Two European royals went head-to-head here in a battle to rule the waves for the final act of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 today (full story below).<\/p>\n
– Members of Spanish and Swedish royal families join Race fleet<\/p>\n
– King Juan Carlos joins Spanish crew for Gothenburg in-port race<\/p>\n
– Victoria, Crown Princess, cheers on women’s crew<\/p>\n
GOTHENBURG, Sweden, June 27 \u2013 Two European royals went head-to-head here in a battle to rule the waves for the final act of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 today.<\/p>\n
His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain joined the crew of Spanish challengers, MAPFRE (Iker Mart\u00ednez\/ESP), in a seven-strong fleet for the Inmarsat In-Port Race Gothenburg, which also included Team SCA (Sam Davies\/GBR).<\/p>\n
The Swedish-backed, all-women\u2019s crew welcomed the heiress to the Swedish throne, Victoria, Crown Princess, on their boat in a race that was hampered by a lack of wind on the course.<\/p>\n
Neither of their regal passengers was allowed to help sail their boats, but both had the perfect spectators\u2019 positions onboard.<\/p>\n
King Juan Carlos, 77, who \u2018retired\u2019 in 2014 to make way for his son King Felipe, said, before boarding, that he had not had the opportunity to sail on a racing yacht for four years.<\/p>\n
He is well known for his love of sailing and a prominent supporter of the race, so would have fully appreciated Iker Mart\u00ednez’s expert strategy in claiming third place.<\/p>\n
The Spanish boat, however, could not keep up with the Crown Princess and Team SCA who finished second behind winners, Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking\/NED).<\/p>\n
via Which royal ruled the waves?| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Two European royals went head-to-head here in a battle to rule the waves for the final act of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 today (full story below). – Members of Spanish and Swedish royal families join Race fleet – King … Continue reading