Clipper Round the World race begins in Portsmouth

Ella Hebron said the crews would be heading into storms

A round-the-world yacht race crewed by more than 500 amateur sailors, many of them novices, has set off from Portsmouth.

A fleet of 10 identical yachts will sail 40,000 nautical miles (74,000km) over eight legs in the Clipper Race.

Previous sailing experience is not a requirement, with participants completing four weeks of intensive training ahead of the race.

Deputy race director Max Rivers said: "We look forward to greeting them back in 11 months time - changed people, and hopefully amazing sailors."

The yachts set sail from Portsmouth for Puerto Sherry, Spain, on Sunday

Ella Hebron, skipper of Team Washington DC, said she was feeling "a little bit of apprehension" as the crews prepared to set sail for Puerto Sherry, Spain.

"We're heading into a couple of storms rolling through so it will be an exciting first race," she said.

Participants, who pay for their training and place, can join just one leg or multiple legs of the eight-leg race.

Southampton student Thomas Roy, 18, is the youngest crew member, sailing the entire circumnavigation in memory of his late mother.

He said: "I was left some inheritance and she'd always been a sailor - we'd always been a sailing family - so I wanted to put it towards something meaningful."

Max Rivers said he looked forward to welcoming the crews back in 11 months

The 500 crew members taking part come from 37 different countries and about 200 of them have never sailed before.

The Clipper Race was founded in 1995 by Portsmouth's Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who was the first person to sail solo, non-stop around the world.

This is the 14th edition of the event, which sees crews sailing 24 hours a day up to 30 days at a time.