It was a homecoming to remember for Hampshire sailor Alex Thomson.

Crowds gathered in the sailor's home port of Gosport to celebrate his record breaking effort in the prestigious Vendee Globe, which is widely renowned as one of sport’s toughest challenges.

Thomson finished second in this year’s edition of the solo, non-stop, race around the world, crossing the finish line on January 20.

The 42-year-old completed the gruelling race in just 74 days, 19 hours and 35 minutes, becoming the fastest Brit to ever sail solo around the world in a monohull.  

Many boats joined Thomson in a Parade of Sail on Saturday commencing in the Solent and travelling through Portsmouth Harbour before berthing Thomson’s racing yacht, HUGO BOSS, at the Gosport Ferry Terminal.

Thomson was welcomed ashore by the Mayor of Gosport for a civic reception, as well as answering questions from the crowd of excited fans.

He matched Dame Ellen MacArthur as the highest-placed British competitor in the Vendee Globe. She finished second in the 2001 race. 

Thomson said: “I am always overwhelmed by the support I receive from my local community, but today has been particularly special.

"I’m truly honoured that these crowds came out to celebrate not only my achievement, but also the work of my team both before and during the race, today is as much a day for them as it is for me and it is something none of us will ever forget.”

CEO of Alex Thomson Racing, Stewart Hosford, said: “We are incredibly proud of what Alex has achieved and are delighted to see the tremendous support from our local community.

"An achievement such as this is the result of four years of extremely hard work and preparation from both Alex and the team behind the scenes and it is fantastic to be able to celebrate such a fantastic result."