In pictures: Race crews pack Guildhall ahead of Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

Racers set to take on the next phase of the challenge - setting off on 31 August from Gunwharf Quays - gathered at Guildhall to find out for the first time which of the 10 skipper and first mate pairings will be leading them around the world. They also got to meet their fellow crew mates from across the globe.

Partnering with Gunwharf Quays on the event, the Clipper Race will run a four-day festival from August 28, taking over the venue and its surrounding waters, culminating in a grand departure for the competing teams on 31 August. Building on the success of its last year’s event in the city, the Clipper Race hopes to bring an even bigger number of domestic and international visitors to Portsmouth.

Those who take on the Clipper Race need no previous sailing experience before being intensively trained to face the record breaking 40,000 nautical mile race around the world on a 70-foot ocean racing yacht. For one crew member, the departure will be all the more special as she will be departing from home waters. Portsmouth’s Amy Walshe will be waving her home city goodbye after she decided to do something extraordinary and signed up to take on the Clipper 2025-26 Race.

Each team of race crew, which is led by a professional skipper and first mate, will wave goodbye to Portsmouth Harbour as they buckle down for eleven months of battling storm-force winds, towering waves, and the relentlessness of racing 24 hours a day for up to 30 days at a time, across some of the world’s most unforgiving oceans. This will be the second consecutive departure from Portsmouth.

The Race Start Festival opens its doors on August 28, and at the heart of the family friendly programme of events will be the Race Crew about to embark on this adventure. Visitors will be able to hear from them their individual stories about why they chose this epic feat, with a hope they inspire someone else to pursue their dreams of becoming an ocean racer.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, president and co-founder of Clipper Ventures, said: “It is great for Clipper Ventures to call the Solent home, especially when it is going to be the heart of such a packed sailing agenda over the summer months.

“To announce that for a second edition running we will be back at Gunwharf Quays for our Race Start and Finish celebrations, and with the fleet based just over the water at our HQ in Gosport, it gives us the opportunity to re-engage with a local community that we know are invested in our race and its crew.”