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