FYI, I just looked at a lot of webcam views of Halifax harbor but could not spot Otello.

 

I was going to go to Biddeford Pool with the binoculars and see if I could see it sailing by... probably wouldn't have much luck though. Wouldn't it be awful if the boat starts to take on water and they have to unload it in Portland to save the ship?

 

I don't want to turn this into a tax forum, but my basic 3BR, 2Bath, 2,400 sq. ft gambrel home w/attached two-car garage is valued at around $300,000 for tax purposes and the property tax bill this year exceeds $9,000. I wouldn't call that cheap.
That's a little higher than some of the neighbors because it also includes a small barn that holds four cars, but it's not out of line with the neighbor's tax bills.

I think we already have other plans on the dates of both those Mini meets.
And for work reasons, I've driven up Mt Washington many times in the Cooper, the MGB, by truck and by snowcat.

If you Google NEMGCC you'll find the Web site. You'll even see me with my head in a toilet seat.

Otello is very close to Halifax. Should be there by morning.

 

Yup, your taxes are about triple what I pay.

I'm guessing (hoping) that Otello has already come and gone from Halifax. We should see some more reports by morning.

 

I just checked again... Otello has left Canada! She should be in NYC bright and early Sunday morning!

 

Wonderful! Almost here.

 

Has anyone gotten the http://aisfree.aislive.com site to work? I registered but can only get maps of Europe and Oceania. Not very helpful. So I registered on a site at the bottom of that page but never received activation notification. What am I doing wrong?

 

I tried the same thing as you and I got the same result. My guess is that the "trial subscription" isn't an automatic thing, and it has to be scrutinized by an actual person who doesn't work 24/7.... but that's just a guess.

 

Hi Tim, I got the same feeling; it needs to be looked at by an actual person who doesn't go to work until Monday morning. That means we will not know when Otello arrives in NY. I read on another thread that deliveries out of the Port of NY are kind of slow, to say the least. Let's hope that we get lucky.

 

HerLBC, I did google NEMGCC but try as I might I could not find a photo of anyone with their head in a toilet seat. Drat! Please advise. It looks like a great club though!
As a percent of our income, our real estate taxes are within .1%(that's point one percent) of your real estate taxes. Remember, the average NH person earns $15K more than his ME counterpart. Then add in 8.5 percent income tax and a five percent sales tax and higher gas, booze, and cigarette taxes and we Mainers are in bad shape.
Let's hope our Clubbies make it to NY tomorrow and on to Peabody Monday!

 

Ah. I see our Web mistress has changed the pics.
The club's brunch meeting in May ends with a short drive to the Notre Dame Institute in Alfred, Me., for our annual Blessing of the Fleet. One of the Brothers there offers a prayer for safe travel and blesses the cars. It's worked pretty well over the years for my MG and I hope it will with the Clubman, too. You, Tim and any other Mini owners in the area are welcome.

Once they're unloaded, doesn't it take several days for the cars to get through the VDC before they even head to the dealers?

 

I'm not sure of the timeline after unloading. I'm heading down to Beantown this afternoon and hope to stop at Peabody Mini tomorrow on the way home. I'll try to find out what the "real" timeline is. A while back I was told my car might be ready this coming Friday but then the Otello was two days late getting to NY so it looks like the last week of the month is more reasonable for delivery.

 

That's so cool that you have the brothers bless the fleet, Norm. I used to go there for retreats and for apple picking.

I just looked at the schedule on http://schedule.2wglobal.com/AppTracking, and it appears that the boat arrives in New York twice? New York city... the city so nice, you have to show up twice. Weird. I hope our cars are unloaded by now!

 

My Clubman docked in NY last Saturday, 03/08, and then I was unable to get an update from the MINI Owner's Club site, or 1-866-ASK-MINI, or my MINI Advisor for a week. Yesterday the Owner Site confirmed that it's "at the delivery center", and also that it's scheduled to arrive at the dealer tomorrow, 03/17. So, if my experience is any indicator, you can expect 10+ days from docking to dealer for the delivery center processing. My MA promised an update tomorrow, I'll keep you posted. I'm on Long Island, not sure where the delivery center is located. Anyone know?

 

We've been discharged!!!!

Status Port Time(dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm) DISCHARGED NEW YORK, NY 16/03/2008 20:00 LOADED ON VESSEL SOUTHAMPTON 06/03/2008 11:41 RECEIVED AT TERMINAL SOUTHAMPTON 26/02/2008 09:16 BOOKED SOUTHAMPTON 25/02/2008 16:21

 

So I'll expect to see you there May 4.

My car has also been discharged and presumably remanded to the custody of the VDC. It was a long 10 days on the boat. I hope it gets released to the dealer quickly. This waiting is tough.

 

We may go out to NY that weekend, but if we don't, I'll be sure to stop by.

I just called Ask-MINI, and it still says it's in transit, though I hear that's the norm. It'd be so great to get the car on Saturday!

 

I did visit Peabody Mini today in search of more information of when my Clubbie might be ready to go. Sadly, today is my MA's day off so I had to talk to someone else, two someone else's, actually, and they were amazingly unhelpful. About the only information they had was my car was scheduled to be off loaded yesterday! (I already knew that) One MA estimated a week to get the car from NY to MA. Amazing. All in all, the visit was a total waste of time. Not that they were too busy, the place was crawling with salespeople and we were the only customers there. New rule, never visit the dealer unless you know your MA is there. (Full disclosure, I knew this was his day off but I really expected to be able to get SOME info from someone.) Peabody Mini is about 90 miles away so if I'm going by it's only logical to stop in. Very disappointing.

 

As an aside, I'm really struggling at naming "Her". I thought "Oliver" was it but it's been explained to me by a running friend that she is a she and I need a female name. Help!

 

I e-mailed my MA today to ask if he could track my car through the VDC, since we can't. He replied, "It should be to the port today. We should see it later this week or early next week. I will keep you posted once I have info."

So I take it he can't track it in there either, but when it's released to go to the dealer he'd be informed and let me know. I think there's no knowing how long it'll take to get processed through VDC. I think it depends on how busy the VDC is and what work needs to be done on any particular car. I remember it took three days with the Cooper and that was considered reasonably normal in 2003.
Then add a day or two to load it and drive it to Massachusetts and another day or two for whatever they do for the $185 dealer prep fee and early next week looks likely. I wish I had more patience, but ... .

 

Thanks for stopping/checking in guys. I might call the folks at Ask-MINI just to see if there's anything else they can tell us. I doubt it though... probably just a waiting game now.
And did you have to bring up that $185 fee? That's such an annoying thing to think about. Oh well.. I'm sure once I'm behind the wheel, I won't be thinking about anything else except for how happy I am and where we're going to take our new baby.

 

Mini-ites

I have enjoyed yur company on our cruise. I did get a little tired heraring about Maine and New Hampshire taxes. All I want is my Clubman S May you all pass through the inspection and delivery stages quickly and have your new little one securey wrapped up in your particular parking space at home soon.

 

MunjoyMini, I wanted my Clubbie to have an English name so I came up with what I came up with--"Alan-a-Dale" That is a character in the Robin Hood mythology. My middle name just happens to be "Alan", which really wasn't in the equation and since mine is BRG and Sherwood forest is and was green, it all fits. I can even go one more. Mine is trimmed in silver so that could be the silver Robin and his buds "took" from the rich. But all of that aside, I just liked the name after hearing it many years ago in the Disney Robin Hood movie.

 

What about OLIVIA? Kind of has the same ring to it.

Oh, you might check the Owners Lounge. It was where I found the expected dealer delivery date under details. I'd have to go back in and see where I found it, but it did give expected date to dealer before they even knew it.

Enjoy your Clubbys everyone. I waited 2 years and it was 100% worth it.

 

I remember how heart breaking it was to loose track of MIB. I had tracked it from chassis assembly all the way accross the pond only to loose track at VPC. That next weak was UNBEARABLE!

Hang in, It is worth the wait!