We start in San Miguel in the south of Tenerife and sail towards Gran Canaria.
The wind will decide whether we first head for Puerto Mogan in the south or go straight to Las Palmas in the north. With a bit of luck with the weather, we can go ashore in the rental car and set off north the next morning.
In about 20 hours non-stop we travel past Fuerteventura to Lanzarote.
The last volcanic eruption there was almost 200 years ago and left behind a spectacular lava landscape that is still bubbling beneath.
After a trip to the Timanfaya National Park and/or a stroll through the capital Arrecife, the big crossing awaits us - about 200nm across the open Atlantic to Madeira, the end of the first leg of our one-way trip.
Madeira, the island of flowers, is famous for its rich vegetation and breathtaking landscape, and the waters around it are home to many marine animals, especially whales, porpoises and all kinds of large predatory fish. It is definitely advisable to spend a day or two on land to explore the island.
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