Veterans and carbon ships at Kékszalag

The most exciting race can be expected this year at the 49th Kékszalag Erste World Grand Prix, in which the most fascinating renovated ships and modern technology’s jewels struggle for victory.

As it can be read on Turizmus.com, the race is going to start on 6th June and the hosts expect a participation of 600 ships and about 3,000 people in case of favorable weather. According to the tradition, the starting line will be in front of the quay of Balatonfüred. The most spectacularly fast ships will start from the starting line’s northern sector, close to the audience, so a fascinating sight can be expected.

The length of the race has been the same since the first Kékszalag (Blue Ribbon) in 1934. The ships sail from Balatonfüred to the direction of Balatonkenese. Bypassing the mark in front of Kenese, they head towards Siófok. From this point, they go through the Tiszta Strait to Keszthely, from where they return to Balatonfüred. The record time of this 155-kilometer-long distance is held by a Hungarian sailboat with two masts and two hulls named Fifty-fifty. The catamaran’s top time in 2014 was 7 hours 13 minutes 57 seconds.

In the recent years, multihull ships have taken the lead and they end up in first place in absolute evaluation in most cases. Traditional single hull ships are awarded separately, including such treasures as the three cruise ships that were renewed in the recent 15 years: Sirocco, Nemere II and Lillafüred, and also Hungária that represented Hungary in the 2018 Olympics.

The 49th Kékszalag Erste World Grand Prix is in the climax of a series of events in Balatonfüred. On the weekend before the regatta, the Fehér Szalag (White Ribbon) GeneralCom Grand Prix will take place, and on the day before the great race, Kékpántlika Erste World Cup will be held.

Anyone can follow the race live due to the newest developments of technology. There is no need for Internet subscription or SIM card to use NauBitSmartBoat’s service and the Kékszalag application, which uses Antenna Hungária’s new LoRa-based IoT network.

Ce: bm

Source: Turismus.com