In about 4 days -- 96 hours -- our MINIs should be toddling off the CH at Charleston. (Or will they be teetering? Depends on how hard they partied on their cruise!) The location blackout has been a bit of a bummer. I, for one, was really looking forward to watching the dots across the ocean, but was satisfied with tracking the Indy II, which ran about 4 hours behind our ship.

So here's my question: What do you folks think our MINIs were doing on board during their stealth voyage?

 

shameless buuummmp

According to the K-Line schedule, we should be in the Baltimore area today. Crab cakes for everyone!! Mmmmm, I do miss those jumbo lump gobs of goodness.

 

Here she be boys and girls! This mustve been yesterday/today in Baltimore.

 

Thanks for the aerial, this week has been killing me. Just a couple more days and were off to the VDC for another QA. I am really hoping that I can pick him up from the dealer next week.

 

Does anyone know if they install the JCW Aero kit at the VDC or do they wait and do that at my dealer?

Just kind of curious as to when it should get to the dealer and how much will still have to be done once it gets here.

 

Hopefully this thread is not dead. But shouldn't today be the day our Mini's arrive in the good ol USA??

Anybody know how to confirm this?

Thanks!

 

Just found this to help us out today.

http://www.scspa.com/vessel_schedule.asp

This page is updated every 30 minutes. If you scroll halfway down the page, the Caribbean Highway is listed as expected to dock today!! Hopefully it moves to the Currently Docked section soon!!

 

Okay, a couple of days ago she was in Baltimore, then left headed for Charleston, or so I thought. She is currently in Jacksonville, FL. Don't know what is up with that, maybe the storm that is hitting North and South Carolina. Anyway here is how you find her. The below link is current infomation.

http://mobile.vesseltracker.com/mobi...11&minus=-#map

Also, Vessletracker.com has a google earth plugin, but it tends to be a day behind.

I am pretty sure that my MY Clubman is on board! Hopefully we will all see them soon.

Chris

 

Bad news!!! According to http://www.scspa.com/vessel_schedule.asp, the Caribbean Highway is now due to hit port tomorrow (9/26) instead of today!!!

 

You beat me to it.

I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't dock tomorrow either. However, Saturday it's supposed to be clear in Charleston, SC. So we may have lost two days. Way better than our Mini's getting damaged and having to take a few weeks to fix them.

 

Good point, a healthy Mini 2 days late is much better than one that sits in the VDC for a couple of weeks needing repairs!

 

If this might run into more than a couple of day delay. If they get in late enough tomorrow, or whatever, might they not inspect the cars until Monday?

I am not sure of the hours of operation, but pretty sure that if they need to be inspected that might not be something that is done over the weekend.

Thoughts?

 

The Mini Tracking thread says that the Charleston VDC is "6am to 2pm EST, Sun - Sat. Full week production.". I am not sure if that means they do inspections 7 days a week.

 

I'm not so worried with whether they do inspections on the weekend. The way I figure is that they would have taken all of today to unload the cars. Then our cars would be at the back of line on Friday. So if they didn't inspect on weekends, we would be waiting til Monday anyways.

This way they get unloaded on Saturday, and inspected on Monday/Tuesday.

Like I said before... I think at worst case we lost a day or two.

 

Yep. Just looked again and it still says tomorrow for port call in SC.

 

http://mobile.vesseltracker.com/mobi...11&minus=-#map

IT'S MOVING!!!!!!

 

...and weather radar shows that nasty coastal storm starting to move away from Charleston. Oh well, this just gives our little guys yet one more night to party on board! So how many times are we going to look at that little picture tonight to watch the red star move?

 

At some point it will be off of tracking until it is back into a port area. I think with how crazy people are, my self included, they should have a webcam!

I would say sleep tight tonight and check again tomorrow morning.

 

Good news! She's now docked in Charleston!

 

I knew I should have posted this before driving in to work. Beat to the punch again!!

Am I the only one imagining a parade of Mini's coming off a boat?

 

http://www.scspa.com/vessel_schedule.asp

According to this site (updated every 30 minutes) our ship got in at 0640EST, and started unloading at 0700EST.

The parade has begun!!

 

Thanks for the update guys, lets hope for a speedy trip through the VDC and on to car carriers!

 

Yes, Wizeguy, I picture them parading down the ramp. I suspect they wobble on land like Capt. Jack Sparrow for a few minutes, especially after that storm. Whoa!! Terra firma!

Last night I watched the video about the VDC in the OL, showing all the MINIs fresh off the ship, getting their protective strips removed, having their first baths (awwww), and, the most exciting part, being loaded onto trucks to go to their new homes. Here's to getting all the cosmoline off the first time!

 

I wonder how long the EPA emissions testing on the MCS will hold things up. I am assuming that once things get backed up that it will take a while to catch up.

I was patiently waiting until I found this thread any you guys got me all wound up. Now I can't wait.

 

Count on it weeping out from various orifices for a few weeks!

Depending on how heavily they swathed it on, you may find it for months. I gave my car a bath the other day and noticed a little cosmoline residue on the bonnet by the lower right side of the grille. I've had my car since August 23rd.

For the first two weeks, it dripped onto both front wheel arches from the lower sides of the bonnet. You have to really watch it; you don't want the cosmoline to etch the plastic or the paint. A damp rag will remove it with a little elbow grease, but remember since it's petroleum-based, it can be removed easily with products with petroleum in them. I've heard some people use a rag with a little WD-40 on it. Spray-on Goo-Gone worked for me. I've also heard Simple Green will do the trick, but I didn't try it. The hot weather tends to make this stuff a mess, although I guess most people in the states are starting to cool off by now.

Enjoy your cars...won't be long now!