AFTER the fun of Cowes Week and the glamour of the America's Cup Jubilee comes the sheer power of the Festival of the Sea.

Never before has such a large and varied selection of vessels graced the waters of the Solent.

This weekend Portsmouth Harbour will see the culmination of two weeks of frantic seafaring action in the south.

Festival organiser Cpt Malcolm Farrow said: The International Festival of the Sea is the biggest maritime event ever held in Britain.

There will be over 1,000 different vessels from 30 different countries - it is going to be an absolutely fantastic four days."

As the home of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth is this year hosting the festival for the second time.

Portsmouth's first Festival of the Sea in 1998 was hailed an enormous success.

This year, organisers promise the event will be bigger and better than ever.

The theme is seafaring through the ages and ships of all types, from all ages, will be on display.

The world's most advanced warship - the ultramodern American destroyer USS Winston S Churchill - makes her debut appearance in UK waters.

Anchored only yards away will be Grand Turk - a replica 18th century mano"war.

Cpt Farrow said: There will be 80 big ships including 30 square riggers - the largest gathering in recent memory.

Plus there will be 30 warships from a dozen navies, and merchant navy vessels.

It will be incredible to behold."

Following the demise of the Royal Tournament, the Festival of the Sea this year incorporates all three armed services.

One of the highlights of the festival will undoubtedly be the daily hostage rescue" played out by members of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Every afternoon an RAF Nimrod reconnaissance plane will swoop over the harbour, scanning the area for hostile forces.

A Lynx chopper will then hover above the hostage site, before offloading a troop of Royal Marines, who will abseil from the helicopter into action.

An RAF Tornado and Harrier jumpjet will also join in the mission, plus more Marines - this time jumping into harbour waters direct from a twin rotor Chinook helicopter.

Supported by Rigid Raider assault craft, a military hovercraft and armoured landing crafts, the hostage is finally rescued.

Cpt Farrow said: It is important to show all the services cooperating, because nowadays all the services tend to work together. The triservice rescue display is going to be amazing to see."

But the festival is not simply about military might.

The merchant navy is well represented as is the south coast's world-famous fishing industry.

Organisers promise the fourday event will celebrate all aspects of seafaring culture.

The whole dockside site will be split into 18 areas - each focusing on a different element of the sea.

Among the attractions will be water sports demonstration zone, an area for local marine artisans, a look into the future of ocean travel and a re-enactment of life in Portsmouth Harbour as it was 200 years ago.

Every evening there will be a maritime parade followed by an evening concert for 9,000 people in the festival arena.

A quarter of a million people are expected to visit the festival between tomorrow and Monday.

Capt Farrow hopes those people will go away with an increased appreciation of the sea and the ships that ply it.

He said: Our vision is to reconnect people with the sea. We feel the country has gone a bit seablind". Our vision is to encourage a renewal of the connection with the sea. We hope people will have a wonderful time and will go home and think that was great, and it was all about the sea".