Sailing boats gathering at the start of the Barcolana regatta in front of Trieste harbour, Italy, on Sunday.

The annual regatta in the Gulf of Trieste near northern Italy is one of the largest sailing races in the world. This year's edition drew 1,758 participants.

The race first took place in 1969 and is held on the second Sunday of October. It spans a 24km, four-sided course.

Racers include sailing professionals and enthusiasts, on boats of different categories depending on the overall length of the vessel.

On Sunday, the race started at 11.30am, one hour later than the original starting time, to allow for gusts of bora - a violent cold north wind - to die down.

The regatta then continued for the whole day, with boats crossing the finish line late into the afternoon.