DATE: 1/15/11

TIME: GMT +8 12:00 NOON

POSITION: 06 08.525N 085 16.467E

SOG: 6.1 KNOTS

COG: 266

WIND: OVER THE BOAT, 8.5 KNOTS OUT OF 191 DEGREES

SEAS: 1 METER OUT OF THE SW

SKIES: SCATTERED CLOUDS, MOSTLY SUNNY

TEMP: 29C 85F

DISTANCE MADE GOOD: LAST

TO DESTINATION:

TIME TO DESTINATION:

ONBOARD: RUTH & RANDAL JOHNSON

COMMENTS: MILD CONDITIONS HAVE MADE YESTERDAY AND TODAY MORE ENJOYABLE. I STOPPED THE ENGINE YESTERDAY AT 5:00 PM TO CHANGE AN ENGINE FUEL FILTER. VERY DRAMATIC BECAUSE THERE IS NO SOLUTION FOR IF IT WOULDN’T START AGAIN. OF COURSE THE SAME WAS TRUE FOR WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER AND HAD MY CAR PARKED IN THE BUSHES BUT IT DIDN’T WORRY ME THEN FOR SOME REASON. I THINK WE HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO STOP IN GALLE, SRI LANKA.

DATE: 1/14/11

TIME: GMT +8 12:00 NOON

POSITION: 06 19.571N 087 47.029E

SOG: 6.2 KNOTS

COG: 267

WIND: OVER THE BOAT, 8.5 KNOTS OUT OF 200 DEGREES

SEAS: 1.5 METERS OUT OF THE W

SKIES: CLEAR & SUNNY

TEMP: 29C 85F

DISTANCE MADE GOOD: LAST

TO DESTINATION:

TIME TO DESTINATION:

ONBOARD: RUTH & RANDAL JOHNSON

COMMENTS: FIRST DAY WITH CLEAR SKIES. WE ARE BOTH FEELING BETTER AS WEATHER CONDITIONS IMPROVE. WE SHOULD REACH THE SOUTHERN TIP OF SRI LANKA MONDAY IF WE CAN MAINTAIN OUR CURRENT SPEED. WE STILL HAVE NOT DECIDED TO STOP IN GALLE BUT WILL MAKE THE DECISION AS WE GET CLOSER. JUST TALKED TO THE S/V IMAGINE WHO IS JUST 13 NM NORTH OF US AND ON THE SAME TRACK.

DATE: 1/13/11

TIME: GMT +8 12:00 NOON

POSITION: 06 28.056N 090 04.096E

SOG: 5.7 KNOTS

COG: 267

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

SEAS: 2-3 METERS OUT OF THE W

SKIES: PARTLY CLOUDY

TEMP: 31C 88F

DISTANCE MADE GOOD: LAST

TO DESTINATION:

TIME TO DESTINATION:

ONBOARD: RUTH & RANDAL JOHNSON

COMMENTS: WE HAVE CHANGED COURSE SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS IN ORDER TO AVOID A STORM. WE ARE NOW BACK ON OUR ORIGINAL TRACK IN OUR ORIGINAL DIRECTION. IT IS A VERY GOOD CHANCE WE WILL STOP IN GALLE, SRI LANKA TO REST AND CHECK OUT SOME ISSUES WITH THE BOAT. WE SHOULD ARRIVE THERE ON MONDAY.

I’VE LEARNED YOU CAN’T CLEAN YOUR GLASSES WITH A T-SHIRT YOU HAVE HAD ON FOR FOUR DAYS.

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

DATE: 1/11/11

TIME: GMT +8 12:00 NOON

POSITION: 07 15.411N 088 26.512E

SOG: 4.1 KNOTS

COG: 123

WIND: OVER THE BOAT, 27 KNOTS OUT OF THE S

SEAS: 2 to 3 METERS OUT OF THE SOUTH

SKIES: OVERCAST

TEMP: 31C 88F

DISTANCE MADE GOOD: LAST

TO DESTINATION:

TIME TO DESTINATION:

ONBOARD: RUTH & RANDAL JOHNSON

COMMENTS: WE ARE IN FULL RETREAT OF THIS STORM. I THOUGHT I COULD APPROACH THE COUNTER-CLOCKWISE ROTATION FROM THE EAST AND STAY ON THE FRINGES AROUND IT TO SRI LANKA BUT IT DIDN’T WORK. NOW WE HAVE TO GET TO A SAFER AREA AND JUST WAIT ON IT TO PASS. THIS IS NO FUN.

At 4:00 PM, GMT +8, we altered course from 269 degrees to 300 degrees to avoid a south moving circular storm centered just east of northern Sri Lanka. This will allow the storm to pass in front of us and put us in a more favorable quadrant once we enter it’s effects. Later we will turn more westerly then southerly toward the southern tip of SL.

We also dropped the paravanes in the water which will slow us some but also make for a more comfortable ride.

Randal on Dora Mac

DATE: 1/10/11

TIME: GMT +8 12:00 NOON

POSITION: 06 23.724N 89 55.049E

SOG: 5.6 KNOTS

COG: 268

WIND: OVER THE BOAT, 8 KNOTS OUT OF THE SE

SEAS: 1.5 METER OUT OF THE SOUTH

SKIES: OVERCAST

TEMP: 31C 88F

DISTANCE MADE GOOD: LAST 24 HOURS, 145 NM, AVERAGE 6.1 KNOTS TO DESTINATION: 1081 NM TIME TO DESTINATION: 6 DAYS, 20 HOURS.

ONBOARD: RUTH & RANDAL JOHNSON

COMMENTS: LAST NIGHT WAS VERY ROUGH WITH 29 KNOTS OF WIND OVER THE BOAT AT THE NOSE. WE WERE ALSO HITTING SOME HEFTY WAVES. TODAY I AM SEASICK AND EVEN RUTH IS FEELING THE EFFECTS.

DATE: 1/9/11

TIME: GMT +8 2:00 PM

POSITION: 06 21.452N 092 20.739E

SOG: 7.2 KNOTS

COG: 270

WIND: OVER THE BOAT, 7 KNOTS OUT OF THE SE

SEAS: 1.5 METER OUT OF THE SOUTH

SKIES: PARTLY CLOUDY

TEMP: 31C 88F

DISTANCE MADE GOOD: LAST 24 HOURS, 147 NM, AVERAGE 6.1 KNOTS TO DESTINATION: 1081 NM TIME TO DESTINATION: 6 DAYS, 0 HOURS.

ONBOARD: RUTH & RANDAL JOHNSON

COMMENTS: YESTERDAY AFTERNOON THE ENGINE BEGAN IN INDICATE A LACK OF FUEL. THE 400 GALLON CRUISING TANK HAD BEEN COMPLETELY FILTERED FROM OTHER TANKS IN LANGKAWI. ALL THE FUEL FILTERS HAD BEEN REPLACED IN LANGKAWI. LAST NIGHT AT MIDNIGHT THE ENGINE QUIT. I GOT IT RESTARTED BY USING OUR TFANSFER PUMP TO PRESSURIZE THE ENGINE BUT HAD TO RUN IT CONSTANTLY TO KEEP THE ENGINE GOING. THIS MORNING I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE’S TWO FUEL FILTERS. WHEN I PRESSURIZED THE SYSTEM THE SECOND FILTER’S MANUAL PRIMING PUMP BEGAN TO LEAK. I WAS UNABLE TO GET IT TO STOP AND REMOVED THE COMPLETE FILTER HOUSING AND BYPASSED IT WITH A PIECE OF HOSE. WE WERE DEAD IN THE WATER FROM 9:30 AM TO 1:30 PM. WE ARE UNDERWAY AGAIN AND THE ENGINE IS RUNNING SMOOTHLY.

DATE: 1/8/11

TIME: GMT +8 12:00 NOON

POSITION: 06 18.255N 094 48.634E

SOG: 6.0 KNOTS

COG: 270

WIND: OVER THE BOAT, 10 KNOTS OUT OF THE ENE

SEAS: 1.5 METER ON THE STERN

SKIES: OVERCAST

TEMP: 27C 83F

DISTANCE MADE GOOD: LAST 24 HOURS, 165 NM, AVERAGE 6.9 KNOTS TO DESTINATION: 1228 NM TIME TO DESTINATION: 8 DAYS, 12 HOURS.

ONBOARD: RUTH & RANDAL JOHNSON

COMMENTS: WE HAVE SLOWED FROM YESTERDAY’S FAST PACE. FUEL USAGE IS AN EXPECTED 1.6 GPH. WAVES ON THE STERN MAKE FOR AN UNCOMFORTABLE TWISTING RIDE.