DATE: 1/12/11

TIME: GMT +8 12:00 NOON

POSITION: 06 22.471N 090 11.673E

SOG: 5.9 KNOTS

COG: 87

WIND: OVER THE BOAT, 6.5 KNOTS OUT OF THE S

SEAS: 2 METERS OUT OF THE WSW

SKIES: PARTLY CLOUDY

TEMP: 31C 88F

DISTANCE MADE GOOD: LAST

TO DESTINATION:

TIME TO DESTINATION:

ONBOARD: RUTH & RANDAL JOHNSON

COMMENTS: WE ARE BACK ON OUR ORIGINAL TRACK FROM LANGKAWI BUT HEADED BACK EAST. WE ARE DOING THIS TO GIVE THE STORM BETWEEN US AND SRI LANKA TIME TO GET OUT OF THE AREA. WE WILL TIME OUR TURN AROUND TO REACHING SRI LANKA AFTER THE STORM HAS PASSED. WE WILL MAKE AN UNSCHEDULED STOP IN SL TO ADDRESS A FUEL PROBLEM WE ARE STILL HAVING. AIR IS GETTING INTO THE FUEL LINES SOME HOW AND I CAN’T FIND THE SOURCE. RUTH AND I ARE IN BETTER SPIRITS TODAY AS THE WEATHER HAS CALMED WHERE WE RETREATED TO.

Hi All

We had turned NW, then North, then midday yesterday we turned the boat to the SE. This morning at 5:00 AM we reached our original track from Langkawi and turned East. Our present (9:40 AM GMT +8) position is: 06 22.208N 089 57.972E. SOG 6.2 Knots and COG 94. We expect to continue in this direction until such time we deem it safe to make a u turn.

We have been running at a reduced RPM, 1300 for almost two days and the exhaust was smelly and sooty. I opened the throttle for a few minutes and it seemed to clear it out but I’m afraid to go that low again. We are now at 1400 and I will throttle up occasionally to clean the soot out. Also there was soot on the back of the engine itself.

The wind is coming from 164 at 10 knots, the seas are still at two meters but much better than when we turned yesterday.

Thanks for all your help and encouragement. Dora Mac would have been a good bargain yesterday. Today a little more, but not much.

Randal