Surely few romantic reunions can match this - a loved one meant to be thousands of miles away, waiting on a quayside for a seafarer to sail into one of the world's most spectacular harbours.

It happened to a Wilberfoss couple - and it was a complete surprise for the sailor, thanks to a little subterfuge.

Michelle Ferrier, who works for Norwich Union in York, had just finished the trip of a lifetime, on a yacht from New Zealand to Australia.

Who should be waiting for her when she landed in Sydney Harbour but her fiance Matthew Atkinson - whom she fondly imagined was still at home in wintry Yorkshire.

Michelle, 27, learned just before Christmas that she was to take part in the last leg of the BT Global Challenge on board the Norwich Union yacht.

Through some friends she arranged to spend a holiday in Sydney at the end of the leg with former York woman Julie James, who lives there. But, unknown to Michelle, Julie had persuaded Matthew, also 27, to take a break from his job as a landscape gardener and travel out to Sydney too. Matthew's mother, Jill, said setting up the surprise had not been easy. "According to Matthew, Michelle is one of these people you can't surprise, because she always gets to know things," she added.

So Matthew and his parents had to pretend they could not understand how to use e-mails, the only way to communicate with Michelle when she was on the yacht.

She set off from New Zealand on February 18, and Matthew flew out the following day. "We knew she couldn't ring," said Mrs Atkinson. "She has e-mailed, but of course we haven't replied." So it seems the harbour meeting remained a surprise, though Mrs Atkinson had not yet heard from either Matthew or Michelle and relied for her information on Julie.

"He was there at the dock and she was very surprised," said Mrs Atkinson. "I was told it was pure magic. What exactly happened I really don't know yet, but I will do soon, I'm sure."

* The Norwich Union yacht came in tenth, starting well but then having been hampered by the weather.

Updated: 15:53 Tuesday, February 27, 2001