Date & Time 06-01-2012 
0000hrs (GMT +8 ) 
Position:- 05* 05’.6 S 113* 38’.6 E 
Course:- 289* 
Speed:- 3.8 Knots 
Wind:- SW 30 Knots (Force 7 Moderate Gale) 
Sea State:- Moderate (5 to 8 feet, Large wages forming with white horses starting to form streaks on the water) 
Weather:- Squally conditions with driving rain 
Temp 79F 

Distance to go:- 665 nautical miles 

Java Sea. 

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/NGAViewer/71033.shtml 

We are south of Tanjung Putting point, on the far east of the chart. 
Weather conditions have deteriorated considerably I the last 12 hours against the forecast as one squall after another with little respite between them has had the effect of heaping the sea up into a vicious short but steep swell. It is a steady 30 knots now with gusts up to 45. The rain is torrential and practically horizontal. 
The motion is an uncomfortable slamming every few minutes as one of the steep swells crashes into our blunt bow, which leaves a juddering bounce for a few seconds after each one. A normal shaped ship would pop through this without hardly noticing however we are not a normal shaped vessel. Such is the way the mop flops. 



The music today is two tracks from one of my favourite albums. In 1996 a regular in our bar (The Cavity in Bridport) bought me down this tape and said, I think you may like this. 
Rarely on first listening to an album in a foreign language have I ever been so enchanted. 
If it is not in your collection may I entreat you to remedy that as soon as you are able. 
The DVD that accompanies it is an amazing documentary (with full footage of each song) of how the album was made with these forgotten but beautiful, dignified, elegant old people. It makes your heart soar. 
I haven’t posted a track with Rubens Gonzalez playing piano as I will leave that wonderful discovery for yourselves to make 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85qH2axGD5M&feature=related 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWIRr9BUkt0&feature=related