There are many things the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge can control but the weather is not one of them.

The royal couple shivered in torrential downpours in the Bahamas on Friday as they gamely took to the windswept sea for a sailing regatta, billed as a nod to the Duke of Edinburgh who was an honorary life member of the Royal Nassau Sailing Club.

The race involved five teams of eight or nine sailors in 21ft Class B sloops, sailing around a three and a half mile course off Montagu Beach in Nassau.

The Duke, who set sail in an iconic Bahamian sloop called the Susan Chase, was hailed the victor, punching the air in triumph as they returned to shore after an hour at sea, soaked to the skin.

Earlier in the day, the couple had enjoyed a vibrant Junkanoo street parade, met key workers and took part in a school assembly.

Before the race began, the Duchess picked up a hog snapper as they admired an impressive display of freshly caught fish. “It’s wonderful!” she said.

Fisherman Gregory John Brown, who was showing off his recent catch, said: “She said she’s going to try it before they leave.”

The Cambridges then left the jetty together on a bait to watch a youth race before switching to their own sloops for the main event.

Race coordinator Clyde Rolle had identified a weather window to hold the already delayed race but when the time came, the heavens opened.

The Duke and Duchess, already out at sea, were forced to shelter beneath tarpaulin for 20 minutes.