Hi!

I just called 1-866-ASK-MINI and was told that Tillie is now "Awaiting Transport" (miniusa.com still says "Scheduled for Production").

I raced over to Wallenius Wilhelmsen's site and found that she's booked on the Liberty, due to depart 11/05/04 and arrive in Charleston, SC, on 11/15/04.

I checked the booking number and found that there are 52 other MINIs booked on the same ship. So Tillie and I are wondering if she's going to be accompanied by another NAM MINIs. If not, that's okay - I'm sure she'll make friends fast. (MINIs are known for that, I hear.) But it would be fun to know that she's got a friend on board.

Ask her for a dance - she isn't called "Waltzing Matilda" for nothing!

 

Well, today there are 128 MINIs listed as cargo. Still no other NAM'ers cars?

Poor Tillie - sailing across that great big ocean alone!

 

hey, i may be on it. i'm supposed to get it late oct (so much for that!) early nov. still haven't named him yet (Topless, Roofless, Mymini, IDK...i'm not veryt creative w/names i guess)

 

Do you have your VIN number yet? You gotta have your VIN number. I'm pretty sure I got mine at the Owner's Lounge at MINIusa. Log in, click on "Track Your MINI," and after the little animated show, click on "Review Order Detail." (I assume 1-866-ASK-MINI could give you your VIN, too, but I haven't tried this.)

I have the impression that this works only if your MINI is coming to the East Coast. (Mine's coming into Charleston, SC.) I don't know how it works if your car is coming into the West Coast. (If anyone knows how to track a West Coast shipment, please post!)

The shipper MINI uses for East Coast deliveries is Walenius Wilhelmsen and this is their website. (They may use other shippers, too - don't know.) Click on "Cargo Tracking" and then on the next page, click on "Auto Cargo." Enter your VIN number and click "Track." Then you'll see a cool page with your booking number, the vessel, the voyage, the port of origin, and the port of destination.

Click on the voyage (mine is EB429-LIB) and that will take you to a page with that voyage's schedule. (Important note: the dates are in European dd/mm/yyyy format. My first thought was, "Oh, no - MAY???") Read down the list and see when you're leaving your port of origin and arriving at your port of departure, and there ya go! Be aware, of course that these are estimates. Weather, etc., can wreak havoc with shipping schedules!

For more fun, you can also go back to the "Cargo Tracking" page and enter your Booking Number. (Mine is GBSOU275680.) Then you'll get to see all the MINIs that are booked on your voyage. As of the time I'm posting this, there are 176 of 'em!

 

thanks for the info. i'm goin to look bk at my cago status history. it says that i set sail on the 24th. i'm expecting a cal w/in the next 2 weeks. happy travels.

 

So I went to Wallenius Wilhelmsen's site this morning, and most of the 276 (!) MINIs scheduled to ship - including Tillie - have asterisks after their VIN number.

Does anyone know what the asterisks mean?

TIA-

 

Well, after more than a week at sea, the Owner's Lounge has suddenly decided that Tillie is "En Route"! I now have an Estimated Delivery Date - 11/24, the same date that Julie at Classic gave me three weeks ago.

Looks like the Liberty should land in Brunswick on Monday, 11/15, and then make Charleston the next day, 11/16, a day behind schedule.

We've got our plane tickets purchased, friends and family contacted, and our route mapquested. See you in Cleveland, Tillie!

 

My Car is due to arrive to Brunswick GA on 11/26. Can not wait!
Thanks for the cool link.

 

Here's another cool one:

http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shi...html?call=WRYX

That gives you the position of my ship, Liberty. Replace the "WRYX" above (Liberty's call sign) with your ship's call sign to track your ship. I don't recall how I eventually tracked down Liberty's call sign, but there are some web sites and probably some info on this board and mini2.com that can help you find the info. (The latter has a FAQ section with info on tracking your ship.) I even found a photo of Liberty!

I put the link above in my browser's toolbar - I'm a real masochist!

(Note that these reports are based on the ships radioing in weather reports on a regular basis. If your ship doesn't participate - not all of them do - it won't show up.)

Congratulations on your new baby! This waiting is so agonizing! And I fear the worst is yet to come. If Tillie arrives on time at the dealer, I'm not going to be able to pick her up for another 9 days!!!

 

Went to WW's site - Tillie is: "DISCHARGED CHARLESTON,SC 15/11/2004 16:30"

Welcome to America, sweetie! You're gonna love California!

 

Lombard, congrats! I didn't realize you lived in Ca.!

Even though my car didn't make the Liberty, it subsequently disappeared from the WW database, and then became "enroute" a few days later according to Ask-MINI. My best guess is that I'm a few days behind your timetable, so I think it will hit the VDC late this week. I still expect to take delivery the week after Thanksgiving, so I'm comfortable with what is happening thus far, although I envy the level of detail you have with WW.

Please keep us posted on your progress. And drive carefully once you head for home.

 

Thanks for your good wishes! I'm not sure the "level of detail" is all that enviable. Watching Liberty cross the Atlantic has been excruciating. "Oh, no - 16.7 knots average for the last 6 hours! What happened? We were averaging close to 18! Oh, my god, there's a storm! Look at that - the barometer's dropping, the wind's shifted 180 degrees, and there's 40 knot winds!!!"

Ugh - exhausting! I'm so glad to be on dry land again!

Phew!