Prince of Tides: William rules the waves as he beats Duchess of Cambridge in dragon boat race... but despite the drizzly day Kate looks simply 'oarsome'
- Prince William shows off his piloting skills by landing Canadian Forces Sea King helicopter on water in front of crowds
- Kate wears an ivory pencil dress by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen - who also designed her wedding gown
By Rebecca English
Last updated at 11:17 PM on 4th July 2011
Wet, grey and miserable…it wasn't quite the right day for a trip to the seaside.
But that failed to stop the Duke and Duchess plough on with the latest leg of their tour of Canada - turning their hand from everything from Dragon Boat Racing to a soaking game of beach volleyball.
The couple were on Prince Edward Island, the setting for one of Kate's favourite childhood books, Anne of Green Gables Set in the 1870s, the novel recounts the life and times of a feisty red-headed schoolgirl, Anne Shirley, who is adopted by brother and sister farmers in the mistaken belief they are taking in a young boy.
Scroll down to see video of the visit
Competitive streak: Kate and William hug before taking part in a dragon boat race on opposing teams
Prince William prepares to take part in the dragon race as the couple gets ready to show their competitive streak
Reminiscent of scenes in 2007 when she trained to take part in a cross-channel race, left, Kate took to the water against William's team
Competitive: Kate tries her best to catch up with William whose boat leads by several metres
The Duke of Cambridge rows fiercely with his team mates as he glides along Dalvay Lake
William got rather wet in the friendly dragon boat race but that did not stop his competitive spirit showing through, goading the opposition as he rows to victory
It's all smiles in the end, though, as he gives his wife a hug back on the jetty after he won by several metres
Royal seal of approval: Prince William gives the thumbs up to his victorious crew while Kate looks forward from the steering position at the back of her team's boat
Heather Moyse, the Olympic bobsled gold medallist, shared a joke with William as she presented him with a bottle of champagne for winning the race.The sportswoman said she heard the royal on the radio joking about persuading his uncle the Earl of Wessex to rename the island Prince William Island.
She said: 'I told him PWI is harder to say than PEI, but if he could arrange it with his uncle we would not mind.'
She added: 'Both he and Kate are very competitive, so I think it was good. As a female athlete, I would be really annoyed if someone let me win.'
The royal couple were later welcomed by First Nations people with a traditional Mi'kmaq smudging ceremony.
They took part in a 'smudging ceremony', a ritual which involves a Mi'kmag elder lighting sage leaves and wafting the smoke with an eagle wing toward her and William
William, damp in patches from his rowing pursuits, makes Kate laugh heartily at something he said as a chef prepares a lobster for the couple
Kate, pictured as she heads toward the lake where she took part in the dragon boat race
Kate smiles at her opponents after arriving on show following the race on Dalvay Lake
Despite getting rather wet from rowing and losing the race to her husband, Kate keeps smiling
Kate went first in the ceremony cupping her hands and wafting the pungent smoke up to her face before chatting to the 60-year-old.
William followed and did the same and also exchanged a few words with the elder before the royals gave Ms Knockwood-Snache and others with her, traditional gifts of tea - from exclusive store Fortnum and Mason - and red velvet packages containing tobacco.
After the ceremony the elder said the ritual cleanses the recipient's 'bad thoughts', senses and body.
She added: 'I told William it would help him in his job as he's going to be faced with a lot of work and some times will be hard.
'I said that's why I'm smudging you to offer you guidance and he said 'I really need it'.
Kate and William cover their ears from the noise of a Canadian rescue helicopter as they arrived in Summerside later today
At a reception to welcome them to PEI, as it is known, Kate chattered excitedly about her childhood passion for the book which she first read when she was eight. 'She [Anne Shirley] was a real heroine. You could lose yourself in it. I loved it,' she said.
The morning saw the couple first take part in more formal festivities, with the Duchess dressing for the occasion in a nautical-style cream and pale blue cable-knit pencil dress by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, who designed her much-lauded wedding dress.
Prince William sits in the seat to the left after having taken part in the exercise known as 'waterbirding'
Ready for action: With camera in hand, Kate waves to her husband as he comes in to land, while Prince William looked relaxed as he made his way to the Sea King
Prince William can be seen surveying the water below through the window of the Sea King as he takes off and lands several times
Prince William confidently tips the Sea King so that his wife and the watching crowd could see into the cockpit while left, the helicopter is seen moments after take off
Crowds look on as Prince William shows off his flying skills aboard a Canadian Forces Sea King helicopter, landing the amphibious craft on water earlier today
Unusually, she had her long, dark hair tied back in a loose pony tail courtesy of her personal hairdresser, James Pryce, who has joined her for the trip.
Sadly, however, the heavens truly opened just before they were due to arrive for a fun-packed afternoon at the picturesque beachside resort of Dalvay-by-the-Sea.
There was just enough time for a quick change into more casual fare.
For Kate this was figure-hugging blue trousers showing her tiny physique and a navy overcoat topped off with a red scarf casually knotted around her neck and white and cream deck shoes.
First it was a chance for William show off his skills an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot, by co-piloting a Sea King.
Visit: William and Kate arrive at Prince Edward Island watched by a number of fans who had dressed up in period costume for the occasion
Lady in white: Kate wore a cricket style outfit for the occasion which she teamed with navy shoes. The Royal couple were met by hundreds of cheering fans
Wardrobe malfunction? Kate's skirt is caught by the wind as she greets fans in blustery and wet conditions
Something funny? Kate laughs as Prince William struggles to put a pen back into its holder after signing the guest book at Province House in Charlottetown
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES
The much-loved Anne of Green Gables is a novel written in 1908 by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Set in 1878, it is the story of a couple from Avonlea on Prince Edward Island who, when they decide to adopt an orphan to help on their farm, are mistakenly sent a girl instead of a boy.
The girl is the precocious, red-haired 11-year-old Anne Shirley and Montgomery follows her adventures, and misadventures, through nine books as she grows up.
The Anne stories have been turned into several movies and a number of television series as well as selling more than 50 million copies.
As his wife – who admitted earlier this week she worries every time the pilot prince takes off – waved, William climbed aboard the chopper for a demonstration of 'waterbirding', a manoeuvre unique to Canadian pilots which is designed to simulate an emergency landing on water.
The Duchess excitedly took pictures of her husband from the edge of the lake.
On one occasion, he brought the helicopter around in front of his wife and banked slightly so she had a good view into the cockpit before flying off.
The Duke specifically asked to take part in the training exercise as the technique is legendary among helicopter pilots and he is one of only a handful of British ones who have had the opportunity to try it.
William was then joined on the water by his wife for a spot of Dragon Boat racing.
The jaunt proved a welcome return for Kate, who in 2007 trained with all-girl team The Sisterhood for a cross-Channel dragon boat fundraiser when she was dating the prince.
She was forced to pull out shortly before the race took place, however, over fears that her presence would attract too many photographers.
The night before her latest adventure the Duchess confided that she fully expected William to win.
'I think I am going to take a ducking,' she told reporters.
William wasn't quite as confident, admitting: 'We are both very competitive.'She beats me at tennis and skiing but I am better at the rest.'
The Duke and Duchess were put in opposing teams and helped to row across the other side of Dalvay Lake.
William's team pipped Kate's to victory by a third of a length and as he got out of the boat he hugged his wife in a rare public display of affection, although aides said there was a fair bit of joshing afterwards.
Despite the miserable conditions, the Duke and Duchess enthusiastically ploughed on with a planned walkabout, sampling local foods including lobster, oysters and chocolate-covered potato crisps - which taste far nicer than they sound.
The couple also took part in a native Mi'kmaq 'smudging' ceremony where they were brushed with burning herbs, including sage and cedar, to cleanse them of negative energy by First Nation Chief, Lennox Island.
The couple, who enjoy sparring at tennis and other sports, entered into the spirit of competition beforehand.
Asked who was going to win William said, 'We are. Of course!'
And when Kate approached with her team, she was less certain.
Are you going to win? 'Not sure about that. I'm feeling slightly nervous,' she said.
Great excitement: Kate shakes hands and chats with well-wishers in the crowd outside Province House
Curtsey: An actor dressed in period costume meets the Prince outside Province House
Say cheese: A young Canadian fan is delighted by Kate as the pair pose for a photograph
'What they've seen in Quebec, in Montreal the last two days is, for them, just part of the rich fabric of Canada and in no way detracts from how much they respect and admire the country,' said the couple's spokesman, Miguel Head. 'They've very much fallen in love with the country.'
The jeers contrasted with the start of the royal couple's Canadian trip in the largely English-speaking capital, Ottawa, where they were cheered by tens of thousands of people on Friday's Canada Day holiday.
Quebec separatists are angry that Canada still has ties to the monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II is still the country's head of state.
Police were out in force in downtown Quebec City. About 200 protesters, some wearing black and waving flags, demonstrated about two blocks from City Hall, where Prince William, a Royal Air Force helicopter pilot, attended a ceremony to honour and inspect the Royal 22e Regiment, the most famous French-speaking unit in the Canadian military.
Welcoming: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at Province house in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, escorted by Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers
Mounted guard: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were driven through the streets in a horse-drawn landau with Prince Edward Island Premier Robert Ghiz and his wife Kate Ellis
Mobbed: Prince William proves a big hit with Canadians as he meets fans
A larger crowd of several hundred supporters, chanting 'Will and Kate' were allowed closer to City Hall and greeted the royal motorcade with loud cheers when it arrived.After a military band played the first six bars of 'God Save the Queen,' Prince William made brief remarks entirely in French.
'You, the Quebecois et Quebecoise, have such vitality and a remarkable pride. We are simply delighted to be here,' he said.
Undeterred by the nearby protesters, Prince William and Kate charmed the Quebeckers with an unexpected walkabout. The royal couple went to the barricade, chatting and shaking hands with enthusiastic supporters in the square around City Hall before leaving by motorcade.
Support for the separatists among Quebeckers has been on the decline in recent years as the 80 per cent French-speaking province has enjoyed plenty of autonomy even without quitting Canada.
Staying dry: The Duchess holds an umbrella as her husband meets Mounted Police officers
Close: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoy a private moment as they continue with their busy schedule
Waving the flag: Schoolchildren were among thousands of fans who waited for a chance of a glimpse of the Royal couple