Nine days after successfully rowing across the Pacific Ocean, best friends set a new world record.

Nine days faster than the previous record, a pair of women set the world record for the quickest row across the Pacific Ocean.

On June 8, 2024, Jessica Oliver, 32, and Charlotte Harris, 33, embarked on the World’s Toughest Row Pacific Challenge from Monterey, California, with the objective of rowing 2,800 miles to Kauai, Hawaii.

After 37 days, 11 hours, and 43 minutes, Oliver and Harris reached Hawaii, breaking the world record for the fastest row by female pairs, the fastest row by overall pairs, and becoming the first team to successfully row both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Oliver, a resident of Gloucestershire, England, shared with Planet Chronicle Digital his experience of crossing the aquatic finish line in Hawaii just days prior, and what led to the significant achievement.

Prior to rowing the Atlantic Ocean a few years ago, we had no knowledge about rowing or the ocean, she stated.

While studying at Cardiff University in Wales, Oliver encountered Harris, a native of Hampshire, England.

Almost instantly, Oliver and the other person became best friends at the hockey club.

"Have you ever felt like you and someone you meet are kindred spirits?"

The Salesforce consultant, who is also Harris's friend, said that they are still close and enjoy competing, just like they used to.

"In 2020, we joined the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge, which we had never done before. Charlotte Harris, who worked for a company sponsoring the event, asked me if I wanted to participate in the challenge."

Oliver stated that the pair had finished a boxing challenge and were seeking another challenge to participate in, with the goal of raising funds for Shelter & Women's Aid, a national campaign for homeless individuals.

For two years, the pair campaigned and prepared for the challenge of rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to Antigua.

Forty-five days after their departure, the pair had set a new world record for the fastest female row across the Atlantic.

Oliver stated that he and Harris were elated with their accomplishment and believed they had fulfilled the "adventure" goal.

Six months after the Pacific Challenge, the race organizers opened up the Atlantic Challenge, and we sat at our desks going, "It wasn't that bad, was it? The Pacific? We could do it again?

The Pacific Ocean Challenge, known as the World's Toughest Row, was ultimately signed up for by Oliver and Harris. For two years prior to the race, they trained five to six days a week.

Despite their preparation, Oliver stated that nothing could have prepared them for the experience of rowing the Pacific Ocean.

She stated that the first 500 miles off America are extremely challenging from a weather perspective, and their nearly 23-foot-long boat lost its automatic steering within the first week.

The training plan for Oliver and his partner was disrupted due to strong winds from Canada and 13-feet-tall waves.

Typically, one person would row for two hours, take a break, and either sleep or eat inside one of the two cabins onboard for two hours before repeating the process.

The uncertainty of the ocean and the race with another team made this plan ineffective for the majority of the row.

"When we were neck and neck with the other female paddlers, we were rowing between 16 and 20 hours a day. It was just a case of going down and sleeping whenever we could," she remembered.

An oil tanker nearly collided with Oliver and his companion, resulting in one of the scariest encounters he remembered.

As the rowers were trying to repair their automatic steering, Oliver pointed out that their systems failed to notify them of a large boat approaching -- and they were taken aback when they looked up and saw the boat heading straight for them.

She remembered thinking, "This boat is enormous, we are minuscule, and we lack steering," while panicking in that instant.

Oliver stated that the oil tanker nearly hit their rowboat, coming within 30 feet of them, and he described it as being "extremely close to completely destroying us."

After 37 grueling days of fighting, crossing the finish line was an "unbelievable" feeling for Oliver.

After crossing the finish line, the stress and trauma we experienced made us feel like we had accomplished what we wanted, saying, 'OK, we've done it.'

Oliver said maybe they will try something a bit calmer for their next challenge.

"Winning the female class was the highlight for us, as we surpassed all teams of threes and fours and finished second in the race, just 24 hours behind a team of four military men."

Oliver suggested that they may attempt a less intense challenge for their next endeavor.

According to World's Toughest Row, the average crossing time for all crew sizes across the Pacific Ocean is 62 days.