Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary sail on Sydney to Hobart racer Wild Oats
EUROPEAN royalty has joined the stars of world sailing on Sydney Harbour today as Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Mary jumped aboard a Sydney to Hobart racer ahead of their Christmas vacation Down Under.
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EUROPEAN royalty has joined the rock stars of world and Olympic sailing on Sydney Harbour today as keen sailor Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and wife Princess Mary jumped aboard a Sydney to Hobart racer.
The couple, parents to four children, flew into Sydney on Tuesday at the start of a family holiday which will see them spend Christmas in Tasmania.
But before flying across Bass Strait, they enjoyed a sail on the champion 100-foot Sydney to Hobart supermaxi Wild Oats, owned by Sydney businessman Sandy Oatley.
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Princess Mary was all smiles as she enjoyed the summer sun on Sydney Harbour.
There is speculation the Prince, known as a “good bloke” in sailing circles, could be back on the ocean mauler to contest the Sydney to Hobart — a race he has indicated in the past he is keen to do — but this is as yet unconfirmed.
Interestingly the Danish yacht Nokia, crewed by a mixed crew of Danish and Australian sailors, claimed line honours and a race record in the 1999 Sydney to Hobart.
Sydney Harbour is the place to be seen for the next fortnight with dozens of America’s Cup sailors in Australia preparing for the Sydney to Hobart and multiple Olympic champions from overseas and Australia competing in the annual Sail Sydney regatta for established and emerging stars.
Later this week the harbour will also see the arrival of the Clipper round the world fleet at the end of their tough leg from Perth to Sydney.
The Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats X1, an eight-time Sydney to Hobart line honours winner, is preparing for this year’ Boxing Day event by contesting the annual SOLAS Big Boat Challenge on Tuesday.
Also competing was her little sister, the 66-footer Wild Oats X Prince Frederik raced on at the recent Hamilton Island regatta while his wife stayed in Denmark as twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, started school.
They might have bought a touch of glamour to the boat but the royal couple weren’t able to bring luck with Wild Oats beaten by her Sydney to Hobart nemesis Black Hack in the harbour jaunt.
The 100-footer, named after Sir Jack Brabham, was the first to the finish line off the Opera House in the last race between the two yachts prior to the Sydney to Hobart on Boxing Day.
The royal pair, who famously met during the Sydney Olympics, know Sydney Harbour well with the Hobart-born princess actually beating her sport adventurer husband 2-1 in a match-race back in 2005 after he contested the world Farr 40 championships off Sydney Heads.
The prince, whose oldest son Christian is also a keen sailor, made world headlines when his two-person Tasar capsized during a violent squall on the harbour in 2009 and recently sailed on the smaller Wild Oats X at the annual Hamilton Island race week.
The royal couple have many friends in the sailing fraternity in Sydney.
Princess Mary, formerly Mary Donaldson, married Prince Frederik in 2004.
While Prince Frederik has yet to contest a Hobart race, just two years ago Princess Grace of Monaco’s grandson, Prince Pierre Casiraghi, raced south on the Italian yacht Maserati.
The races reputation as one of the toughest ocean races in the world regularly attracts some of the richest and most powerful men and women in the world.
Past Sydney to Hobart competitors have included British statesman Sir Edward Heath, Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, Skype inventor Nicolas Zenstrom and more recently Netscape boss Jim Clark and his Australian former supermodel wife Kristy Hinze-Clark.
