A pair of Warminster doctors are preparing for a world famous yacht race around the Isle of Wight at the end of this month.

Kevin McBride and Viv Stevens, GPs at The Avenue Surgery in Warminster, will join 16,000 other sailors on June 30, to race 50 miles around the Isle of Wight.

Dr McBride, 55, said: “We bought the yacht together about six years ago and decided to enter. We’d both sailed occasionally for three or four years prior to that.

“It’s fantastic. It’s an event for everyone, from the complete amateur to the world famous professionals.”

Since its start in 1931, when 25 boats lined up, the Round the Island Race has become one of Britain’s biggest sporting events, attracting thousands of amateur sailors.

More than 1,700 boats compete this year. It will be the fifth race for Dr McBride and the sixth for Dr Stevens. The pair expect to complete the course in about nine hours.