48th Kékszalag – Europe’s biggest sailing competition at Lake Balaton
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(MTI) – The 48th Kékszalag (Blue Ribbon) Erste World Grand Prix, the biggest regatta in Europe, will be held on July 14 at Lake Balaton.
As is custom, the race begins at 9am in Balatonfüred. More than 600 boats and some 3,000 sailors are expected to take part in the 155 km race on Lake Balaton. They will be covering the Balatonfüred-Balatonkenese-Siófok-Keszthely-Balatonfüred route in the largest long-distance sailing race in Europe.
The race is also accompanied by a series of programmes for participants and visitors. Balatonfüred hosts many cultural events: the VinCe Balaton wine festival begins at the time of the race, while the Hungarian Yachting Association (HYA) is organising programmes such as a sailing competition at night, under spotlights, sailing school presentations, or the Audi Ultra Cup speed race with the fastest boats of Kékszalag.
According to kekszalag.hu, the first Kékszalag was held in 1934, making it the oldest round-the-lake sailing competition in Europe. The 155 km course is the longest among the European regatta events, and nowadays its participants constitute the largest group of contenders on the continent.