diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/fs/FsTranslog.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/fs/FsTranslog.java
index 1029c0d4d81..4edd4ef7a67 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/fs/FsTranslog.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/fs/FsTranslog.java
@@ -35,7 +35,9 @@ import org.elasticsearch.index.translog.TranslogStreams;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
 
 /**
  * @author kimchy (shay.banon)
@@ -54,7 +56,8 @@ public class FsTranslog extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements Translog
 
     private final AtomicInteger operationCounter = new AtomicInteger();
 
-    private long lastPosition = 0;
+    private AtomicLong lastPosition = new AtomicLong(0);
+    private AtomicLong lastWrittenPosition = new AtomicLong(0);
 
     private RafReference raf;
 
@@ -113,7 +116,8 @@ public class FsTranslog extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements Translog
     @Override public void newTranslog() throws TranslogException {
         synchronized (mutex) {
             operationCounter.set(0);
-            lastPosition = 0;
+            lastPosition.set(0);
+            lastWrittenPosition.set(0);
             this.id = id + 1;
             if (raf != null) {
                 raf.decreaseRefCount(true);
@@ -131,7 +135,8 @@ public class FsTranslog extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements Translog
     @Override public void newTranslog(long id) throws TranslogException {
         synchronized (mutex) {
             operationCounter.set(0);
-            lastPosition = 0;
+            lastPosition.set(0);
+            lastWrittenPosition.set(0);
             this.id = id;
             if (raf != null) {
                 raf.decreaseRefCount(true);
@@ -158,12 +163,15 @@ public class FsTranslog extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements Translog
             out.seek(0);
             out.writeInt(size - 4);
 
+            long position = lastPosition.getAndAdd(size);
+            // use channel#write and not raf#write since it allows for concurrent writes
+            // with regards to positions
+            raf.channel().write(ByteBuffer.wrap(out.unsafeByteArray(), 0, size), position);
+            if (syncOnEachOperation) {
+                raf.channel().force(false);
+            }
             synchronized (mutex) {
-                raf.raf().write(out.unsafeByteArray(), 0, size);
-                if (syncOnEachOperation) {
-                    sync();
-                }
-                lastPosition += size;
+                lastWrittenPosition.getAndAdd(size);
                 operationCounter.incrementAndGet();
             }
         } catch (Exception e) {
@@ -175,10 +183,11 @@ public class FsTranslog extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements Translog
         synchronized (mutex) {
             try {
                 raf.increaseRefCount();
+                raf.channel().force(true);  // sync here, so we make sure we read back teh data?
                 if (useStream) {
-                    return new FsStreamSnapshot(shardId, this.id, raf, lastPosition, operationCounter.get(), operationCounter.get());
+                    return new FsStreamSnapshot(shardId, this.id, raf, lastWrittenPosition.get(), operationCounter.get(), operationCounter.get());
                 } else {
-                    return new FsChannelSnapshot(shardId, this.id, raf, lastPosition, operationCounter.get(), operationCounter.get());
+                    return new FsChannelSnapshot(shardId, this.id, raf, lastWrittenPosition.get(), operationCounter.get(), operationCounter.get());
                 }
             } catch (Exception e) {
                 throw new TranslogException(shardId, "Failed to snapshot", e);
@@ -193,12 +202,13 @@ public class FsTranslog extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements Translog
             }
             try {
                 raf.increaseRefCount();
+                raf.channel().force(true); // sync here, so we make sure we read back teh data?
                 if (useStream) {
-                    FsStreamSnapshot newSnapshot = new FsStreamSnapshot(shardId, id, raf, lastPosition, operationCounter.get(), operationCounter.get() - snapshot.totalOperations());
+                    FsStreamSnapshot newSnapshot = new FsStreamSnapshot(shardId, id, raf, lastWrittenPosition.get(), operationCounter.get(), operationCounter.get() - snapshot.totalOperations());
                     newSnapshot.seekForward(snapshot.position());
                     return newSnapshot;
                 } else {
-                    FsChannelSnapshot newSnapshot = new FsChannelSnapshot(shardId, id, raf, lastPosition, operationCounter.get(), operationCounter.get() - snapshot.totalOperations());
+                    FsChannelSnapshot newSnapshot = new FsChannelSnapshot(shardId, id, raf, lastWrittenPosition.get(), operationCounter.get(), operationCounter.get() - snapshot.totalOperations());
                     newSnapshot.seekForward(snapshot.position());
                     return newSnapshot;
                 }
@@ -212,7 +222,7 @@ public class FsTranslog extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements Translog
         synchronized (mutex) {
             if (raf != null) {
                 try {
-                    raf.raf().getFD().sync();
+                    raf.channel().force(true);
                 } catch (Exception e) {
                     // ignore
                 }
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/fs/RafReference.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/fs/RafReference.java
index f16c668267b..4c20eedeb34 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/fs/RafReference.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/fs/RafReference.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import java.io.File;
 import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.RandomAccessFile;
+import java.nio.channels.FileChannel;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
 
 /**
@@ -36,11 +37,14 @@ public class RafReference {
 
     private final RandomAccessFile raf;
 
+    private final FileChannel channel;
+
     private final AtomicInteger refCount = new AtomicInteger();
 
     public RafReference(File file) throws FileNotFoundException {
         this.file = file;
         this.raf = new RandomAccessFile(file, "rw");
+        this.channel = raf.getChannel();
         this.refCount.incrementAndGet();
     }
 
@@ -48,6 +52,10 @@ public class RafReference {
         return this.file;
     }
 
+    public FileChannel channel() {
+        return this.channel;
+    }
+
     public RandomAccessFile raf() {
         return this.raf;
     }