Alcatraz Challenge this May - First Time Open Water

Hey all, Just registered for an 1.5 mile open water swim in May - part of me thinks I'm nuts, but part of me is excited as hell for this. Had a few questions for more experienced open water swimmers out there... 1) Open water swimming - How does it differ from closed pool swimming? I've read a number of people mention "sighting", which is where I assume you look where you're going, but unsure how to incorporate that into normal breathing (where I look to side). 2) Open water training - I was a state / varsity level swimmer in high school, but afterwards have only sparingly swam. So, I don't think I could swim the full distance easily right now. My plan is to build up to 3 miles in a closed pool over next 2 months, then start training in open water over next 2 months. I found some plans (below), but what training programs have other people used? I have about 4 months to prepare... 100swimmingworkouts.com/ 3) Wetsuit - what do you look for in a wetsuit? Where do you normally find these? Besides the "who knows where this has been" factor (which presumably could be fixed with a wash), is there anything wrong with used wetsuits (seem significantly cheaper)? Thanks!