Three of the most senior members of Thames Valley Police are hoping it will be plain sailing in their bid to raise £100,000 for charity.

The team of six — including chief constable Sara Thornton, deputy chief constable Francis Habgood and assistant chief constable Nick Gargan — will race 60 nautical miles from the Isle of Wight tomorrow along with teams representing 19 other British police forces.

The race is to mark 20 years of the Crimestoppers charity and the officers hope to raise £100,000 for the cause.

Chief constable Sara Thornton said: "For 20 years now Crimestoppers has helped us tackle crime in the Thames Valley by enabling people across the community to pass on information safely and anonymously.

"I am very much looking forward to the challenge this weekend.

"The training took us through the basics of tacking and gybing and taught a whole new language.

"While I wouldn't advise anyone to place a bet on us winning the race — I do think that we are ready to take on the challenge."

So far the team have raised more than £30,000.