We said "good bye" to Catherine and were awaiting Isabel's sister Barbara in Palermo when Bob discovered that "Madama Butterfly" was playing in the Theatre that very evening. So come 6.30 pm we were in our best clothes in a box (no less) waiting for the overture. As you would expect from the home of Puccini the singing was sublime, the orchestra were luxuriant and the ending so sad! But no time to cry we dashed out of the theatre onto a bus to get to the airport bus station just in time to collect Barbara.
On Friday we set off for Castellemare del Golfo - although it was quite calm Barbara was not at all well and when the sea sickness pills eventually stayed down she fell asleep and missed our lovely spinnaker sail to the anchorage inside the harbour. A few days of swimming (Isabel) and culture followed before we headed to the harbour in Cabo Lo Vito. Barbara had now acquired a sea- sickness patch that literally worked miracles - we now had a three day sailing window! Cabo was extremely busy for the Capona Festival - lots of fish and activites to celebrate the end of the season. There was a concert but for once it didn't keep us awake. There is a fantastic beach here with lovely swimming (only me again). Eventually we had a rough old motor sail to our favourite anchorage under the castle in Trapani. Here Isabel talked to port control as instructed but couldn't get the man off the radio and even had to give her mobile number - what for????
On Barbara's last full day we headed upwards to the hill city of Erice. This was named for the daughter of Venus and founded in honour of Venus because of some spring waters. The cable car was closed because it was too windy (story of our lives). For 5 euros you can visit more churches than you could possibly imagine in one place! The town is amazing - every street is cobbled and literally there is a church on every corner. There were big ones, white ones, small ones ornate ones and finally a monastery. On the windward side of town we could hardly stand up as we were almost blown over by the wind - from the leeward side we could see over the plains of Trapani and the rough seas we had sailed the day before. It was almost like being in a helicopter the view was so fantastic. There is only one bus down the hill per day and as the cable car was shut there was a typical bun fight to get on it but we have been in enough Italian ski-lift queues to know what to do and managed to get seats. The drive down was hair-raising as we went down one hair-pin bend after another!
So after a week of sibling companionship Barbara headed thankfully back to dry land (England - a dry land??) and we headed back to our anchorage and then up early for a sail with the wind on the nose to Marsala. Tonight we shall enjoy a cold glass of the famous fortified wine - created surprise surprise by the English.



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