BRITAIN'S Olympic sailing heroes Shirley Robertson and Ben Ainslie will be among the star guests opening Southampton's spectacular boat show on September 10.

Shirley from Cowes on the Isle of Wight and Ben from Lymington will be joined by Shirley's winning crew members in the Yngling Class Sarah Webb and Sarah Ayton as well as silver medallists Joe Glanfield and Nick Rogers.

They will be sailing into the show on the Pindar Open 60 at 11am where they will talk about their Olympic triumphs and what their plans are for the future.

Show organisers are also waiting for confirmation that the Princess Royal, who is president of the Royal Yachting Association will put in an appearance at the show.

This year's show will be the biggest yet covering a massive 29.6 acres - the equivalent of seventeen football pitches - and is expected to attract 130,000 visitors.

Among the other celebrities at the huge event will be celebrity chef Ross Burden best known for his appearances in shows such as Masterchef and Ready Steady Cook.

Ross has a degree in zoology and was brought up on the New Zealand coast which gave him a natural affinity with the sea.

His travels to the famous Galapagos Islands led to his involvement with the Galapagos Island Trust. He has created a special menu for the boat show which will feature a Galapagos dish to help raise funds for the charity.

BBC commentator and former swimming star Sharron Davies will also be putting in an appearance at the show at the hydropool stand.

She will be talking about her love of boats and the water and her experiences in Athens during the Olympics.

One other star celebrity at the show will be Isle of Wight's round the world sailing legend Ellen MacArthur.

She will be at the show on Saturday, September 11 along with her stunning new trimaran on which she hopes to attempt a fresh solo round the world record attempt.

Other highlights to look out for at this year'sstar-studded event include the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Newcastle.

The captain and crew of the vessel will be on hand to talk about their experiences of life on board one of the UK's warships.

As well as the celebrities, there will of course be hundreds of stands at the show and the chance for visitors to look at a huge range of boats from lowly inflatable craft to multi-million-pound luxury motor yachts.

The show runs from September 10 to 19 in Southampton's Mayflower Park.