A royal visit, warm Spanish sunshine and good racing conditions added up to a banner day at the Valencia Louis Vuitton Acts on Sunday, although it was a difficult afternoon for the South African team.

In the morning, His Majesty, The King of Spain, Juan Carlos, paid a visit to the Port America's Cup and spent the afternoon racing as 18th man on the Spanish Desafío Español 2007.

After two victories on Saturday, the Spanish challenge had a much more difficult day lined up for the royal visit. Desafío Español would face the Defender, Alinghi, in its first match and follow that up with a contest against the BMW Oracle Racing powerhouse.

The presence of Juan Carlos wasn't enough to help the Spanish crew though, as Desafío Español fell to both top teams over the course of the afternoon.

The end of the afternoon brought heartbreak for Team Shosholoza in flight eight when the team was passed just metres from the finish line by a surging United Internet Team Germany.

The South Africans are still looking for their first win after a tough month in Valencia with boat problems.