The America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth officially opened its doors on Thursday as thousands of fans descended on Southsea Common to get a glimpse of the magnificent AC45s in action.

Spectators could also get up close and personal with the America’s Cup trophy as it arrived at the site in style shortly after 11am.

America’s Cup arrives at the Portsmouth site

A parade of sail was one of the main events of the day, with all six teams, including Land Rover BAR, Groupama Team France, Softbank Team Japan, Oracle Team USA, Emirates Team New Zealand and Artemis Racing taking to the water to show off their impressive foiling catamarans.

Despite the underwhelming wind conditions, fans were still excited to see the boats getting up on their foils as they past in front of the common.

Oracle Team USA in front of Southsea Common

Thursday sees the start of the four-day event, with practice race sessions on Friday, before the real thing kicks off on Saturday and Sunday.

Find out all you need to know about the America’s Cup World Series in our guide.