Madeira marks the end of Stage One - they sail here from La Rochelle (France). The first boat to arrive in Funchal from La Rochelle was captained by Isabelle Joschke, and she’s got nearly a 4.5 hour lead for the second leg, which ends in Salvador da Bahia. They reckon it should take 25 days to get from Madeira to Brazil: it's a 3000 nautical-mile journey.
The race's website is good fun: it zooms around the ocean to show you the current positions, and if you hover over any of the boats it shows the sole occupant, their speed, co-ordinates etc. There was one little red boat-marker still in Funchal: turns out Tom Braidwood had trouble with something on the Wombat and had to turn back, but hopes to set out again tonight - he'll be about 240 miles behind the others, who are now just approaching the Canaries...
