February 2010
You may remember the athletic owner of Bialla Vineyards made an attempt last year to set a new relay world record by swimming the Sea of Cortez , only to be obliterated by a severe storm and zero visibility at night after swimming 48 miles in 15 hours. Safety came first but that didn't accomplish the mission.
Like our soldiers in combat, we may get challenged but that doesn't mean we give up.
So we are at it again raising money for our Wounded Warriors. There is a very special opportunity here for our fans of Bialla Vineyards I'd like to pass on that's why we are sending this to you.
First for the swim we have recruited a dream team of local open water swimmers -- the best in Mexico, possibly in the world. They train in the Sea of Cortez, swim the English Channel and win races all over the world.
Nora Toledano was the first and only Mexican, first Latin American woman and sixth person to complete a double-crossing of the English Channel. Her teammates, Monica Ramirez and Edna Llorens, have equally impressive resumes and dominate when they swim. The Night Train Swimmers from the US are long distance specialist Paul Lundgren; Christine Gonsalez, extensive open water swimmer and Vito Bialla, co-CEO of Bialla Vineyards with Linda.
On May 24th at 6am we will depart on the shore of the most wonderful resort, the Gran Sueno www.gransueno.com just east of La Paz and swim straight across the Sea of Cortez hoping to reach the shore roughly 160 miles away some 72 hours later.
If you'd like to make a contribution to Wounded Warriors Project simply go to www.swimseaofcortez2010.com and click on the WWP donation link -- this tracks our fundraising effort.
Here is what we have been able to arrange and why I'm sending to you.
We call this our VIP option and that requires you to make a fully tax deductible donation, again directly to the Wounded Warrior Project in the amount of $10 k per person. Besides the tax write -off we have arranged for the following as an added perk:
Free accommodations for one week at one of the most prestigious and newest hideaway resorts in Baja, the Gran Sueno. This resort is a $100 million project and the owner is very passionate about our fundraising swim.
Gran Sueno has included 100% free food and drink, all you can handle for a week including of course Bialla Vineyards wine. You'll get ground transportation from La Paz or San Jose Del Cabo to the resort. The safety in this gated resort is beyond reproach. You will have unlimited golf at Tom Doak's newest designed golf course. Also included are free tennis, kayaks, snorkeling, unlimited equestrian facilities with specially trained exotic quarter horses, a spa treatment, and live satellite transmission of the swimmers as they cross the Sea for roughly 72 hours. Numerous special dinners and a champagne send off celebration on the 24th at yes, 6am. The list goes on.
Additionally, we have a special guest speaker named Martin Strel; Martin is crazier then we are. There will be a special showing of his film, Big River Man, as he swam down the Amazon in 66 days. His film just debuted in New York Jan 2010. For more on Martin please see www.amazonswim.com.
You should know that Martin is doing his appearance for free and is in the process of using his effort and shifting his cause to Wounded Warrior Project. Not bad for a person who is not a US citizen.
Rest assured there are no condo presentations; there is no hook. There is only a very soft spot in the hearts for all those involved in honoring our Wounded Warriors. The ability to raise money, bring a few friends together who share a common cause and make a difference in the world is an honor for us.
The VIP option is limited to nine private Villas and is first come first serve. Some of the Villas even have private swimming pools. If you want an idea how nice they are, let's just say Presidents of countries have stayed there recently.
If you are interested in this VIP Option please email Carolyn Carpeneti at
The deadline for reservations and donations is March 15th. If you can't make it, you can also send a guest.
All information on the event is on www.swimseaofcortez2010.com. To make a donation, follow the Wounded Warrior Project donation link. For VIP donation and reservation please email carolyn@bialla.com or call her at 415-332-7111
Thanks for sharing our passion.
Vito, Linda and Dick