The Hungarian Dragon Championship is starting with Austrian and German participation on Thursday, in Tihany, on Lake Balaton. The organizers plan 9 races until Sunday, however, the weather forecast says there will be moderate winds for the 18 to 20 Dragons.
The yacht club THE which hosts the Hungarian National Championship for the second time, might be the most beautiful venue at Lake Balaton, where races are held in forint of the Tihany peninsula with a characteristic monastery on the top of the hill. “We have the possibility to go on either side of the peninsula if the wind seems to be more stable there” Vilmos Naray, Chairman of the Hungarian Dragon Association says about the venue.
It is difficult to say who can be the best in the expected light winds. One of them might be Ferenc Kis-Szölgyémi and his crew who have colleced a lot of experience in international fields recently, however, they prefer more wind. Thomas Puxkandl and his Austrian boat as well as the German Jakob Bergbauer has a lot of lake experience in sailing in light winds, too, which might result in a fierce competition for the top positions.
The winner can bring home the Sonnenschein Cup, a silver plate, where the names Andreas Haubold and Vincent Hoesch can be read a lot of times. The Cup received its name after the Dragon of Mr Sandor Kecskes, a Hungarian Dragon sailor from Berlin, Germany, who made a lot of efforts to revive Dragon sailing in Hungary in the 90s.
The regatta is, as always, not over at the finish line, the organizers plan a lot of social programs. There will be a Wine Evening with the wines of the Bujdoso winery from the Balaton region and a Dragon Dinner, where the guests of the main sponsor Erste Private Banking are joining the sailors. The regatta is co-sponsored by Mitsubishi and Subaru Hungary as well as the Hungarian webshop, SailingBooks.hu, which both offered special prizes to the field.
