What this is

All,

I thought it would be worthwhile to put together a blog to document my travels this October. Here's a quick timeline of my adventure:

• 10/01/08: Depart from Washington, DC via Alitalia @ 16:45.
• 10/02/08: Arrive in Paris. Depart for Naples @ 09:35. Arrive in Naples @ 11:50. Spend time with relatives while there. Hopefully visit the National Archeological Museum and the infamous Secret Room. Here in Naples I have relatives whose apartment I'll be staying at. Their apartment occupies the top 2 floors of an apartment building in Naples. Lemon and orange trees grow outside on the roofdeck terrace. On one side you can see the Isle of Capri; on the other side you can see Mt. Vesuvious & Pompeii. I'll be sure to send photos.
  
• 10/03/08: Overnight ferry (SNAV) from Naples to Palermo. This should be pretty exciting. I paid extra for a seat. Hopefully it'll be worth it. I've never taken an overnight ferry but have done an overnight train from St. Petersburg to Moscow (very Soviet style).
  
• 10/04/08: Arrival in Palermo. Likely setting up the boat and hopefully getting out on the water for a practice sail.
  
• 10/04/08: 5O5 World Championship (Includes European Championship): This is the main purpose of the trip -- competing in the world championship for a class of sailboats known as the 5O5. More information about the regatta and results can be found on the regatta website (http://www.505worlds2008.com/).
  
• 10/18/08: Fly back to JFK for the wedding of Ted Wittenstein & Alyssa Greenwald (two college friends). It's being held at the Essex House on Central Park South (http://www.jumeirahessexhouse.com/) and is likely going to be the nicest wedding I ever attend (except maybe for my own, of course).
  
• 10/19/08: Wedding brunch at the Yale Club of New York City & train back to DC
• 10/20/08: Stumble into work
  

Some FAQs about the trip:

• What's a 5O5? A 5O5 is a high-performance sailing dinghy that's sailed by two people. It has a trapeze for the crew and is generally considered one of the most technical and fastest two-handed dinghies. See the US website (http://www.usa505.org) for more information.
  
• Who are you sailing with? I'm sailing with John Wyles, a friend of mine from Rye, NY. He owns the boats and drives it. I crew (trim the jib and spinnaker). I'll get a photo up when I get the chance.
• How do you get your boat to Italy? It's easy. You put it into a shipping container and send it on a big ship, just like everything else in the world.
  
• Who'll be sailing in the regatta? There'll be approximately 12 teams from the USA, and teams will be coming from places such as the UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, and Poland.
  
• Who are Ted and Alyssa? Ted and Alyssa are a wonderful couple I met at Yale. I first met Alyssa (and will be sitting on her side of the aisle), though I lived with Ted in a house in VA for a couple of years following college.
  
• Are you concerned about Alitalia? Yes! The worst case I think is if they go under during the trip.
• How do hope to leave Palermo at 06:45 Saturday morning and get to NYC for a 18:00 wedding? Luck, time zone differences, and lots of logistical planning.
• Is it true you bought a tuxedo? Yup. I was inclined to get a white dinner jacket to complete the James Bond look, but passed.
• Are you taking photos? Yes, an incredible number will be taken.
• Can you bring me back XYZ from Italy? I likely can. Let me know what it is.

Well, I'm off on Wednesday. I will hopefully try to get something off when I arrive in Naples.