It would be quite a sight to behold – four women dressed in Santa hats swapping presents from under a tiny Christmas tree while they bob about in a tiny boat on an endless expanse of ocean.

Coxless Crew (left to right) Laura Penhaul, Natalia Cohen, Emma Mitchell and Lizanne van Vuuren. The first three women will be joined by Meg Dyos, who took over from Ms van Vuuren for the third leg, when they celebrate their Christmas Day on the Pacific, hundreds of miles from anywhere.

Coxless Crew (left to right) Laura Penhaul, Natalia Cohen, Emma Mitchell and Lizanne van Vuuren. The first three women will be joined by Meg Dyos, who took over from Ms van Vuuren for the third leg, when they celebrate their Christmas Day on the Pacific, hundreds of miles from anywhere. Image by Sarah Moshman/Losing Sight of Shore/PA Wire

While most of us will be tucking into turkey and sipping on a festive sherry or two, the ladies of the Coxless Crew will celebrate their Christmas Day on the Pacific, hundreds of miles from anywhere.

After setting out from Samoa six weeks ago the women are now halfway through the third leg of their 8,446-mile row from the west coast of America to Cairns in Australia.

Their mammoth expedition was due to finish around the end of October, but setbacks meant they will now spend Christmas half way between Vanuatu and Australia, in the South Pacific.

The women – Laura Penhaul, Natalia Cohen, Emma Mitchell and Meg Dyos – have decorated their 29ft pink boat Doris with fairy lights and tinsel, put up a tiny Christmas tree and have been opening advent calendars to count down the days to December 25.

They have been singing carols and recounting festive films to each other, and on Christmas Day itself will tuck into a Christmas pudding and a special meal – albeit one resurrected from dehydrated food packed into freezer bags weeks ago.

They will also open a present or two from stockings given to them in Samoa from their family and other crew members from the first two legs, and will watch surprise videos from family, friends and supporters of the expedition.

fter setting out from Samoa six weeks ago the women are now halfway through the third leg of their 8,446-mile row from the west coast of American to Cairns in Australia.

fter setting out from Samoa six weeks ago the women are now halfway through the third leg of their 8,446-mile row from the west coast of American to Cairns in Australia. Image by PA Wire

Writing on the team’s blog Ms Mitchell, 30, from Marlow in Buckinghamshire, said: “Our little ocean family has come to terms with missing Christmas at home and we are getting very excited about our festive season.

“We have put up the decorations, started singing Christmas songs as an alarm to wake the other pair up for their night shifts and have the Christmas hats ready. We even have a tiny Christmas tree in the aft cabin.

“Our parents sent out a whole load of surprises to Samoa for us so we have presents, games and Christmas pudding to go with our rehydrated Christmas lunch.”

Ms Cohen, 40, from London, said: “I packed my small bottle of fairy dust (glitter) and for Christmas we made sure there was tinsel, fairy lights and as much shiny, glittery card/paper as possible.

“In hindsight I would have brought my disco ball but as it goes I have been suitably happy with the amount of shine we have going on. The surprising thing is that I never realised how much natural shimmer there would be around us in the almighty Pacific.”

Ms Mitchell added: “The best thing about Christmas so far has been the fact that it has given us something to count down to that isn’t affected by how fast we are travelling or what direction we are going in.

“Thinking of ways to mark each of the 12 days of Christmas has filled time during our night shifts and given us things to look forward to. The amazing support that we have been receiving from everyone back home also means that we feel like everyone will be with us here on Doris.”

The four women have made excellent time in recent days, helped along by strong winds, but they have also had to contend with waves as high as houses.

The crew, who are aiming to become the first female team and first four-person team to row unsupported across the Pacific, have also had plenty of company, with a whale visiting them one moonlit night and a friendly shark which has followed their boat for weeks, surfing along in the swells with them.

Isabel Burnham, 31, from Saffron Walden near Cambridge, who rowed the first leg from the American mainland to Hawaii and is now providing shore-based support, said Christmas had given the crew something to look forward to that could not be ruined by disastrous currents or winds.

She said: “When they first realised they would be spending Christmas on the boat because the time frame had slipped so much I think they were disappointed.

“At the time they were stuck in the doldrums (weather system) when they had that realisation – it was slow progress and extremely frustrating. Because of that they found it difficult when they realised they would be spending Christmas and New Year on board.

“But they have put that behind them and realised that it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and that they will never spend Christmas on the Pacific again.”

After an extremely long second leg of 96 days from Hawaii to Samoa, the crew started the home journey positively, Ms Burnham said.

She added: “It is a funny thing, what they are doing. When you are on the boat the best mindset to have is just to appreciate the moment and what is happening, and just to enjoy each two-hour rowing shift.

“Otherwise you start to make calculations in your mind, you come up with dates of when you might be somewhere, your mind wanders and it becomes consuming.

“But they are really positive at the moment and starting to really look forward to celebrating Christmas on the Pacific. They will be trying not to, but I think they will be starting to think of their arrival in Cairns.”

The Coxless Crew started out from San Francisco on April 20 and hope to raise £250,000 for Breast Cancer Care and Walking With The Wounded. To support them, visit www.coxlesscrew.com.

(Press Association)