The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's hopes of watching Sir Ben Ainslie's crew clinch another America's Cup World Series race win were dashed by the weather.
Dangerously high winds and torrential rain meant two yacht races between six international teams in the Solent had to be cancelled.
But Kate made up for the disappointment by donning a pair of virtual reality simulator goggles when she toured the base of Sir Ben's team BAR (Ben Ainslie Racing) in Portsmouth.
The simulator did not move but gave Kate the sensation she was on the heaving deck of a boat in a race, and after the experience she said it felt "weird".
The royal couple had planned a day watching the yachts race, from land and at sea, and touring a festival staged for the four-day competition, but they had to scrap part of their itinerary and reschedule or scale down other events.
The royal couple arrived dressed for a day supporting the British sailor, wearing BAR (Ben Ainslie Racing) jackets with Duke of Cambridge and Duchess of Cambridge emblazoned on the back, and Kate was in leggings while William had dark jeans.
The Duchess, who spent part of her gap year in 2001 as a crew member on the Round the World Challenge boats in the Solent, joined Sir Ben in June last year when he formally launched Britain's bid to win the America's Cup for the first time.
She is a committed supporter of BAR and is also royal patron of the 1851 Trust, which works to inspire the next generation through sailing and the marine industry.
Sir Ben, the most successful sailor in Olympic history, hoped to skipper his team on the second day of the opening leg of the World Series but after marking preparations he had to give up when the racing was called off.
He said: "The English summer, you just can't count on it.
"Yesterday was the most amazing day of my sailing career. There were so many people out, everyone had a fantastic time.
"Today was a shame but we will get that sorted out and book the weather in for next year."
The America's Cup is international sport's oldest trophy, first staged in 1851 off the Isle of Wight, but it has not returned to British waters following that inaugural defeat.
Sir Ben, who has won four Olympic golds and a silver, was famously employed as a tactician during the last America's Cup race, helping the US Oracle team overturn an 8-1 deficit to beat New Zealand.
Points collected during the World Series determine who will challenge the US for the America's Cup which will be staged in Bermuda in 2017.
Sir Ben began his challenge in great style when his team clinched a win and a second place during the two races staged yesterday in front of thousands of spectators.