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Ciao Bella
Honolulu
I like sailing, diving, reading, writing, and studying the origin of life on Earth đŠ I was born and raised by the Jersey shore and started dating my now-fiancĂ© @David when we were just 12 years old. Weâve dreamed of sailing around the world together for as long as we can remember. We began sailing in 2020 on our 1977 Pacifc Seacraft 25â while I finished my Masters of Science in Microbiology. We sold her a year later and bought âBria Miaâ, a 1988 Catalina 34â. After sailing around OÊ»ahu and Maui county, we realized she wasnât exactly the kind of boat we wanted to cross oceans in. So, we began searching for something bigger and better suited for bluewater cruising, something that could safely and comfortably take us around the Hawaiian archipelago and more đ Our search led us to âCiao Bellaâ, a 2007 Tayana Vancouver 460 Pilot House. Since then, we continued sailing around OÊ»ahu, Maui county, and KauaÊ»i, and crossed the Pacific Ocean for Alaska in 2025. We make really bad YouTube videos with our puppy @Port once in a blue moon if you want to follow along đ€đœ @The808Sailors
Explored the marine park by dingy today. Found two tiny fawns tucked into the tall grass in Big Bear Bay. Mildly terrified of running into a bear again lol, so we scope out an island at low tide, declare it bear-free, and then let @Port run wild. Bears canât swim over that fast⊠right? đ Feels surreal to be the only ones out here. We keep saying, âWe canât believe weâre here,â and âWhat the hell are we doing?â đ
We have to make it to Ketchikan by the beginning of August, so weâre sending it to new anchorages every night. Waited until noon-ish for the currents to be in our favor through Kakul and Sergius Narrows. It was fun navigating and speeding up through the narrows. We tucked into a keyhole-ish anchorage in Baby Bear Bay, which is apart of a state marine park. Didnât see any bears, despite its name!
Took a spin around Kalinin Bay to get our bearings and @Port to shore for a potty break. Immediately ran into a grizzly bear đ Porter took his potty break on a boulder in the middle of the bay instead lol
Spent a week at Eliason Harbor in Sitka to reprovision some proteins and fresh foods, top up on diesel and water, do a boat load (literally) of laundry, and explore. Today, we made it to our first anchorage in SE AK: Kalinin Bay. The current was in our favor for the first half of the trip through Olga Straight and against us in the second half through Neva Straight. Moderate swell and strong winds rolled through Salisbury Sound and made the entrance into Kalinin bumpy but no biggie. Even under a thick blanket of fog and mist, this place is beautiful. We canât get over the smell of the Earth! Stoked to be here and canât wait to get out and explore some of these remote places.
We freakinâ made it. After almost three weeks at sea, weâre finally tied up in Sitka, Alaska, with a cold beer in hand and the boat finally at rest. It feels surreal to say the crossing from HawaiÊ»i is behind us after anticipating the journey for so long. In the moment, the days felt long, and I came to the obvious realization that the Pacific Ocean is, in fact, really big đ. Still, the days passed like the wind. The crossing was relatively mild and, although frustrating at points, filled with moments that reminded us why we were out there in the first place. Sailing in HawaiÊ»i prepared us in ways we didnât fully appreciate until we left. Itâs where weâve grown as sailors and people over the past decade, shaped by the islandsâ generally unforgiving conditions. The sailing was rarely easy, and often pretty unfriendly, but it taught us how to stay sharp, adjust expectations, and how to accept when nature has the final say. We werenât sure if HawaiÊ»i was just a tough place to cruise or if we were still green to the âcruising lifeâ, but it was probably both. Leaving was hard, but we knew it was time. The first few days offshore were rough. The trades were vindictive; it felt at times like the islands were trying to keep us from leaving. We beat into the wind straight out of the gate for nearly a week. The seas were big at first, then settled into a more manageable size, but still squarely on the beam, making things uncomfortably rolly and sleep scarce. Eventually, we broke free and found lighter air west of the North Pacific High. It felt like we were no longer fighting with the boat, but sailing with her. We exhaled for the first time in a week. The gennaker went up and we had a calm, steady run north for several days. It was such a relief after all the pounding and trimming and second-guessing. Then we hit the so-called westerlies. And of course, they werenât westerlies. Once again, we were nose to the wind, slogging through more upwind sailing. A high-pressure ridge built in behind a cold front, flipping the winds from southwesterlies to northeasterlies and blowing us days off the rhumb line. The wind gods were absolutely not on our side. When we finally broke through, the real westerlies arrived, but they were light. Still, we managed one-and-a-half glorious days of fast and slightly chaotic downwind sailing. Big seas from a low pressure system rolled beneath us as we surfed along, finally moving the way should have been. Then, the wind faded again, and we made the call to motor-sail hard northeast to stay ahead of the next low lining up for the coast. In the final stretch, the wind hovered between 10 and 15 knots at 90 to 120 degrees apparent. We sailed when we could and motor-sailed when it dropped below 10 knots, just doing whatever it took to keep moving ~6 knots. This morning, around 20 nautical miles offshore, we spotted land (Mt. Edgecumbe, a dormant stratovolcano) for the first time. It was dark and distant beneath a heavy, grey sky, barely touched by the light of the rising sun. Ten miles later, we could smell it. Trees. Earth. Mulch? Something that wasnât ocean (or our own stench đ seriously, no one warns you how BAD things smell after three weeks at sea lol). Humpback whales, otters, seals, bald eagles, and ravens greeted us as we entered Sitka Sound. We felt like we were in a National Geographic special. We dropped the sails and motored into our slip at Eliason Harbor around 8 AM local time. We spent the morning walking around town, picking up bear spray, and grabbing a local beer. Porter got a long, well-deserved walk. Everyone weâve met has been kind and welcoming. Now weâre back on the boat, salty, stinky, and exhausted, slowly piecing together what comes next. First up is definitely a nap. Then, a shower and laundry. After, weâll deep clean and start fixing the things that broke along the way. But for now, weâre just sitting still and reflecting. We crossed the Pacific. And it feels pretty damn good đ€
Not my favorite sail. Started off with 25 kts on the nose and heavy rain out of NÄwiliwili. Big east swell. Tacks were disheartening and uncomfortable. Got great speed around Anahola. The downwind portion along the northern stretch sucked big time. Swell was on the beam and big. Happy to be back in Hanalei.
Exploring rivers with @David and @Porter might just be my favorite thing in the world. Thereâs something about these little missions that fills me up completely! Iâm seriously never happier. This time, the river felt like a portal. For a moment, it was as if weâd slipped into the Amazon. The HÄÊ»upu Ridge loomed above us, and low-hanging mango trees, thick mangroves, and bright shampoo ginger crowded the banks. Monkey pod trees were in bloom and their sweeping canopies dusted with delicate white and pink tufts looked like something out of Avatar. Eywa trees in real life!
Squally sail from Hanalei to NÄwiliwili Harbor on the SE corner of KauaÊ»i. Light upwind sail against an average E swell until KapaÊ»a. We looked forward to the squalls to bring stronger winds, otherwise we had to motor sail. Caught ~18lb Kawakawa (mackerel) đŁ