After our brief stop at Wala we continued with an overnight trip to Lamen Bay on Epi Island. Enroute we passed Ambrum Island and were treated to a view of a massive red glow in the middle of the island. Ambrum is the home of not one, but two active volcanoes. With so much to do and so little time we decided to not stop. (Besides we had already been on the rim of one active volcano. How many does one need in one month!!). So on we went through somewhat sloppy seas, motoring with little or no wind.
We arrived in Lamen Bay the next morning and using the 'Tusker Guide to Vanuatu' on our computer, settled into a comfortable recommended anchorage in about 15-20 feet of water on a nice sand bottom, free of coral heads. The water was so clear I was able to watch the chain throughout the anchoring process and a quick investigative swim confirmed that our anchor was well set in the sand. It also confirmed what we had heard. There are a lot of sea turtles in Lamen Bay and it is hard to get into the water - or for that matter, even sit on deck without seeing one or two. They are great creatures to swim with and don't seem overly bothered by having company. After our overnight sail we had a relaxing day, complete with an afternoon nap.

Our real reason for a stop at Lamen Bay was to hunt for the elusive Dugong. These are creatures related to the Manatee or 'Sea Cow' that resides in Florida. They have been described as having a face that only a mother could love! Our friends on Ithaka had said they saw one in the bay and it generally appeared around four in the afternoon. On our first afternoon we were somewhat disappointed at four when it didn't appear, but then realized at five that it was on 'island time' and had arrived a bit late. It also brought a friend. So for the next half hour we sat in the cockpit and watched the two dugongs swim around, surfacing for air and diving to feed off the bottom.

Our plan was to head off the next afternoon about five to get back to Port Vila before the wind picked up. Again we were being driven by the wind gods.

Around four the next afternoon we noticed the people on the other boat in the bay had jumped into the water and we suspected there was a dugong about. Kim wasn't keen on getting in the water because we were getting ready to leave, but I didn't want to miss a chance to swim with these creatures, so I quickly donned my snorkel gear and headed off. I wasn't disappointed as I was shortly swimming and diving within two feet of a large dugong!

These are amazing creatures that spend their time "hoovering' the grass off the sea floor, leaving a trail of sand and a groove in the bottom. This one seemed to take little notice of me (or the two from the other boat) and just continued to feed, making occasional trips to the surface to breath. I must have spent 20-30 minutes with it, taking a series of photos and videos.

So after checking the last major item off our bucket list for Vanuatu, we raised anchor at five o'clock and headed out on our last inter-island overnighter to Port Vila. The light winds that were predicted were more in the 20-25 knot range and ahead of the beam. The seas were two to three meters. Not the best passage ever, but we arrived in Port Vila the next morning in one piece, picked up a mooring ball and headed to bed. Check-in would have to wait for a few hours.