite never having rowed before taking part in the race.
Jessica, a consultant at Salesforce, and Charlotte, a global sourcing manager at BAT, met at Cardiff University and took up rowing as a challenge, not realising the sport would put them in the record books.
The pair have now become the first team to complete the Ultimate Ocean Row, rowing in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Family and friends were in Hawaii to greet them. Jessica’s mother, Germaine Hitchins, said: “She’s an amazing girl. When she sets her mind to something, she stops at nothing to achieve it. She certainly knows how to test her mum to the limit. It’s been a very stressful few weeks.”
Jessica’s fiancé William Drew, 41, from Grimsby, who met Jessica while they were both competing in Atlantic Row 2021, said: “What they’ve done is extraordinary. It’s been a very close race.
“They are two truly extraordinary women. Their performance is a testament to their skill, their friendship, their determination and their ability to endure pain and resilience. It’s incredible.”
They raised over £100,000 for Shelter & Woman’s Aid when they crossed the Atlantic and this time they hope to raise £50,000 for Shelter.
Donations can be made to Wild Waves’ chosen charity, Shelter. here
