Just row with it: 139 days at sea, three brothers, one ocean

Brothers Jamie, Ewan and Lachlan Maclean spent much of their childhood on the west coast of Scotland. This is where, as little boys bobbing around on a boat, a seed of an adventure took hold. Once it flowered, it led to the Scottish trio attempting a 9,000 mile crossing of the Pacific Ocean, all the way from Peru to Australia. This had never been attempted by a team before. There were questions about whether it was even possible to pack enough food to sustain three people for the five months that it would take. Lachlan the philosopher would help them through the long nights pondering life's big questions, Jamie the craftsman brought boundless optimism and Ewan became known as the go-go gadget man who could fix anything.

With the planning completed and with 1,000 freeze dried meals on board the three brothers set off. The crossing was to raise money for a water charity in Madagascar but also somehow, in the middle of the world’s largest ocean, they made some new, unlikely friends – the moon became a companion, celebrities sent them words of encouragement and Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers joined them one evening for a virtual dinner. The boys braved 18 hours a day of rowing, battled storms and a rescue operation as Jamie was swept over board.

Jan Vokes was working in a bar in the Welsh village of Cefn Fforest. She had bred show whippets and racing pigeons, but her heart was set on a much bigger challenge – a horse. Racing horses was seen as a millionare's game, but Jan didn't have that kind of money. She roped in the whole community and asked everyone to give her a few pounds a week, to make her horse, Dream, a reality. And just like Jan, Dream defied the odds.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar

Producer: Elena Angelides

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Two images of the Maclean brothers in polaroid frames laid over a background image of the Pacific Ocean. The photo on the left is of the brothers as little boys on the west coast of Scotland. Two of them stand in shallow water in front of a white rowboat, while the third brother playfully clambers on top of the boat. Behind them, their father is onboard, holding an oar into the water to keep the boat still. The photo on the right is a contemporary image of the brothers sitting aboard their boat, the Rose Emily, in the midst of the Pacific Ocean. The eldest brother Jamie sits in the middle, holding the oars, with the youngest Lachlan to the left of him and the middle brother Ewan to the right. The trio smile broadly. Credit: Maclean family handouts)