THE 'Little Brother' of the world's toughest yacht race set sail from the Solent at the weekend for the start of a transatlantic challenge.

Friends and family joined wellwishers at Ocean Village in Southampton yesterday morning as the vessels set off on the voyage.

The six identical 72ft yachts, which all circumnavigated the globe in the BT Global Challenge, were joined by a flotilla of local boats as they made their way to the start point in Cowes.

They will be racing across the Atlantic to Boston before returning to Ocean Village on a downward sprint.

The yachts are expected to arrive in Boston by the middle of next month. The race restarts on September 29, with its finish expected on the weekend of October 19.

Each of the boats carries a professional skipper, a mate and a team of 16 volunteers.

Rachel Anning, spokeswoman for race organisers Challenge Business, said: "It was an amazing atmosphere and there was a lot of excitement among the crews, family and the general public.

"It is like the little brother of the global challenge because a lot of people can't afford to take ten months off work.

"It's going to be an incredibly exciting race for those taking part. It will be hard and fast over a much shorter period of time.

"There's such a variety of people taking part, from 60-year-old grandmothers to 20-year-old students."

Hundreds of people flocked to Ocean Village over the weekend for the leaving celebrations.

They enjoyed live music, face painting and street theatre.

Tours were offered on the Save the Children yacht, which also took part in the global challenge, to give visitors the chance to sample life on board.