Thanks to financing by Cosme de Chaves, stepfather of Orellana, the expedition got underway to take possession of the conquered territories. Orellana, leaving Sanlucar de Barrameda at daybreak on March 11, 1545, commanding four ships, headed to the Canary Islands. Battered by roaring seas and screaming winds, they made port in Cabo Verde, abandoning the broken down Nao Capitana. The remaining ships weighed anchor, out to the open sea, towards New Andalusia.