Balaton Sailing Season Kicks Off

The sailing season on Lake Balaton started on Saturday with the opening big boat sailing race and the wreath laying ceremony on the lake. This year, 235 people entered the race.

The president of the Hungarian Sailing Federation, Csaba Haranghy, called the town of Balatonfüred the capital of Hungarian sailing in his speech before the race.

He said that the main goal of the federation was to bring together the sailing community on Lake Balaton and other domestic and foreign waters. He stressed that it would dissolve the line between hobby and competitive sailors, as the Hungarian sailing community also includes the community of hobby sailors.

He also spoke about the Kékszalag [Blue ribbon’] Port in Balatonfüred, which can be visited by anyone and where kayaks, canoes, SUPs and sailing boats can be rented after registration.

The first ceremonial ‘sail hoisting’ on Lake Balaton was held in the summer of 1935, and later the tradition of wreathing the lake was established. This year, the wreath was again thrown into Lake Balaton from the 126-year-old Kishamis, the oldest sailing boat on the lake.