Thursday May 31

Today was crunch day in the MINI's journey to Holland. The car is in a warehouse at the New Jersey docks awaiting permission (customs clearance) for the trip overseas. Things hit a snag as I was informed that the documentation needed to be in NJ ASAP. I was on the horn quite a bit with my vehicle's lien holder and thought that the matter was sorted....wrong.

Mail sent to the incorrect address, critical papers not in the packet, the DMV now involved... yikes!

There is now the slimmest of hopes about getting my car to MINI United in-time.

However... there is the air freight option.

Stay tuned...

Relaxation After a Stressful Day

After a long stressful day I really needed to get away for a little bit. Luckily my buddy Mike had the same idea after his day at work so we decided to get on the bikes and ride. Just what I needed...

JCW MCS Begins Its Long Journey

Yesterday the MINI was dropped off for shipment. Sounds like a simple event but I had a lot of anxiety not only about having the MINI in someone else's care on so long a trip but also because the logistics and paperwork trail is piling up. I've been on a hugely steep learning curve while learning about the trade of international shipping since the time frame for making MINI United is very short. So short that I cannot just ship out of Long Beach, California and make it in time. I need to ship the car by lorry/truck enclosed to NYC and then load the car on the boat for the relatively short 8-12 day voyage. With customs on either end taking an addition 5-10 days and the overland trip to NYC of 5 days my car should be in Holland just ahead of MINI United. Fingers crossed...

At the very last moment I had trouble securing auto coverage while in Europe on a short term basis based on the fact that my car is classed as a "high performance sports car." The decision came down to: 1. ship to the port in NY and hope that all the paperwork gets approved 2. cancel the shipment and kiss goodbye any hope of making it to Amsterdam with the car.
I chose to risk having to drive the car home from NY in the hopes that insurance would be forthcoming. I had to wait overnight uncomfortably while I awaited a response from the UK about the insurance.

I'm happy to report that I was approved this morning and the MINI is on its way!
I still have a few hurdles to clear before I can say that the mission is accomplished but things are looking good right now.

At least I know that Kevin (below), an original Mini Cooper enthusiast/owner and employee of the shipping company will take good care of my car as it begins its travels overland to NYC.

MINI and M Roadster Part 2

Transhine Auto Detail

With time running really short I decided to have my good friend Bill at Transhine give the MINI a thorough detail (exterior, interior, engine) prior to shipping the car to Rotterdam. With Mother's Day weekend plans I just wouldn't have the time to get the car ready on my own and I definitely would have had to cut corners. Bill and his crew did a great job getting the car ready and the paint is silky smooth. I only hope that when I get the car at Rotterdam that the car will be in this good a condition...

MINI United... The Planning Continues

Ok,

I received my shipping booking form. Reality is starting to set in. I'm taking my car on a nearly half-way around the world adventure and I've got a ton of loose ends to tie up. The costs and the anxiety of the potential pitfalls of this adventure do weigh on me quite a bit. I just keep thinking about tooling around Europe in my car and I smile though...

I have thought about "renting" my rear passenger side windows to sponsors to off-set the cost. I'll probably visit one candidate today, contact another via e-mail, and talk to another on Monday. Hopefully I can make this trip a little less expensive. Heck, the racers do it all the time!

MINI United and Crazy Travel Planning

I haven't posted in quite awhile since I was in Europe for the past two weeks. While in the Netherlands I discussed with my sister plans to attend MINI United later in June. I had reserved a spots in the US group attending the event on the morning of my departure for Europe. My sister asked me why I didn't send my MINI to Holland... a crazy idea but one that grew on me during the succeeding days. Why not? Have my California car on the track at Zandvoort, Holland near my birthplace on my birthday, go to the Nuerburgring, and generally make a huge roadtrip around Europe. Truly the makings of a memorable trip if I can pull it off.

Well... I'm back in the US and I am scrambling to get the paperwork in order so that my car can be on a boat ASAP. Looks like I will need to ship overland to NYC first to ensure that my car makes it on-time to Amsterdam. So much to do and so little time!

Tonight I filled out a booking form for the shipping company. Tomorrow I'm off seeking a bit of sponsorship and arranging for overseas car insurance.

I'll keep you posted.