After three nights on anchor in the Egadi Islands, we needed to restock and do some washing. Two of our friends were leaving the boat and another two would join us. Trapani, a large city on the west coast of Sicily and the gateway to the Egadi Islands, was the perfect place to prepare for the next stage of our journey.

Finding a laundromat or laundry service is a necessary evil when sailing. We prefer a laundry service where you can drop everything off and pick it up later, rather than sitting for hours in a laundromat. A Google search showed one 900 metres from the boat and another two kilometres away.  We headed to the nearest, loaded with large bags of sheets, towels and dirty clothes. As the footpaths are very narrow in the old part of Trapani, we had to walk in single file often moving onto the road when there was something or someone obstructing our path.  We must have looked quite a sight, with four of us carrying large bags of laundry, followed by our departing visitors dragging their suitcases behind them. We found the first laundry, only to be told that there was no way it could be done that day. Off we went again, walking another kilometre to the edge of the city centre, not sure what to do if the second laundry couldn’t take it, or if their machines were full.  But luck was on our side. Yes, he could do our washing and it would be ready by 5pm, said the English-speaking owner. By the time we had returned to the boat, we’d walked four kilometres and needed a rest. We decided to take a taxi to pick it up later that day.

We spent the rest of the day acquainting our friends with the boat and restocking cupboards and fridges. That night we all walked back into town for dinner at a traditional Sicilian restaurant, specialising in seafood dishes. I had the stuffed squid and it was delicious.

The sail from Trapani to Mazara del Vallo took less time than anticipated, mostly due to the strong wind pushing us along.  When we arrived at the marina, we were a bit concerned about how easy it would be to get into our berth.  There was a large expanse of water outside of the marina, so we slowly made our way into the area while waiting for instructions from the staff.  Our depth metre was telling us we had plenty of water under the boat, but suddenly it felt like we were about to run aground.  At the same time a guy from the marina came cycling down the pier at top speed, screaming at us to STOP, STOP! Our skipper quickly reversed, throwing up a lot of mud from the bottom of the harbour. Clearly our depth metre was not working. We managed to get out and made our way to the berth that had been allocated to us, which was behind a pier.  Both depth and strong winds were working against us, as it became obvious that we would run aground again. The guy from the marina directed us to another berth on the outside of the marina.  The wind was so strong our bow was being blown against another boat. It took every crew member and three people on the pier to safely bring the boat in.  It was such a relief when we were securely tied up. It was the first time our friends had experienced coming into a marina, and they looked a bit shocked.  We had to reassure them that this was a very unusual experience.

That evening we walked into the old part of town to look for somewhere to eat. Most Sicilian towns have a beautiful church in the heart of the old town and Mazara was no exception.  There had been a large wedding at the church a few hours earlier and many of the beautifully dressed guests were standing around the nearby piazza chatting. We wandered the streets behind the church. Many had large, colourful lampshades strung overhead between the buildings. We found a restaurant in a small piazza and sat down. It was a really nice atmosphere with many locals around us enjoying dinner with their families.

Before taking off the next morning we made sure our depth metre was working. We couldn’t control the wind but we could at least make sure we didn’t run aground. Our next stop was Sciacca, another four-hour sail further along the south coast.  It was an easy sail with light winds and we had a much easier experience getting into the marina.  The town was built on the side of a large, rocky hill and we could see a terrace next to a very grand building part way up. That evening we walked up many stairs to reach it.  The view across the marina and Mediterranean Sea was stunning and well worth the climb.  The piazza was quite large and had a merry-go-round and other entertainment for children. We wandered further up the hill along the streets behind the piazza eventually finding a place in a small courtyard to have dinner. It looked a little more upmarket than our usual choices but the setting was lovely and we were getting tired of walking around looking for somewhere to eat. The menu was limited but the dishes sounded interesting.  The waitress came out to take our drinks order and suggested we share some of their arancini as an entrée. We ordered one filled with smoked eggplant rice, swordfish and almond pesto. It came on a bed of yellow tomato coulis and mint oil.  We also tried their special arancino filled with rabbit ragu and fennel, served with carrot cream. They were amazing! Our main courses were just as delicious and we walked back to the boat feeling very satisfied.

Our last stop on the southern coast was Licata, about seven hours away. We dropped our lines early the following morning as it would be a long day of sailing. While it sounds like a long time to be sitting on a boat, somehow the time flies by.  There is always something to look at on the shore as you pass by or to check out other boats as they sail past. We also chat, read, make lunch and nap.  

The Licata marina is huge and a hub for the south coast of Sicily. Again, we had the wind working against us but with some help from the marina staff in a small power boat we were able to berth with a lot less drama than we’d experienced two days prior.  We were also delighted to discover that the marina had a large toilet and shower block, a laundry, a library, a large supermarket nearby and a few eateries. After a few days of basic marinas with very few facilities, we were ready for some simple luxuries, such as a hot shower and a laundry you didn’t have to walk 2km to reach.

After checking the weather app to determine the best day to cross to Malta, we decided to check into the marina for two nights. This would give us time to enjoy the marina facilities and to visit nearby Agrigento, otherwise known as the Valley of the Temples, a large archaeological site with Greek temples dating back to 500BC.

That evening, we left the marina to wander about the old town section of Licata. It was noisy and busy, but quite interesting. We discovered a small shop with two old men sitting next to the entrance.  As we peeked into the doorway, one of them encouraged us to enter.  At one end of the room was small stage lit up in red with three guitars sitting at the back on stands. At the front of the stage was a chair and microphone. There were two rows of chairs facing the stage. It was a tiny shop, so there were only about a dozen in total.  The rest of the shop was crammed with colourful bric-a-brac. The man entered and told us in very broken English that he would be performing later in the night.  It was quite enchanting and we wished we had the time to come back and see him!

We found a place to eat, our expectations high after our beautiful meal in Licata. As we walked into what appeared from the outside to be an indoor restaurant, we discovered tables set under an open sky as there was no roof. It was a beautiful setting and the waiter/owner was a quite a character with a quirky sense of humour, but unfortunately the food was very ordinary. We made up for it by visiting the gelato shop back at the marina and enjoying our first Italian ice cream for the trip.

We were initially going to take a bus to Agrigento, but decided to look at other options. The marina staff were amazingly helpful and organised a maxi-taxi to take us up there and back. We decided to visit late afternoon to try and avoid the hottest part of the day.  It would also give us a chance to catch up on shopping and laundry.  

At 5pm, we were picked up from the marina office by our driver, Guiseppe and driven to Agrigento in his very nice, air conditioned, black van. The 40-minute drive took us through a few small towns but mostly farmland. Our first view of Agrigento was an ancient ruin on top of the hill. We were met at the entrance by a guide with an offer to give us a tour of the site.  After some haggling, we settled on a price, paid the entry fee and walked to the first ruin. Anna, our guide, was very knowledgeable and we all agreed that it was worth the additional cost.  The seven temples were built in 500BC during the Magna Graecia period and the area is one of the largest archaeological sites in the world. The surrounding land is fertile, with groves of almond and olive trees and has vast views across the Mediterranean Sea. 

Despite visiting the site in the late afternoon, the weather very hot and the walk through the entire site took around 90 minutes. We were all tired and hungry by the time we returned to the marina. Dinner that night was at the nearby pizzeria in the marina, which by luck had some the nicest pizzas we’d eaten since visiting Sicily.

That night we all enjoyed one last luxurious shower and had an early night, in preparation for our ten hour sail to Malta early the following morning.