The race officially began on Sunday 16th November from Portimao marina.  It was supposed to start on the 11th from Sagres but a huge ferocious storm was approaching so the 3 boats in Sagres headed for Portimao marina to wait it out with the other 5 Setkas.  4 of the most hardy contestants elected to start on Sunday 16th but Ian felt it was still a bit marginal and waited till Monday morning while another 3 started on Tuesday.  

Ancymon and Pixel leaving Portimao on Sunday

Nuts a couple of hours after his delayed start.

Gale force conditions were forecast to develop between the coast of Africa and Maderia and by Thursday evening conditions started to deteriorate.  For 24 hours between Friday and Saturday Ian ran under bare poles towing 80m long warps with 3m of chain attached to steady the boat.  It was very rough so Ian slept on the floor wedged between the bunks to stop himself being thrown around the cabin.  All was well, he remained in good spirits and was thankful that he downloaded a lot of movies onto his tablet.  

With no internet access on board Ian's only way of sending updates was by Garmin Inreach which is very restricted so no pictures.

The first boat to cross the finish line in Tenerife this morning was Ancymon, 6 days 18 hours after crossing the start line, followed a few hours later by Falka and Pixel.  Asia G is due in tonight and Ian hopes to arrive Monday night.