Show Notes
Get ready to drop anchor into the middle of the Pacific – or at least feel like you do – with Ewan, Jamie & Lachlan MacLean, the Scottish trio currently rowing non-stop across the Pacific, and Rob Wainwright, former professional rugby player. In this episode, Rob joins the brothers onboard their carbon‑fibre vessel Rose Emily, sharing freeze‑dried chilli con carne at the galley table while both crews are deep into their shift rotations.
They dig into:
How Rob’s transition from team sports to ultra‑endurance informs his take on teamwork, pacing, and mental toughness
The shared mindset that bridges ocean rowing and endurance athletics
The MacLeans’ daily rhythm: rowing in 2-hour shifts, battling salt sores and fatigue, yet finding moments to laugh and reconnect over evening freeze‑dried dinners
If you’ve ever wondered what binds an ocean‑rower and an former British and Irish Lions rugby player around a dehydrated meal in the middle of nowhere—the strategies, empathy, and unspoken bonds—they reveal it here.
Tune in for resilience, connection, and a pinch of chilli con carne. 🚣♂️🌊
More from Dinner with the Macleans
"There needs to be suffering": Jim Hamilton talks to the Maclean Brothers about doing hard things .
In this episode of Dinner with the Macleans, the brothers are joined by one of the most accomplished mountaineers in history - Kenton Cool, who’s summited Everest an astonishing 19 times. Recorded from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, this is a rare crossover between the world’s highest peaks and deepest waters. From shift patterns and food rations to expedition morale and mental resilience, Kenton shares his hard-won philosophies on adventure, challenge, and how to keep going when the darkness sets in. There’s also talk of hair ties, freeze-dried reindeer stew, and why bagpipes might be the most surprising piece of expedition kit yet.
Former rugby legend and all-round legend Donncha O’Callaghan joins the Maclean Brothers from their boat in the Pacific for an episode full of laughs, life lessons, and the kind of wisdom only years on and off the pitch can bring. They talk fatherhood, radical honesty, suffering (the good kind), and the power of showing up for others - whether on the field or in the middle of the ocean. Packed with heart, humour and inspiration, this one’s a proper belter.
Sam HeughanThis week on Dinner with the Macleans, we’re joined by Scottish actor, adventurer, and whisky‑maker Sam Heughan. Out in the middle of the Pacific, we swapped stories about adventure, resilience, and the joy of wild places—and even bonded over our shared roots at Steiner School, which shaped both of our journeys in wonderful ways.
What happens when the world’s strongest brothers meet the world’s most stubborn rowers? In this episode, Tom and Luke Stoltman - two-time World’s Strongest Man and Europe’s Strongest Man - sit down with the Maclean Brothers for a conversation of strength, brotherhood, and a shared Scottish grit From lifting cars to rowing oceans, the two sets of brothers talk about mental strength, sibling dynamics, and what it means to take on the impossible together. Dinner with The Macleans is a podcast recorded entirely at sea, as three brothers row unsupported across the Pacific Ocean — from Peru to Australia.