FBYC Three Week Italian Cruise/Tour April 29-May 20, 2006

The FBYC Cruising Division is going to Italy for a tour and cruise in 2006 that you won’t want to miss! Wayland Rennie has developed a land tour that will include the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, as well as four days in Rome. The one week cruise on 40’ plus yachts will depart from Naples and tour the Bay of Naples with anchorages at such scenic spots as Capri, Amalfi, Ischia, Sorrento, and Procida. You may evaluate some of the cruise destinations by going to www.capriweb.com. There are multiple photos and itineraries to provide ample information on the wonderful historical areas that we will visit.

The itinerary can be found at www.fbyc.net. Our goal is to provide three weeks of touring and cruising for about $6,000 per person (double occupancy). The final pricing will depend on the number of participants, so look over the itinerary, and then call your best friends to join us on this trip to Italy. Non-members of FBYC are welcome. We will have a tour guide on every stop on the land tour, and Captain Wayland Rennie to guide us on the water.

We will depart from Washington and may have a bus take us up and back; the price of the trip will include the flight over and back, selected meals, transportation while in Italy, the tour guides, and the boats.

More details will follow after your deposit has been received. Early deadlines and deposits will allow us to ensure that the costs of this trip are kept at a minimum. Complete details of the cruising itinerary will follow in the near future.

Don’t wait to evaluate and respond as we will need to have firm commitments and deposits in the as outlined in the website information. First come, first served and thrilled to be a part of this continuing FBYC adventure series with ‘Chief’ Wayland Rennie. Contact either Wayland Rennie (home: 353 7708, wayrennie@comcast.net) or Tony Sakowski (home: 285 3347, doctorlasik@aol.com) for more information. We would like to hear from you as soon as possible if you have serious interest in this trip; deadline dates and deposit amounts are listed at the end of the website article. A form is included in the article; please print it out and return it to us ASAP.

This posting is also availble in Word format as an attachment Here

Italian Itinerary

29 April 2006 -Saturday

Departure from Dulles International in the late afternoon or so for our overnight flight to Rome. We hope to have transportation available for an additional fee to the Washington airport from Richmond for those who would prefer to not drive themselves

30 April 2006 -Sunday

We arrive in Rome and are met by our tour escort for the transfer to the Montepulciano area by private bus. Lunch and afternoon at leisure walking the town before we settle down in our villa for the night.

After breakfast, we depart for Sienna for a guided walking tour (one mile) including the Piazza de Campus, museum, deli, Opera, Duomo and Baptistery. Lunch and afternoon at leisure for exploring, shopping or relaxing before our return to Montepulciano. Dinner is included in the package price.

02 May 2006 -Tuesday

We leave for Florence (one hour by bus) for a full day excursion touring Piazza de Duomo, including the museum, baptistery/tower, famous North Doors, and cathedral. Lunch nearby, then do a visit to the Accademia Museum which houses many of Michaelangelo’s finest works. Return by the hill town of San Gmignano for late afternoon pictures and then on to Montepulciano for dinner (included in package).

03 May 2006 -Wednesday

Bus to Florence for a tour of the Uffizi Galleries (1.5 hours). We will visit the Piazza Della Signoria (sculptures, statues), and Loggia Della Signoria. Return to Montepulciano by way of Monteriggioni. Dinner and wine tasting in Montalcino, which is nearby to Monteriggioni.

04 May 2006 -Thursday

Travel two hours to Pisa for a brief tour of the tower, and cathedral. Then we drive a short distance to Lucca, which exemplifies Roman city planning and orderly development. Perhaps we will have an early dinner at one of the fine restaurants in Lucca, and then return by expressway to Montepulciano. Dinner included in the package.

05 May 2006 -Friday

We have a late breakfast, then visit Arrezzo close by with wonderful wines, luncheon and sites to wander that day. We will return by expressway to Montepulciano for dinner, which is included in the package.

06 May 2006 -Saturday

Today we transfer from the Villa in Montepulciano area to the Florence railway station and will board a Eurostar train (first class seating) for the four hour ride to Naples. Upon arrival in Naples, we will be met by the charter company for a transfer to the Port of Naples. We will board our boats and spend the night after instruction on the use of our yachts. Quiet dinner ashore.

07-12 May 2006, Sunday-Friday

Sail to Islands in Gulf of Naples, with visits ashore including dinner on Ishia, Capri, Amalfi, or Positano. We will sail south to Paestum to see the spectacular Roman Temple, if weather permits. Most days our sailing will be about 12 miles, with the Paestrum trip being 25 miles each way. We can spend two days in one spot if the weather is disagreeable.

13 May 2006 -Saturday

We will check-in our boats, and then transfer to our Naples hotel. In the afternoon, we will journey to Pompeii and Vesuvius (a 3.5 hour trip).

14 May 2006 -Sunday

Leave Naples by motor coach and travel to Rome. Our hotel will either be the Ciceroe or Dianna, both of which are close to the Vatican and historic Rome. We can take an easy walk in the afternoon to Captoine Hill and the Roman Forum (2 hours).

15 May 2006 -Monday

We will do an early tour of the Vatican to include St. Peters, Sistine Chapel, and the Tapestry Museum. This can be very time consuming, even with special tickets (3.5 hours). Late lunch at the hotel with a short rest will be scheduled. We plan to attend a musical event in the evening.

16 May 2006 -Tuesday

We will bus to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, St. Mary Maggiore (Pieta by Michelangelo), and St. Invincoli. We will have lunch en route to the Catacombs, and a tour that takes about 2 hours. We will end the day with a musical performance and spectacular views of the Baths of Caracallo.

17 May 2006 -Wednesday

We bus to Rome’s financial district, and high fashion center for a “look”. In the afternoon we will visit Ostia Antiqua, an ancient seaport.

18 May 2006 -Thursday

We bus to Tivoli and the hills above Rome to see Villa d’Este and Villa Adriana, built by Cardinal Este and Emperor Hadrian, respectively. After lunch, we return to the hotel for a short walking tour of nearby points of interest.

19 May 2006 -Friday

We will visit the National Museum of Rome.

20 May 2006 -Saturday

This morning, we transfer from our hotel to Rome's Fiumicino Airport for our return flight to Dulles.

In order to plan appropriately with the land tour and yacht charter companies, we will institute the following schedule of payments and penalties for cancellation. Pricing is based on double occupancy per room (land tour); a surcharge of approximately a $1,000 more per person will be applicable for a single person occupying a ‘double room’ on the land tour. Four to five persons will be assigned to each yacht.

Initial deposit of interest: $500 per person is due by Dec. 15, 2005.

Final, full payment per person for trip is due on or before Jan. 15, 2006

The final cost will be $5,000 to $6,000 per person, depending on the number of participants; we will have a better idea about the final cost after receiving the initial deposits and will notify those who have made a deposit of the final cost no later than Jan. 2, 2006.

Refund policy on initial deposit is as follows:

100% before Jan. 15, 2006

50% before Feb. 1 and after Jan. 15, 2006

0% on or after Feb.1, 2006

Refund policy on full payment of trip minus the deposit

100% before Feb. 8, 2006

0% on or after Feb. 8, 2006

We encourage everyone to obtain travel cancellation insurance for this trip.

Our Italy package includes the following:

13 nights at selected hotels

Buffet breakfast daily

7 dinners, plus 2 lunches in local restaurants

Beverages at each meal

Two wine tastings

Motor coach services as per itinerary

Tour Escort at disposal from 30 April to 6 Many, and from 13-20 May, 2006

First class train ticket from Florence to Naples

Local guide services in Sienna, Florence, Naples, Pompeii, and Rome.

Entrance fees to Duomo and Baptistery in Sienna, Academia, Uffizi Museum, and Santa Croce Cathedral in Florence, excavations of Pompeii, and the Coliseum in Rome. Porter service (one piece of luggage per passenger)

Cost to lease the sailboats for the trip off the coast of Italy.

Our Italy package does not include:

Airport Taxes, fees, Sept. 11th security charge, and fuel surcharges (approximately $180 per person, subject to change without notice, until time of ticketing)

Headsets on the airplanes (bring your own!)

Tips to tour escort, driver, and local guides

Items of a personal nature

Please return the following form to Tony Sakowski at: 6 Tapoan Road, Richmond, VA., 23226, no later than Dec. 15, 2005.

Name of participant (s):_________________________________________________

Preferred Address:_______________________________________________________

Home Phone__________ Office Phone__________ Cell Phone________________

Email Address:_________________(very important to have for instant communication)

Initial Deposit of $500 per person enclosed?

Member of FBYC: Yes__ No__

What is your level of sailing experience?

______________________________________________________________

Will you be able to walk the tour as outlined above without assistance?

Will you be willing to share a room, or will you prefer to have a separate room for an extra fee?