I met my good friends and boat partners Robyn and Roger, in Termini Imerese to prepare Izabela for another season of sailing. Our plan this year was to sail to Palermo and then continue our journey along the west and south coast of Sicily until we reached Licata. We’d then cross to Malta and spend a week or two before returning to Sicily where we’d explore a bit more before storing our boat in Palermo until next year. Along the way, we’d pick up and drop off friends as they join us on our adventure. But sailing doesn’t always go to plan.

We’re never sure what to expect when first seeing our boat after 10 months on the hard stand.  The year we returned after COVID, we found the boat had leaked and spent a week cleaning and repairing.  Since then, we’ve worked to minimise leakage, which is not an easy task on an old boat. But our efforts have paid off. We boarded with trepidation, expecting the worst, but were delighted to find no water. We still needed to do a general clean and some basic maintenance, but overall, it was in a very good state.  We were ecstatic!

The apartment I’d booked to stay in while we were preparing the boat was in a beautiful old building. It was close to the port, and huge. It had a large terrace on the top floor that gave us views across to the marina and Mount Calegero. The downside was the six flights of stairs to reach the front door and then another two flights to take us between the three floors of the apartment. The owner and his son had kindly picked us up from the train station. When we arrived and I saw the stairs, he must have noticed the dismay on my face, because he hoisted my very large bag over his shoulder and marched up the six flights.  I was suitably impressed and very, very thankful!

After some initial maintenance, the boat was lifted into the water and we got to work. Floors were washed, bathrooms were cleaned, shelves were dusted, cupboards and fridges were stocked, sheets and towels were sorted and beds were made. Everything was in its place and ready for this year’s journey and we spent our final night in Termini Imerese on board in the marina excited to be sailing again. 

Palermo is only a few hours away and we had no trouble getting into the large marina that was close the city and where our first guests got on board.  After giving them a quick tour of the boat, we went looking for somewhere to have a drink and chat. I visited Palermo briefly ten years ago, but couldn’t remember much about it, other than it seemed in desperate need of repair, as some very beautiful buildings were crumbling. I was delighted to see the city in a much better state. I loved every minute of this first wander and reacquainting myself with Palermo’s beauty and grandeur.

We were unsure whether we’d need to check in to Italy this year, which involves having our Constituto, the official sailing log, stamped by customs.  We spoke to the marina manager who informed us that, as the boat is not registered in the EU, we can only stay for 18 months.  We explained that in Greece, the time the boat is out of the water and on the hard stand is not counted as part the 18 months, and that we had a document from the boatyard in Termini Imerese to show that our boat had been out of the water since last July.  He was surprised to hear that Greece made this allowance as Italy does not! After a long discussion and some calls to his colleagues for advice, we learned that if we wanted to continue sailing in Italy beyond this year, we would need to visit a non-EU country before departing. He informed us that the nearest non-EU country is Tunisia and that it is an easy process. As I said … sailing doesn’t always go to plan and we’ve now added Bizerte, Tunisia to this year’s adventure. 

We left the next morning and headed to Spiaggia di Mondello (Mondello Beach), about an hour’s sail to the west. We dropped anchor in the bay and had our first swim for the trip.  It was so nice to be able to jump off the back of the boat again. As we were a long way from shore and the beach was very packed, we made dinner on board and enjoyed our first night on the open water. 

Our next stop was Castellammare del Golfo. We’d booked a berth in the marina as we were eager to get off and do some walking. When we arrived, the berth we’d been allocated was very hard to get into and the strong winds were working against us. We couldn’t communicate with the marina staff as they didn’t speak English.  As we considered our options, a small motor launch sped up to our boat. The English-speaking driver asked if we’d like a berth in their marina and offered help to get us in. It was a huge relief! 

That evening we walked up to a lookout with great views across the marina and the town. We then wandered around the streets which were filled with locals and tourists enjoying the warm evening. Like most Italian towns, families and couples were out for their evening stroll and the place was buzzing. We found somewhere to eat with views across the water and enjoyed some traditional Sicilian food.  After dinner we continued to wander, checking out many great sights over the town walls.

We were a little nervous about exiting the marina the next morning as there was very little space to maneuver.  Again, the marina staff came to our rescue with a small power boat to tow us out.

We sailed further west to a small bay at the very north-west tip of Sicily and anchored in a wide bay with a beautiful beach, off San Vita Lo Capo. The sections of the beach that were not covered with lounge chairs were filled with people.  It was a warm, sunny Sunday and everyone was out enjoying a day out. We put the kayak into the water and had lots of fun swimming, paddling and watching the small power boats come and go from the bay. There were many people on yachts like ours and late in the afternoon we watched as they went to shore on their dinghies. We were soon doing the same and discovered a large town behind the beach with many restaurants.  Again, the locals were out in force, eating, drinking and socialising. We found a place to eat and joined them.

We were eager to visit the Egadi Islands, which are south of San Vito Lo Capo, and decided to go directly there rather than continue to follow the coast. A few hours later we dropped anchor near the port on Isola di Levanzo (Levanzo Island). Soon after, a very large ferry came in to the port and we were told to move.  We motored to the next bay which was already filled with boats but found a good anchorage with some much-needed protection as it was very windy. That evening we took the dinghy to shore and walked around the small village, surprised at how many houses and restaurants there were. It looked very small from the boat. We found a great pizzeria overlooking the harbour with delicious food and a beautiful view. We went back to the town early the next morning to visit the tiny supermarket and bakery and stock up for the next few nights, as we planned to be on anchor at the largest of the Egadi Islands, Isola di Favignana. It was still very windy and we needed protection on the south side of the island where there were no marinas.

It was a very rough sail around Favignana Island, with large swells and high winds.  We’d put out a small headsail but when it came time to pull it in, we struck a problem with the furler. Instead, we had to pull the entire sail down while bobbing around in the rough seas, just outside of Rotonda Bay. We were very happy to drop anchor in the bay a short time later.  It was still windy but we were safe and secure.  

Rotonda Bay had crystal clear water and two small beaches, both filled with people swimming and sunbathing.  Above the beach was a small bar with views across the bay and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Google maps revealed that it was a popular spot for viewing the sunset, so decided to go there for drinks and dinner later that day.  In the meantime, there was fun to be had with the kayak, paddleboard and other boat toys.  The wind had eased and the water was perfect.  A few hours later a small boat came past selling ice-creams. It was hard to imagine that a few hours earlier we’d been frantically working to get a sail down. That’s sailing for you!

Later that evening we took the dinghy to the beach and walked up the hill to Pure Vida, the beach bar.  It was already packed with mostly young people, who appeared to have walked or cycled to the bar from nearby accommodation. It was a great atmosphere and we settled in, to drink, eat and enjoy the fun. There were large hessian covered cushions piled up around the outside of the bar and as more people arrived, they took some and found a place to sit outside.  We had no idea where they were all coming from, but by the time the sun was setting there around fifty people at the bar. We laughed when a small group of women came walking across the grass carrying suitcases. They’d clearly decided they needed a drink before heading to their accommodation.

We were needing some exercise, so decided to walk to the lighthouse the next morning.  Located on the western most point of the island, it was an easy half hour trek from our bay. Along the way we were surprised to see many houses and some hotels. It had felt like we in the middle of nowhere on our boat. There were also lots of prickly pear bushes and many cactuses, olive trees and wild fennel.  Near the lighthouse was a small cafe that had just opened, so we sat down for breakfast and coffee before walking back. The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the boat, away from the windy weather. 

We lifted anchor early the next morning, eager to be back on the mainland. We’d booked a berth in the marina at Trapani and planned to shop, find a laundry service and clean the boat.  We were also dropping off our first guests and picking up some more. Before leaving, we noticed many jellyfish swimming around the back of the boat.  We figured they’d been washed into the bay with the rough weather and were very happy to have had two days of fun before they arrived.

The crossing to Trapani was calm and gave us a great view of the three Egadi Islands. The marina was large and easy to access, and after tying up the boat we got busy preparing the boat for our second week of sailing and adventure.