Two sailors competing against each other in Global Challenge were married in Sydney today half way through their epic voyage around the globe.

Graham Thompson, 31, proposed to his girlfriend, Laura Alexander, over VHF radio as she rounded sailing’s greatest landmark, Cape Horn, two months ago. Since then they have spent Christmas apart but were briefly re-united in Wellington, New Zealand before heading to Sydney on Leg 3 of the race, where the wedding took place.

The couple’s fierce rivalry on the water has not been softened since the engagement – in fact Graham’s yacht, Pindar, finished just two minutes ahead of the boat Laura is competing on, BP Explorer, on arrival into Sydney.

Both of the couple’s teams were present at the wedding and Graham’s 16 crew mates from Team Pindar swapped their foul weather gear for morning suits to be ushers on the big day.

The fleet of 12 yachts will leave Sydney, Australia on 27 February, with Laura’s yacht, BP Explorer in second place overall and Team Pindar currently in 9th. The teams will head back into the Southern Ocean finishing in Cape Town, South Africa around the 5 April.