A fine season in Hungary

A top performance on international waters: that was the most important thing which 2012 brought the Hungarian Dragon Fleet. Ferenc Kis-Szölgyémi and his crew has been training very hard since May 2011 when they joined the Hungarian fleet. After sailing in Cascais throughout the winter 20111/12, their efforts have been rewarded by the best place ever achieved by a Hungarian Dragon sailor in an IDA Championship. Feri and his team mates, Tamás Kiss, an excellent trimmer (a former FD man) and his middle man, Károly Vezér, a crew member of Olympic Soling sailor György Wossala, sailed onto the 7th place in the Gold Cup in Kinsale. Even more, they had a good chance to be on the podium even before the last race. Their skills are even better displayed by the fact, that they arrived in Kinsale to sail a chatered Dragon just one day after after leaving Balatonkenese on Saturday afternoon, where they won the Hungarian Championship even without participating in the last race.

For the rest of the fleet, the 2012 season showed the nice face of Balaton. Unfortunately, the financial and economic problems in Hungary reduced the number of boats participating in Dragon regattas, nonetheless, the small fleet of 15 to 20 boats fought interesting and close races. Early June, the Johan Anker Cup has been awarded first time to the winner of the Hungarian Fleet Championship which was sailed in Balatonfüred. The venue was generously offered by the Hungaria Yacht Club, the club of Dragon sailors Rudolf Andorka and Lóránd Gömbös. After 7 races in light and medium conditions Lóránd Gömbös’s Jampec proved to be the best of 14 Hungarian and one German Dragons. 

The Hungarian Championship, sponsored by the Hungarian Dragon fleet’s long-standing supporter, Erste Private Banking, was held on the venue of the 2010 Europeans, in Balatonkenese. Starting on Wednesday afternoon, 9 races could be sailed in ideally versatile conditions: with winds of 10 to 15 knots on Wednesday, 20 to 25 knots on Thursday, and 5 to 10 knots on Friday and Saturday. Ferenc Kis-Szölgyémi let no doubts about his dominance, but the fight for the second and third places were often until the last leg on Saturday. In the end, Péter Tenke and his team were awarded the silver medals, and Lóránd Gömbös had to be content with bronze.

We are sure that 2013 will be a similarly succesful season, where some international Dragons also visit our races. The Hungarian Championship will be held in June in Tihany, maybe the most beautiful place in the region, and the Johan Anker Cup in September in Csopak on the North shoreline. 

We are pleased to invite all Dragon sailors to these IRL-events. Details can be found on our English-language blog: http://saildragoninhungary.blogspot.hu/ or just ask 

Vilmos Náray on e-mail at: info@dragonclass.hu.