Mary outsails her Prince again

by Al Constable on 28 Feb 2005 Denmark's royal couple, Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary, have competed against each other in a Farr 40 match racing series in Sydney.

Princess Mary again beat the Prince 2-1, the same result as in the pre-nuptial series on Copenhagen Harbour, when Australian sailing icon John Bertrand championed her cause.

This time, Crown Prince Frederik helmed his Farr 40 Nanoq in the best of three race series, while Princess Mary was on the wheel of Chris Meehan’s Belle Property.

Mary’s crew was stacked with Australian talent; Olympic 470 Gold medallist Tom King, 470 World Champion Malcolm Page and America's Cup recruit, Etchells sailor and North sail maker Mark Bradford.

The racing became quite serious, with some heart stopping moments for the trailing security boats, as Mary, determined not to lose any advantage, ducked below one of the large Sydney Harbour ferries.

An exclusion zone was enforced in the Farm Cove and Fort Dennison area for two-and-a-half hours during the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron run event on Sunday afternoon.

It is the pair's first official visit to Australia since their wedding in Copenhagen last May and it has been timed specifically around the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds which start tomorrow.

In between and after the sailing, their tour will feature charity balls and state receptions and will include a visit to Princess Mary's home state, Tasmania.