Carlo Facchino Ocean Rowing

07/06/2023

One year ago today, I left San Francisco on July 5th in a 19 foot ocean rowboat. It was great to see many friends and smiling faces on the dock for my departure. Thanks Betsy Everett for being my “Everything” support and Dawn Marie Wadle for being my medical support. The row wouldn’t have happened without them!
A big thanks to Thiago, Matheus, Keith, Marcia, Stephanie, Rich, Reid, Emilie, Jean, Raphael, Candy, J.P., Stephanie and Athena for braving the foggy morning and sending me off with lots of hugs!!

10/13/2022

Thanks Standard Process Inc.! Amazing time seeing the organic farm and meeting everyone at headquarters.

09/25/2022

The last 10 days have passed in the blink of an eye… It's been quite the roller coaster and has taken me a few days to settle in, but I’m excited to be back on land and able to share more photos and videos from the row. As I reflect on my row I keep circling back to my arrival and the emotions I felt and the people who greeted me.
💙🚣‍♂️🌋🌺

It’s been hard to find the words to explain my feelings during my arrival to the Wailoa Boat Harbor on the morning of September 15th, but I will give it a try. I had just been through arguably the most difficult part of my journey. Here I was faced with colliding into society after 72 days solo on the Pacific, while also wanting nothing more than to crawl into my cabin one last time to work through the flood of emotions that came along with making the necessary choice to take a 5 mile tow in on the last day of my trip. To be honest, I had told Betsy that I didn’t want anyone there for my arrival. However, she and the small group of friends who had come to the Big Island were not having it. They knew better than I did how much I needed them to be there. Those who came out in the pouring rain…some friends and others total strangers…all there to celebrate my arrival mentioned how inspiring my row was to them and how excited they were to be a part of the moment. I was blown away by the constant stream of locals who offered me a helping hand, a cold beer, or just an excited smile, hug and congratulations for completing my row. I didn’t know them and yet they welcomed me with open arms. I don’t think anyone realizes these interactions and connections meant more to me than I could have imagined. It was their acceptance and generosity that touched me and gave me more than I could ever give them. They gave me what I needed to let go of my disappointment about the tow and permission and freedom to celebrate my accomplishment of rowing solo across the Pacific Ocean. Mahalo nui!

09/21/2022

These two! 💙🤩😎 Massive congratulations to Cyril Derreumaux Adventure for completing his solo kayak to Hawaii! What a special moment for Carlo and Cyril to share today! We are so proud of you both!

09/17/2022

Greetings from Hilo! We just want to give a huge shoutout to all of you who have supported Carlo throughout this amazing journey! We have also been incredibly grateful for the local support, kindness and generosity that we have experienced while here on the Big Island! 💙🙏🤝

Carlo is doing great and working on adjusting to life back on terra firma! We have had a busy couple days as we are also trying to make time to enjoy a bit of Hawaii! 🌺🌋 Carlo will share more about his arrival experience within the next few days, but we wanted to share a few photos from the last couple days. Enjoy! 😁

09/16/2022

https://bigislandnow.com/2022/09/16/wow-what-a-trip-californian-arrives-in-hilo-after-epic-crossing-of-pacific-in-a-rowboat/

After 73 days spent alone, rowing a boat nearly 2,400 miles across the world’s largest and deepest ocean, surviving on limited rations of mostly freeze-dried food, Carlo Facchino finished his epic San Francisco to Hilo journey.

09/16/2022

09/15/2022

So proud of this guy! 🌺😎

09/15/2022

Day 72 Arrival Update:
It has been a really rough 24 hours. Carlo is safe, which is most important. Overnight he was caught up in a combination of currents, winds and tides which have been extremely difficult to row through. The stretch of land north of Hilo is mostly rocky shoreline with no other harbor/dock options. This morning a big risk was him getting either blown into the rocky shoreline or being pulled up around the island and back out to sea.

Unfortunately this trip is not ending the way Carlo had planned. He is currently safe and eating on board a tug boat that is bringing him safely into the bay. He will be dropped off at the mouth of the harbor and then he will have to row the final short stretch.

Despite Carlo being pretty crushed about this ending, we all know he still did it! He is amazing and rowed solo across the Pacific Ocean for 72 days! He has felt you all supporting him and wants to let you all know how much it has meant to him!

We will provide more updates once we greet him at the harbor!