TWO Salisbury crews will be weathering the storm in a sea of boats in the world's largest offshore race.

Simon Zavad and Oliver Stanley/Max Slee are joining 4,000 competitors in the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race.

Zavad's Civil Service Offshore Racing Club will be sailing in Blue Juice First 40.7 and Stanley/Slee in Going Concern Baltic 42.

The legendary race sets sail from Cowes, Isle of Wight, where a diverse range of yacht will be making their mark.

The entry list for the race, which takes place a week Sunday, makes for impressive reading, both in its scale, diversity and quality of the fleet taking part, confirming the Rolex Fastnet Race’s position as the world’s biggest and most popular offshore race.

Now in its 46th year, the race started with seven boats in 1925 and nowadays, sailors worldwide are drawn by the history and sporting lure of the contest.

The challenging 603 mile race from Cowes to the Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland and back around the Scilly Isles to Plymouth, is now by far the biggest of all the international 600 mile offshore races.

Racing fans can follow the race in numerous ways as all boats are fitted with a race tracker.

Regular updates can be heard on Fastnet Radio, broadcasting on the Cowes Radio frequency 87.7FM on start day.

Fastnet TV will match the radio commentary from Fastnet Radio and will cover the entire start sequences live from midday.