They're off

Mini Transat's second leg gets underway from Lanzarote

At 1102 GMT 67 of the original 70 sailors took the start line of the Mini Transat from Puerto Calero, Lanzarote.

Tiphaine Vrignault and Caroline Vieille have retired while François- Jacques Jauffrineau hopes to set sail in a few hours time.

With the sun burning brightly an established 15 knot northeasterly pushed the boats out to sea. Crossing the start line most of the boats headed due south.

Initial options have not yet been defined though the majority of the boats have headed
dead south, leaving the others to make for the coast of Fuerteventura. The forecast for the next few days shows the northeastly to be established and blowing around 20 knots - so more gybing downwind as the boats make for the Cape Verde islands where they must leave Maio, the most southeasterly island of the group, to port. The Cape Verdes lie just to the west of the great circle.

Once across the Doldrums and the equator they must then leave the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronho to starboard en route south to the finish at Salvador de Bahia, from 2,900 miles away.