The brewing capital of England, IPA would begin its journey by canal, first to London but later to the docks at Liverpool. Economies of scale meant that this leg of the journey would often cost more than the rest of the sea voyage to India (as anyone who's taken a £20 taxi to catch a £15 flight will be aware!)
Mostly Portugese (with a few changes of sovereignty over the years) the Madeira Islands were renowned for the wine which takes their name. East India Company ships would usually stop to take on vast amounts of wine in large "pipes" which were known to have a long life and would fetch a handsome price in India.
Now named Cabo Verde, these Portugese islands were a major hub of the slave trade. As it was abolished the islands had to look to other forms of income, and found it in provisoning ships heading south towards the Doldrums where they risked being becalmed for weeks. This was usually the last stop for East India Company ships before they crossed the equator.
The second largest city in Brazil was a common stopping off point for ships on both legs of the journey - although some ships would head directly from Cape Verde to the Cape of Good Hope many would stop to reprovision and provide some shore leave. There was also a thriving trade in chilies and spices from South America to the Indian sub-continent.
Simply known as "The Cape" this was, and still is, one of the most legendary stretches of water in sailing history. The meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian oceans, warm and cold currents mix to produce some of the most treacherous and stormy waters on the planet. The mythical home of The Flying Dutchman.
Now known as Kolkata, this city was established by the East India Company during the decades that followed their arrival in 1690. A river port provided docking for ships and relatively easy transport into the heartland of India - not that much of the IPA made it that far inland. The river setting brought one major hazard for the incoming Brits however - malaria, a disease which still kills well over half a million people each year.
