Since we'll be away from internet connections for some time I wanted to post a few reminders about how to best track our ship as we make our way towards the US.
The simplest way is to go to the Rickmers website, www.rickmers-linie.com and click on the "Schedules & Routes" tab. On this page you can download a PDF file with the most up-to-date schedule via the small icon to the right.
To see our current status, click on the world map in the box labeled "Ship Positions" on the lower left. This will take you to the Purplefinder website and the fleet details for all the Rickmers' ships.
Once you see the world map and all the labels for Rickmers' fleet, click on Maps > Asset Map on the top toolbar. On the next screen select "Rickmers Jakarta" from the dropdown Asset Name list.
You'll now see a world map with our current position indicated by a little, green icon representing the ship along with a track showing our course over the past thirty days or so. If you click on the ship icon you'll see our current location, e.g. "Proximity: Nagasaki"
You can also zoom in for a more detailed view of the current location. Please note that the Purplefinder site can sometimes be a bit slow, so be patient.
Another good resource will be Dale's website, http://dalestenseth.blogspot.com . He has a satellite phone and will be making regular updates while we're at sea.
I've added a few useful links to the left. Let me know if there are others that would be helpful.
All for the moment. Thanks to everyone who's written with their words of encouragement. I'm really enjoying this little adventure and I'm glad to have this means to share a bit with all of you.
Showing posts with label Schedule. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Schedule. Show all posts
21 January 2009
02 December 2008
Some Amazing Technology
We do live in amazing times. I was checking out some sites for tracking ships at sea and came across a few that might be of interst to those of you who have expressed an interest in following my trip.
Probably the one with the easiest interface is www.marinetraffic.com
For those of you who think this stuff is just really, really cool, you can zoom in to different ports and even track specific ships. You can register for free and then you can receive alerts on the movements of specific ships.
I'll be traveling on the Rickmers Jakarta (MMSI: 538001921); there are some other sites as well, so you can use that information to see which works best. I'm still playing around with some of the other sites and I'll report back if I find anything better.
As you'll notice, coverage around a lot of the Asian ports is a bit thin. Therefore you won't get any updates for the beginning and end of my trip. However, coverage around the major ports in the US and Europe is fairly good, so I'm hoping you'll be able to get more up to date information on my port calls.
Enjoy!
Probably the one with the easiest interface is www.marinetraffic.com
For those of you who think this stuff is just really, really cool, you can zoom in to different ports and even track specific ships. You can register for free and then you can receive alerts on the movements of specific ships.
I'll be traveling on the Rickmers Jakarta (MMSI: 538001921); there are some other sites as well, so you can use that information to see which works best. I'm still playing around with some of the other sites and I'll report back if I find anything better.
As you'll notice, coverage around a lot of the Asian ports is a bit thin. Therefore you won't get any updates for the beginning and end of my trip. However, coverage around the major ports in the US and Europe is fairly good, so I'm hoping you'll be able to get more up to date information on my port calls.
Enjoy!
21 November 2008
Visas, Vaccines and Schedule Changes
It's been a while since my last update. I spent a few days in Taipei visiting with some old friends and playing tourist. It was a lot of fun; Taipei has really improved since my last visit about nine years ago and it was a great time seeing some old friends, visiting the sites and eating some wonderful food.
As for my trip, my preparations continue. This morning I applied for my PRC visa; I'll pick up my passport on Monday.
As an aside, the rates they charge for Americans at the embassy here in Singapore are scandalous. For the double-entry visa, Singaporeans pay SGD 35; other countries pay SGD 75, and Americans get to pay SGD 190!
I'm required to get a yellow fever vaccine for this trip. I arranged to get a shot here in Singapore back on the 3rd. I probably should have paid more attention to the side effects.
For those of you who might have to get a yellow fever vaccine you should realize that there is a fairly good possibility of feeling very bad about one week after the shot. I was in quite a bit of pain; it was as if I could feel every minor, nagging injury from my misspent youth. I suppose it's a preview of old age, and if that's the case I'm not looking forward to it.
Finally, I received an updated departure date for Singapore. It now looks like I'll be shipping out about three days later than the original schedule. I'm not sure how that impacts the rest of the timeline, but for now I'm assuming all the dates listed below are now pushed out an equivalent amount. For those of you playing at home, adjust your calendars accordingly.
Enough for the moment. I'll do my best to answer some of the more specific questions over the weekend. Thanks to everyone who wrote; it's really great to hear from so many old friends.
Regards,
George
As for my trip, my preparations continue. This morning I applied for my PRC visa; I'll pick up my passport on Monday.
As an aside, the rates they charge for Americans at the embassy here in Singapore are scandalous. For the double-entry visa, Singaporeans pay SGD 35; other countries pay SGD 75, and Americans get to pay SGD 190!
I'm required to get a yellow fever vaccine for this trip. I arranged to get a shot here in Singapore back on the 3rd. I probably should have paid more attention to the side effects.
For those of you who might have to get a yellow fever vaccine you should realize that there is a fairly good possibility of feeling very bad about one week after the shot. I was in quite a bit of pain; it was as if I could feel every minor, nagging injury from my misspent youth. I suppose it's a preview of old age, and if that's the case I'm not looking forward to it.
Finally, I received an updated departure date for Singapore. It now looks like I'll be shipping out about three days later than the original schedule. I'm not sure how that impacts the rest of the timeline, but for now I'm assuming all the dates listed below are now pushed out an equivalent amount. For those of you playing at home, adjust your calendars accordingly.
Enough for the moment. I'll do my best to answer some of the more specific questions over the weekend. Thanks to everyone who wrote; it's really great to hear from so many old friends.
Regards,
George
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