MacArthur opened the show from 12,000 miles away

The event is taking place at a new venue this year, the Excel Centre in Docklands, east London.

It features everything from luxury yachts such as the �4.9m Sunseeker 105, and HMS Northumberland naval frigate, to entry-level dinghies.

A water sports arena will host the first ever UK Indoor Windsurfing Championships at the event, which runs until 18 January.

UK windsurfers will compete in slalom, freestyle and jump events and then take on the best in the world.

New boat

Turbines will create 25 knots of wind and there will be seating for 1,500 spectators.

Another attraction will allow people to roam life-sized canal jetties, river banks and Broads settings with displays of the latest narrowboats, river cruisers and dayboats.

Keith Mills, chief executive of London's 2012 Olympic bid, and sailors from Team GBR Ben Ainslie, Iain Percy and Shirley Robertson were also at the opening ceremony.

MacArthur also showed off her new trimaran boat which will be used to challenge for round-the-world and trans-Atlantic records from June.