Why did Columbus sail first to the Canary Islands before crossing the Atlantic?

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Map showing the transatlantic and global routes of major early voyages of discovery and exploration by Spain, Portugal, England, and France during the 15th and 16th centuries. The map traces the journeys of explorers such as Columbus, Cabot, Magellan, da Gama, and others, with labeled paths crossing the Atlantic and encircling Africa and South America, as well as lines of demarcation dividing Spanish and Portuguese exploration zones. — European exploration Map depicting the European exploration of the New World in the 15th and 16th centuries, including the voyages made by Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Alonso de Ojeda and Amerigo Vespucci, Pedro Álvares Cabral, Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián del Cano, Giovanni da Verrazzano, Jacques Cartier, Sir Francis Drake, and others. The lines of demarcation represent an early division between the territory of Spain (to the west) and Portugal (to the east).

Christopher Columbus sailed to the Canary Islands first rather than heading directly west across the Atlantic to take advantage of the northeast trade winds for his westward crossing.1

After departing from Palos, Spain, on August 3, 1492, the fleet spent nearly a month in the islands to undergo repairs and prepare for the journey. The Canary Islands subsequently became an indispensable Spanish base for sea routes to the Americas, and Columbus replenished all four of his westbound fleets there.12