The vessel the Florida Highway is supposed to be headed towards its next port, Baltimore. And, maybe I'm paranoid, but it has departed Southampton and appears to be headed in the wrong direction and creating a desperate need of some consoling from you experienced vessel observers...

Can anyone explain why the Florida Highway (having departed Southampton towards its next port of Baltimore) is now chugging "full steam" up the English Channel (towards Bremerhaven) rather than down the English Channel (towards the Atlantic Ocean and Baltimore)?

Position of Florida Highway


Voyage Details:
Booking Number- GBSOU1081348
Vessel Name- FLORIDA HIGHWAY
Voyage Number- 0046-FHI
Port of Load- SOUTHAMPTON 14-12-2012
Port of Discharge- BALTIMORE, MD 26-12-2012


Status-
RECEIVED AT TERMINAL SOUTHAMPTON 06-12-2012 19:53:00
BOOKED AT TERMINAL SOUTHAMPTON 06-12-2012 19:52:00 1

 

Ouch, I just checked it on marinetraffic.com, and it shows the same thing.

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/def...date=lastknown

I remember getting nervous when my ship swung around the east side of the Isle of Wight (which I'm sure is SOP), but then it went back westbound in the middle of the channel. It definitely didn't go where Florida Highway went.

I wish I could offer something consoling...

 

I was also a little nervous at the Isle of Wight. But As with your vessel, I expected her to head around the Isle and westward to Baltimore and not northward into the North Sea and around the north side of the UK???

I went to see K-Line routes and they all follow the traditional out of Southampton, around the Isle of Wight and west across the Atlantic to the east coast of the USA. To make it more mysterious I notice that she is the only vessel I can see in the are headed north along the UK coast with a final destination of the US east coast (Baltimore, in particular). She's now east of Edinburgh.

Anyone wish to weigh in on the not so magical, but yet mysterious journey of the Florida Highway?....

As of 2012-12-16T23:23:00 (UTC)
Lat/Lon: 55.844921 / 1.962267
Speed/Course: 18.8 kn / 317°

 

That last track may be an error. I know the signals can show some very weird results.

Are you sure your car is on that ship?


EDIT: OK, not necessarily an anomaly. The previous track was 9 AM, and the one up north is 11:30 PM. So that's not unthinkable progress. Perhaps it's gong on a more-northerly route because of weather or some such?

BTW, the sailwx link is broken.

 

VIN of Cocoa in Track and Trace shows lists that vessel as shown above.

But, that vessel's Voyage Number (0046-FHI), when clicked on, shows "This voyage does not exist. Please enter a valid voyage number."

The booking number (GBSOU1081348) shows 330 vehicles of which one has has Cocoa's VIN.

I cannot locate any web site for RO/RO ships that show that northerly route. In fact, all the routes head down the English Channel and West to the USofA.

And, the ship periodically disappears off the AIS.

What is going on here? I hope nothing nefarious is happening...

Where are the sea detectives? No sleuths on board the NAM?

 

Perhaps there's lot of volume along the normal shipping lanes that the ship is trying to avoid. It's the holidays after all.

 

Pirates!!
They hijacked your car!!

LOL...bet there is just another stop first...just like in aviation....routing is not always direct!! Relax, and enjoy the wait!!

 

Maybe it's going on a sea cruise.

But, then again, since the next scheduled port is supposed to be Baltimore and not the North Pole...

Being on the green side, the vessel had retraced part of its route up the (English Channel) > Bremerhaven > down the (English Channel) > Southampton > up the (English Channel) to through the (North Sea) to NW of the UK where it is now, burning extra fuel and time in addition to adding time/distance from Southampton > Baltimore by going around both the UK and Ireland.

Someone must be able to give an explanation....

 

The only reason I could see for a ship to transit north of the British Isles heading to the US East Coast would be if it was making an intermediate call in Iceland.

But this K-Line timetable doesn't show that: http://www.kline.com/KAMCarCarrier/S...g_Schedule.XLS

But then that timetable says it was going to Bremerhaven before Southampton.

PIRATES!

 

One thing for sure, the ship's wanderings will make your recollections of the entire experience even more enjoyable...from one who is still following the Tonsberg around the globe since January 2012!

 

I hate to inform you but the ship Florida Highway is captained by none other than Captain Peter "Wrongway" Peachfuzz of Rocky & Bullwinkle fame!

 

I think the captain spotted a wolf pack of U-Boats in the Channel and decided it was safer to risk the weather of the North Atlantic for a crossing.

 

The Timetable does not show any intermediate stops between Southampton and Baltimore, but we'll be following her and Captain Peter "Wrongway" Peachfuzz.

The Florida Highway has so far has left the Atlantic Ocean and gone up the English Channel (passing Southampton) > Bremerhaven > back down the English Channel > Southampton > up the English Channel through the North Sea around the northern tip of UK and Ireland merrily burning extra fuel and wasting time until Cocoa arrives at Baltimore.

Marine Traffic

 

Nominated for most entertaining thread - December.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Hmm...starting to sound like your MINI is taking a trip to visit Santa before she gets moving in the right direction. Maybe Rudolph can help guide Florida Highway back to Baltimore when they fly over next week?

 

It is perfectly normal for ships to disappear off the map for a while. The receiver coverage in mid-ocean is non-existent, so unless the ship reports in via satellite you get no updates until she gets within several hundred miles of land. The Platinum Ray was off the charts for a couple of weeks during her crossing. She finally showed up off the coast of Panama.

 

We haven't lost track of her and Captain Peachfuzz (thanks Sabre).
He's off the NW of Ireland headed directly West toward Greenland...


Florida Highway since entering the English Channel:
Left the Atlantic Ocean and up the English Channel (passing Southampton) > Bremerhaven > back down the English Channel > Southampton > up the English Channel through the North Sea around the northern tip of UK and Ireland merrily burning extra fuel and wasting time until Cocoa arrives at Baltimore.

 

do I qualify as one of those experts, I was a ship Captain - not a fishing boat or a charter - USCG Cutters?

the shipping business is SO $ conscious that I have to believe there is some current speed issue vs fuel consumption that makes this route desirable.

As a sailor (I've sat in the Captains chair for a few years) this one escapes me, but I sailed the Carib' for most of my time, and a little in the Bering Sea . . . little experience in 'the Channel' area. One thing I can say with confidence. It is not just killing time - like he can't arrive in Balt until .... - to kill time he'd anchor and not burn fuel.

But short of asking the Master, I doubt we'll ever know.

 

'Fraid not, you didn't even know about the wolf packs, never mind stopping off at Santa's lair - best reason yet.

 

Loving this thread!

 

Icebergs...ain't no stink'n icebergs this far north, eh?

Besides, it seems shorter to go in a circle around the top of the Uk than a straight line across the ocean.

And the English Channel argument...he went up and down the thing 3 times, the last one was up to head to the North Sea which he could've skipped had he just headed out into the Atlantic. Also, do some looking at other vessels up this area, none came from the south of the UK; They all came from up in the North Sea?????

And, to add further insult to Captain Peachfuzz, the other ships departing Southampton to Baltimore take 8 - 9 days straight across the Atlantic whereas his jaunt through the oceanside is predicted to take 11 - 12 days.

All other ships in that northern area headed toward the USA east are originating out of ports in and around the North Sea. Plus, all RO/RO contractors show routes down (South) out the English Channel to the Atlantic.

What is Captain (Master) Peachfuzz up to?

 

Captain Peachfuzz must've had a nip as he's now head'n towards New Foundland which is sort of in the right direction.

 

I'm just happy to see open ocean in front of him finally. I am actually starting to relax just knowing the process is happening. Thaks Motorworf for all of the useful info and links. I am not sure I would have discovered all that you did.

I am still not off home plate as far as a name. Might be something we have to take ownership of and drive for a while before the right inspiration sets in.

 

I think the captain has satellite internet and when he read Llanrhaeadr_Cymru's info about wolf packs he got seriously twitched and he dcieded that it would be safer to zig-zag his way across the Atlantic so them torpedoes will just skim harmlessly by him.

He's definitely now taking the route that passes below the US hydrophone array on the Greenland-Iceland gap just in case they pick him up and send the wolf pack north to intercept.

Man, they can't be sleeping nights on that ship with all these threats.

And your new cars are guaranteed not to have any tools kits as I bet they've tied them to a rope and are trailing them in their wake to jangle around and cause any acoustic torpedoes to blow them up and not the ship....

 

Wolf packs?

Captain Peachfuzz says, "C'mon, don't pee on my leg and then tell me it's raining."