IMAGES OF THE EXPEDITION – Vinny and Vittorio after the parade

If you followed the 2007 expedition down the Hudson River, or if you’ve been through the gondolablog a few times, you know that the man in the striped shirt here is Vittorio Orio. The man on the left with the red, white and green sash is another “unsung hero” of our expedition. His name is Vincent Tummino and he was instrumental in so many ways. “Vinny”, as we call him, is a retired FDNY firefighter with over 36 years of active service and is the current president of the International Columbia Association
(see http://www.internationalcolumbia.com/).

Why is Vinny an unsung hero?

He helped me plan things logistically,

interfaced with city authorities,

picked up Vittorio, Enzo and Bepi from JFK airport and brought them up to Albany,

transported the gondola trailer back down to the NYC area,

found a place to store it for a week,

organized and hosted the ceremony at Ground Zero,

arranged the towing of the gondola to Staten Island,

hauled her out on trailer,

got us a spot in the Columbus Day Parade,

provided a tow vehicle for the parade,

got me in touch with Staten Island Towing Service,

and brought the gondola to Staten Island Towing so she could be placed in the truck for her ride home to California.

Vinny also handled lodging for some of the team while in the NYC area and handled many other things I can’t think of right now – probably because I didn’t have to think about them.

For these and many other contributions, I speak for the team when I say “thanks Vinny, we couldn’t have done it without you”.

LUGGAGE, LUGGAGE, LUGGAGE!

A close-up shot of the van, jam-packed with suitcases.

Here’s a salute to the unsung hero of our expedition: my wife Elisa.
While we were rowing down the river, she was:

Checking us out of our hotels (often the group stayed in two hotels)
Packing everybody’s luggage into the van (from both hotels)
Driving it down to the next two hotels
Checking us in to the new hotels
Getting the luggage distributed properly
Taking phone calls from the press
Answering e-mails from the press
Shopping for last-minute items
Keeping our business interests at home on-track
And half of the time, with our two daughters in-tow

You want to know who my heroes are? I mentioned some of them in my post on November 9th, but above them all is the woman I married.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also give a big thanks to Martina and Daniela Zane for helping with some of the above items when they were on-hand. This expedition could not have been a success without the kind of “backstage” support we received.

The support team

Here’s a look at some of the expedition’s great support staff:

NEREO ZANE -Photographer, translator, and planning liaison
Nereo was born and raised in Venice, Italy. He is the host of www.vogaveneta.it where a great amount of information on Venetian rowing can be found. Nereo is also currently building the Italian-language blog for this expedition. His business is computer based but his passion is photography. He is publishing a book of photos entitled "Leoni & Gondole" which focuses on the "Lion of St. Mark" and gondolas - both are considered symbols of Venice.
This expedition would not be happening if not for the efforts of Nereo. He has spent great time and effort coordinating between the two groups on either side of the Atlantic. His work in translation, coordinating, and his enthusiasm have been invaluable to this expedition.
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MARTINA ZANE – Translator
Martina has served as an official translator for both Gondola Adventures™, Inc. and the Gondola Society of America. She is fluent in Italian, English and Spanish. Her language skills will be helpful in relaying information between team members and answering press inquiries.
_______________________________________

ELISA MOHR – Travel agent, press liaison, driver
Elisa is a travel agent and handles the lodging arrangements for the team while travelling down the Hudson. Drawing from her successes in running Gondola Adventures™, Inc. (see www.gondola.com) she serves as the press liaison, writing the daily press releases during the trip and answering any questions that come from news sources. Overall, Elisa is our on-shore problem solver. One of her favorite phrases is, “There are no problems; only solutions.”
On a personal note, Elisa is my wife of 14 years, and ultimately capable of accomplishing anything she sets out to do. She is amazing. There is nobody I would rather have on-shore and watching over us than Elisa. She is a blessing in my life every day.
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MIKE NOVACK - Gondola owner and operator - New Jersey and Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Mike serves as the Vice President to the Gondola Society of America. He has a remarkable enthusiasm for gondolas and the GSA. His regular duties include producing the GSA newsletter, and making sure various inquiries are relayed properly. Mike’s knowledge of the city and his contacts throughout the area make him our “go-to guy” in Manhattan. Mike’s website is www.gondolaman.com.