Ryujin - Voyage V28-RYU

FrankAZ · Jul 22, 2009

Starting this thread as the customary place for all fellow OCD 'festers to track the voyage of the Ryujin from Bremerhaven.

I dropped off my car in Geneva on July 13th. Today the E.H. Harms tracking system began reporting that my car is on the Ryujin departing Bremerhaven 8/5/09, arriving Port Heuneme 8/30/09.

Information about the Ryujin.

Track and position: here.

Frank

steves330ca · Jul 22, 2009

After reading your thread, I got curious and searched E.H. Harm tracking system. I am on the Ryujin too!!

I dropped off my car this past Saturday in Munich. Just arrived back in the states late Sunday evening.

FrankAZ · Jul 23, 2009

Present Position and Google Earth KMZ file

Using data from MarineTraffic.com (and other websites) and transcribing it to Google Earth, with projected course and progress, we get:

Attached is a Google Earth KMZ file (rename it to 'Ryujin_Voyage_to_8-21-09.kmz') which will let you add the voyage so far to your copy of Google Earth. You may remove other imported Ryujin files if you moved them from Temporary Places to My Places. The latest file includes all previous and updated information.

Frank.

voltigeur · Jul 23, 2009

FrankAZ said:
Starting this thread as the customary place for all fellow OCD 'festers to track the voyage of the Ryujin from Bremerhaven.

I dropped off my car in Geneva on July 13th. Today the E.H. Harms tracking system began reporting that my car is on the Ryujin departing Bremerhaven 8/5/09, arriving Port Heuneme 8/30/09.

Frank

Frank, you lucky bugger: you had a mth longer over there than me!

Also glad you had a safe ED.

Best of luck w/ getting your car through Customs in an expeditious manner.

-- V

FrankAZ · Jul 25, 2009

Thanks for the good wishes. I was sorry to read of your customs issue. That is exactly the sort of thing which would send me over the edge! You've been a model of tranquility by comparison.

Yes, I was lucky with my big trip. When I get back next week I'll have been away from home for 9 weeks, 50 days of which have been gallivanting around Europe in 11 countries/principalities. Highlights (for me) were Women's finals at Wimbledon where we drew seats 5 rows from the court and level with the baseline in the ballot. We also lucked into being in Siena for the Palio (big surprise when we rolled into town, despite my otherwise anal planning) and we found a killer position in the square for a good view.

Of those 50 days we were only 'rained off' for 1/2 of one day. The rest of the time was perfect weather for what we wanted to do. Sure, it rained the other side of the hill, or where we were yesterday, or where we would be tomorrow, but nary a drop on us. Incredible good luck. What with fortunate underground parking the first time the car got truly wet was when I ran it through a car wash after 49 days on the road.

Of course the real highlight was the car and getting to know it on some of the most memorable roads under the happiest circumstances imaginable. 3360 miles worth!

The problem with such a wonderful trip is that work re-entry on August 3rd after an absence of 72 days is going to be a killer. Either I will come in too shallow and skip off the work/fun boundary to spend years not quite 'getting it'; or I will come in too steep and suffer burn-out within weeks. I fear the perfect trajectory will elude me.

Frank.

term56 · Jul 27, 2009

Thanks for posting this FrankAZ...we dropped our car July 23 in Munich, and it just came up on the Harms site as scheduled for the Ryujin. Can't wait for Port Heuneme on 8/30/09!

mooneydriver · Jul 27, 2009

Another Rjuyin customer here! We dropped off our 335i in Frankfurt on 7/22 and it's scheduled to be on the Ryujin departing 8/5.

Our route is here.

FrankAZ · Jul 30, 2009

Getting closer to Bremerhaven

Our ship is nearly in port. Check out the latest position maintained in the 3rd post of this thread.

(OK - this is just a shallow way of bumping this thread into the first page again).

livermore525 · Jul 30, 2009

I dropped my car off on July 27 and made the RYUJIN as well so I am happy to be leaving Germany also on the 5th.

FrankAZ · Jul 31, 2009

Now docked in Bremerhaven

I suppose around about now that our cars are being driven onto the ship at 100mph by guys who have an acceptable accident quota and who are protected by German labor laws anyway.

Check out post #3 (as always) for latest.

Frank

FrankAZ · Aug 4, 2009

Ryujin now in the Osthafen dock and in view of a webcam

Today the Ryujin relocated across the port to the Osthafen dock and is now within sight of this webcam. Right now the view of Ryujin is:

Ryujin is the black/white ship dead-center, confirmed by reference to recent other pictures. From other posts including the excellent guide to tracking posted on these forums recently this is one of the port areas most likely to load BMWs. So, watch for your car.

For the pessimists amongst us it is also good to see that thus far the ship is right way up and afloat.

Frank.

mooneydriver · Aug 4, 2009

Nice job finding Ryujin on a webcam. I happened to fly over Port Hueneme yesterday - here's a shot. Obviously, Ryujin isn't there yet ;-)

FrankAZ · Aug 4, 2009

Private or commercial? We're going to have to recruit you for flyovers starting August 30th.

aandjw · Aug 4, 2009

Dropped in Frankfurt on 17JUL. Confirmed on Ryujin today via EH Harms on the telephone.

mooneydriver · Aug 4, 2009

Private. Yes - I'll make sure to do another pass over the port around the 30th!

FrankAZ · Aug 5, 2009

Ryujin still in port, but due to depart later today. Looks like the marshalling yard is much more clear than previously. We now have the tug 'Innovation' alongside so I anticipate activity soon. Chug Chug!

Our colleagues on the Fedora will note that their ship is the green/white one to the right.

Frank.

FrankAZ · Aug 5, 2009

We're off!

The Ryujin left port at 15:55 local time this afternoon and is presently steaming westward towards the English Channel. Check out the 3rd post of this thread for updated positions and charts as the voyage progresses.

E.H. Harms' tracking website is not yet showing a bill of lading for my car but I am sure this is bureaucratic lag and not an indication that it somehow missed or fell off the ship already. Anyone else?

Frank.

mooneydriver · Aug 5, 2009

Same here - no bill of lading yet. The bookkeepers must be on a smoking break.

FrankAZ · Aug 5, 2009

Ryujin approaching Emden. Live webcam possibility.

Live news.

Check out Ryujin's current position. Follow along with this webcam. If I have this right we ought to see the Ryujin in less than an hour.

There is a large VW facility in Emden just to the west of the harbor mouth. My guess is we'll load on some of those to supplement the MB and/or Porsche cars which were loaded before us in Bremerhaven.

Update: Boo! the Ryujin moored in the roads to the SWW of the harbor mouth and out of sight of any webcams I can find, except perhaps the zoomable one on the windturbine which won't see anything until daybreak.

Update #2: We're underway once more... Looks like either (a) the steersman is drunk; or (b) we'll be mooring outside the harbor immediately adjacent to the VW facility, but the Wisaforest cargo ship will have to get out of the way first.

Update #3: Check out this webcam which is atop a windturbine in the farm just north of where the Ryujin has come to rest. It's dark, but there is a great blurry lit up thing just where I would expect to see the ship. I call success! By triangulating on the distinctive buildings and parking lot at the VW place I think the camera is on the windturbine furthest east and closest to the water in the windfarm.

FrankAZ · Aug 6, 2009

Course to date: August 5th

Check out Post #3 for the latest chart and a Google Earth importable KMZ file which I'll keep current as Ryujin journeys to Port Hueneme.

Frank.

FrankAZ · Aug 6, 2009

Ryujin loading VWs in Emden

The webcam from the Windturbine is zoomable and has allowed me to screen-grab the following three views glimpsed between the blades as they whirl around, which was cool in itself.

The ramp is down and they are loading VWs.

Frank.

FrankAZ · Aug 6, 2009

Still at Emden

From the SWE Emden webcam at 19:30 local time. The camera pivot/tilt mechanism is fastened to the part of the turret which rotates to face the prevailing wind so the view shifts back and forth.

We are still at Emden loading VWs. The stanchion is presently blocking my view of the ramp at the stern of the ship so I can't see whether it is down or stowed. There are very few vehicles nearby though so perhaps they are almost finished loading. Last night (AZ) I spent a few minutes on maximum zoom watching Passats being driven up the ramp in real-time video and I was happy to see a very sedate boarding speed.

No news about when we might expect departure. A cursory look around other ports towards and through the English Channel hasn't found an 'anticipated arrival' for Ryujin so perhaps after this we are on a clean-shot to the americas.

Frank.

FrankAZ · Aug 6, 2009

Off to Jacksonville

While I was at lunch the Ryujin slipped her moorings and is now headed out to sea. According to the MarineTraffic.com itinerary the next stop is Jacksonville, ETA 8/17/09, which I am inclined to believe since when we left Bremerhaven the destination was shown as Emden.

Now the long, and frequently untrackable, trek across the Atlantic.

Frank.

mooneydriver · Aug 6, 2009

Hey Frank, don't give up yet. We are all expecting you to hack into a Keyhole satellite and track the ship across the ocean!

hayden · Aug 6, 2009

mooneydriver said:
We are all expecting you to hack into a Keyhole satellite and track the ship across the ocean!

:bustingup:bustingup:bustingup

FrankAZ · Aug 6, 2009

Better resolution than that is at hand. What's the range of that plane of yours?

FrankAZ · Aug 8, 2009

Passed through the English Channel today

Today was a good day in ship tracking. The Ryujin steamed south, through the Pas de Calais and then westward following the south coast of England. Mercifully after heading west in a straight line for most of the afternoon and evening the captain decided to blink in the game of chicken with Torquay and at what seemed like the last minute he veered south to avoid piling up in Torbay.

From here on tracking will be sparse if at all. Most of the rest of the voyage to Jacksonville will be beyond range of land-based AIS receiving stations and as far as I can tell there is no way to determine the Ryujin's position from public sources. The Ryujin has not hitherto broadcast weather information so those records are unlikely to be available.

Next accurate tracking will be early on August 17th, unless my AWACS charter comes through.

Let's all hope those Russian subs off the US east coast don't decide to rattle sabres and do some skeet shooting, as only subs can do.

Frank.

FrankAZ · Aug 9, 2009

As feared we received no updates on the Ryujin's position today as it steamed further out into the Atlantic and beyond range of the shore based AIS system. I have thus estimated the progress along a great-circle route to Jacksonville, see post #3 of this thread. Without access to the Panamanian LRIT registry that is the best I can do.

The estimate has our cars passing beyond the European continental shelf at around midnight (PST).

Frank.

FrankAZ · Aug 10, 2009

This evening the Ryujin will be at its furthest point from land (midway from Nova Scotia and Ireland) of the whole journey if it is following the anticipated great-circle route from near the Scilly Isles to Jacksonville.

Earlier today it would have passed over the Faraday Fracture Zone and to the north of the Faraday Seamounts.

Frank.

Ryujin - Voyage V28-RYU

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