The Team GB Sailing team have thrown their support behind the call for more visitors to come to Weymouth and Portland .

British Sailing Team leader Stephen Park said: “We’ve been saying ‘Come to Weymouth, it’s a great place’ for quite a while now.

“It’s fantastically exciting here with the Olympic sailing events and the weather is always better here than in London.

“You’ve got the choice, you can either watch the Olympics in the big smoke or come and see it in a seaside town.

“For me it’s a relatively easy decision to make.

“As we get into the second half of the regatta for the fleets that started first, and with the 470 sailors starting today, nearly all the fleets will be racing over the next few days.

“And it will get more exciting as we go towards the weekend and into the next week.

“Now is the opportunity for people to come down and enjoy the excitement in Weymouth and for those with families there’s so much going on on the beach and the Live Site.”

He added: “All my friends who have come down to the Nothe are having a great time, after watching the sailing they’ve gone down to the beach, paddling, eating ice cream and doing proper seaside town stuff.

“For parents and kids it’s a great opportunity for them to see the Olympics.”

John Tweed, chief executive of the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy , said: “We’ve got some great sailing here, great excitement, plenty of space on the Live Site for families to come down and enjoy themselves in Weymouth and Portland.

“There’s a lot of entertainment and plenty for people to do, we’ve got the brilliant new Sea Life Tower, great waters and great surroundings.

“There’s something for all the family.”

He added: “It’s been good to see people on the Nothe making noise and so on, I know the sailors appreciate that.

“We need to encourage this over them over the next few days and make sure they get in those medal races.”