Day 114, Year 2: Overnight Passage to Epi Island
Date: Thursday, August 16, 2007
Weather: Sunny Day with Periods of Rain
Latitude: S 17 degrees 39.631 minutes
Longitude: E 168 degrees 06.535 minutes
Location: On Passage from Port Vila, Efate Island to Revolieu or Lamen Bay, Epi Island

We are faced with a destination that is too far to make in a day sail but is not quite far enough for an overnight passage. So going as slow as we can is the goal tonight–not a situation that us normal for us. But even with that, we are doing better than 5 knots with a double-reefed main and a scrap of headsail in 20+ knots of wind. The nice thing is that the seas are calm and currently we are having a most enjoyable broad reach sail.

Leaving any port for us is always a frenzy. There are always more things to do than there is time to do them. We visited the Australian Embassy this morning to check on the best way to get our Visa for that country and had a great visit with Paddy and Alison of Zfarse while we were there. Then it was downtown to do all of those last minute errands. I was on a mission to find a mail packet that should have arrived here for us, but after checking all over town, there was no mail. Either it is
not here yet, or it has been lost. We will ask friends that will be in Port Vila long after our departure to keep checking for us, so hopefully the packet will arrive and friends can get it to us. We might even return to Port Vila on our way south, and if so, we can get the mail then.

Ranger left with us today and our destination is Epi Island. We will pull in to either Revolieu Bay or Lamen Bay. It all depends on the winds tonight and our arrival time in the morning. I am hoping that we can anchor first in Revolieu to swim with the dugongs and porpoise, and then go on to Lamen to swim with the turtles and snorkel where there are cuddlefish and octopus. Both sound great, so I am hoping to be able to do both.

070816 Day 114 Efate, Vanuatu–Leaving Port Vila