Its the same ferry that ‘lost’ the train a few weeks ago, it can get bloody rough.
I wouldn’t have know that about the oil. I’ll buy a case and make sure to check the dipstick at every fill-up. Brake fluid too. I also just ordered a complete cooling hose set from SNG-Barret. I have enough credit to transport the car home from Hood River if need be. I am a AAA Premier member which is good for 200 miles of free towing so my first plan will be to have it towed to a garage for repairs before resorting to having it trucked. Duct tape is a good suggestion too. I keep a tool box, first aid kit, jumper cables, and emergency roadside kit in the trunk already and have a fire extinguisher under the seat. My thinking is that if something is to break it most likely will be something repairable like a hose or belt - the older rubber and plastic bits.
This planning is helping me guys! I actually getting excited about this trip. Sadly no ferry either, but Puget Sound isn’t that much further.
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If you are doing hoses/cooling work, i would seriously drive it around a bit for a week prior to your trip. Too easy to not tighten a clamp enough or forget something…you dont want to discover a mistake on the road.
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I hope the extinguisher is bolted down?
Dang, and think of how few tools/supplies are included in the standard emergency Jag “tool kit” that came in the boot with some XJSes … I guess Jaguar thought that is all most owners would (should?) likely need on the road? 
If you’re good and creative…
Fixed an exhaust with a can of red bull a friendly pump neighbor gave to me at a gas station hours earlier. Found great people with rare spares at a dirt track in the countryside who replaced a hose for me within a few minutes of breaking down. Have needed a fire extinguisher ready once (the fire died in time). Had low oil level in the middle of Italy on a fenced off highway on a Sunday and found oil in time (it was full when I drove off a few hours earlier so I always have oil with me now).
Have some water that you can drink too in case you’re stopped on a hot morning.
None of this will happen to you, it will be a great trip if your coolant and fuel hoses are decent. Something will always go wrong but that is even with new cars.
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Hate to say it, but people (i.e. strangers) seem to be more friendly and to lend a helping hand in Europe, David, vs. here in the U.S. I think back before cellphones and such it was more that way here, too, b/c people HAD to rely on each other for assistance when they were stranded away from home. 
Last night I was watching that classic movie The Grapes of Wrath 
for the first time, and back in THOSE days it was not uncommon to pick up hitchhikers, approach people in parked cars for rides and getting them, etc. 
They seemed to actually enjoy the “company” during their ride. You sure wouldn’t see that “helpfulness” going on today in the U.S., sadly, except in small towns and rural areas.
That’s what you think, but I think the opposite lol. It’s different but I had good experiences in the US too. I agree hitchhiking must have changed drastically and people have some kind of tunnel vision and are more egoistic but not all people are.
Have you ever been to Germany?
Besides there’s no large napa and autozone every ten kilometers.
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Eeeyikes… Almost forgot ! CHECK PRESSURE IN THE SPARE TIRE… often overlooked
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Didn’t Neil Young sing about the Cripple Creek ferry? 
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Indeed he did, but I’m thinking that’s a WAY different kind of ferry!
I have a 92 XJS v12 with over a 115 miles on it. A few years ago I drove it from Fla to northern Minn, a round trip of 4000 miles. No problem. My most recent was from Fla to Myrtle Beach, about a 1000 miles. Again no problem. These cars seem to run better when you let them run. Take the trip.
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I took my '86 on a 1200 mile trip maybe 10 years ago. I didn’t have A/C then (nor do I now) so it was pretty loud on the expressway, but it was a great memory and I had a delightful time with the car. Grand tourers are meant to tour and they love it. I think that the Jag was probably more reliable than my DD at the time – It was seven years newer in any event.
I did, of course, check the brakes, tires and such and took a non-trivial toolbox with me, along with a spare ignition amp, 2 qts oil, brake fluid and coolant.
The only odd thing is this: I was staying in a B&B in an area of town that some considered shady. So I pulled the fuel pump relay for the night. In the morning, two other cars had been stolen out of the lot where I was parked, including the one next to the Jag. I like to think that having the relay in my bag saved the car, but they probably just didn’t want it.
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I used to drive my 94 XJ40 Sovereign to Frankfurt and back 3 times a month from 2003 to 2009, that’s at least 950 miles each way from where I live. When conditions allowed I could cruise at around 100mph on the autobahn for hours at a time with no trouble. The car had around 135000 miles on the clock in 2003. I carried a spare rotor arm and distributor cap, top and bottom rad hoses and some smaller bore hoses and hose clips, and two drive belts but never ever needed them, I also had two full sets of all the essential bulbs. I kept the car fully serviced with regular oil and fluid changes but little else would require attention and it seemed to thrive much better using it for these long journeys, I think that is what they were designed to do. I sold that car with over 186000 miles on it only because the amount of rust it had underneath was more expensive to repair than what the car was worth, it was still running like a Rolex watch and I was sad to see it go.
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Dang, NordE … you and your '92 V-12 are my hero! 
Some great stories here! And some more great tips. A replacement coolant temperature sensor arrived today and I found a mechanic nearby that made a good impression. The shop is clean and very well rated. We spent half and hour talking about the car. I’m going to drop it off this week to have the check engine code cleared and the fluids and filters changed so I can begin driving it some more before the big trip. I also ordered a complete belt set that should be arriving just before I leave.
I’ll check tire pressure all the way around, including the spare. I also have a small air compressor I usually bring with me on longer trips. The extinguisher is behind the passenger seat which I keep push back far enough I don’t think the extinguisher will fly out, but I can slide it out if needed.
You’re right about people seeming to be less helpful. I had a car breakdown at a light and I couldn’t get anyone to help me push it off the road. In the US I think it’s more of a rural versus urban thing. Growing up in the south, you could always count on someone to stop.
Time was when I would stop to help because I was confident I could help. Nowadays much of what’s under the hood of a modern car is a mystery to me. And most people have a smartphone and can call for a tow as easily as I can.
Hi,
I try to do one long road trip every year, only the MKV has been too scruffy for that, so in the past it has seen max 400-500kms per day / week.
With the 1972 V12 E-type we did Le Mans Classic and Festival of Speed in 2018, before that Villa d’Este and Swiss Classic World and after all that via Denmark & Sweden back home, so ca 5000kms.
With the 1975 XJ6C we’ve been on holiday in Croatia (2009) and are going to drive to England later this week, if all goes well.
Also with our ex Ser 1 E-type 2+2 we did long continental tours at least every two or three years, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2011.
No serious trouble, only a couple of glitches with clutch hydraulics and alternator brushes, fan brushes and the original OPUS unit. We always made the trip however. 
Cheers!
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I don’t always stop, depends on the situation, but I gave all my water to a stranded car, pulled a trailer clear from the road, someone had a dead phone once in the middle of the night and last time I stopped was a fresh crash on the autobahn, no warning triangle and occupants in one car were still sitting inside so I got them to safety. I get out for people that don’t have lights on or are loosing exhausts and shields. You can help people half the time. Worst you can do is lift their spirits, and somehow not many people do stop. We, knowing more than most drivers, are morally obligated to help when we can.
Most people have a smartphone: not all… take a charger on the trip 
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And a couple of boosters, just in case. I’ve also used a pocket size 12V booster successfully twice on the road. YMMV.
Cheers!