Which sailing regatta should you enter?

Balaton Season Opening Race

One of the first races of the year, the official opening event of the sailing season is organized by the Hungarian Yachting Association. It usually takes place in mid-May, and even though your chance to enter this year has already passed, you should definitely pick this race to kick the next season off, as it’s a great warm-up event. The route is not super long: after the ceremonial start in Füred, ships race toward the buoy off Alsóörs, then it’s back to the waters of Tihany, and finally onto the home stretch leading to Füred. May winds tend to be fresh, and the massive, imposing group of boats that come together for the official season opening regatta makes it even more fun to participate.

If you’d prefer to start the season with a longer challenge, you should sign up for the Tolnay Kálmán László Memorial Regatta, which is organized by the Balatonfüredi Yacht Club on the Füred-Alsóörs-Siófok-Füred-Tihany-Füred route, usually around the same time as the season opening (this year the two races took place on the same weekend).

Pentecost Regatta and Harvest Regatta

If you want to push yourself in terms of distance, but you’re not quite ready for Kékszalag, you can enter the Pentecost Regatta: held every year over the Pentecost weekend, the three-day event is also a massive sailing jamboree. The first race of the Pentecost Regatta starts on Saturday in Balatonföldvár, from where contestants sail all the way to Keszthely; the second race on Monday covers the same distance from Keszthely to Földvár. Sunday is when sailors can vie for glory in a short, but exciting bay race on the Keszthely-Szigliget-Zala estuary route. Boats moor in Keszthely every night with all-night events, dinners, award ceremonies and parties taking place there each evening. Due to the crazy fiestas the night before, the number of boats reporting for duty at the start of the Sunday bay race is usually somewhat lower than on other race days.

Pentecost has already come and gone this year, but thankfully an equally important social event/race, the Harvest Regatta takes place in autumn. The distances of the races at the two-day regatta are similar, but more tailored to the specific theme: on the first day ships leave from Alsóörs and arrive in Badacsony – this is where they stay for the night – and the next day they head to Balatonföldvár. As this regatta usually takes place in the middle of the Indian summer, the surrounding landscape is always magically colourful, the sun is still warm, and Badacsony wines ensure that chillier evenings are also pleasant despite lower temperatures. This year’s Harvest Regatta will be held on 19-20 September.

Fehér Szalag

Fehér Szalag is traditionally organized on the Saturday of the weekend before Kékszalag, which this year will be 27 June. The second most prestigious event of the year, this is the warm-up race of Kékszalag. Instead of the entire lake, ships only cruise the waters of the eastern basin on the circular route Füred-Kenese-Siófok-Tihany-Füred. All ships that are in the running for the top position of Kékszalag tend to enter this race and many new vessels make their debut here as well, so apart from enjoying the excitement of the competition, you can also marvel at these brand new beauties. This year the winner of the last two Kékszalag events, the two-masted catamaran called Fifty-Fifty will definitely set sail, as will the 33-foot black carbon Black Jack catamaran, the foiling catamaran RSM-DTM, the graceful liberas of the Principessa and Raffica teams, and perhaps even the new catamaran of Farkas Litkey.

This is usually a truly hot summer race, so after the finish many opt for taking a dip in the lake, and drinking a glass or two of cold fröccs at the award ceremony held that evening on the main square of Füred. Pondering the chances of each team at Thursday’s Kékszalag is also popular among fellow sailors.

Tihany Circle

Tihany Yacht Club will organize this short, but extremely scenic tour race for the third time this year. It is all in the name: contestants have to sail around the Tihany Peninsula. With its villas and the building of the abbey, the shore of the eastern basin is a genuinely exceptional sight, but it’s the other side, the one where Sajkod is, that is the special one: a romantic, almost jungle-like landscape awaits, which you can take quite a good look at if you’re on any of the ships. Marinas line the shore, and looking the other way, you can see the entire length of the western basin. It’s one of the few races that will keep you on the edge of your seat even if there’s no wind.

After the race, the organizing club hosts the award ceremony and a celebratory dinner at their cosy clubhouse, tucked away deep inside Tihany – it is a general truth that races organized by smaller clubs tend to have a more familial vibe with tasty food cooked in a cauldron over a campfire.

Profession-based regattas

In line with long-standing tradition, profession-based regattas – organized, among others, by architects, bankers, lawyers and doctors – take place every year with representatives of a given profession on board. These events are usually not deadly serious: they’re more about having fun both on water and land. Crew members are hardly super exhausted after the race, so there’s plenty of energy left for socializing, enjoying a delicious dinner and taking part in the raffle after the award ceremony. If you practice a profession that has its own regatta, or you know someone who does, you should definitely check out one of these special events.

What if I don't have a ship?

No problem at all. You don’t need your own ship to enter a race, you can also sign up to be a crew member either for a single event or the whole season. All you need to do is obtain a blue book, which the Hungarian Yachting Association uses to register contestants. To get the book, you’ll have to join a sailing club, pass a sports physical exam, and buy an “association stamp”. Some experience is useful, but it all depends on the type of the ship – even enthusiastic amateurs can come in handy in balancing the boat. Find available spots for captain and crew here and here, by joining this group or asking after vacancies at any of the bigger marinas.