Sailing trip on Lake Balaton
It took some searching – on the internet, you can easily find rental companies that are happy to rent out their 10-person sailing yacht for 3000 euros a week, as well as a number of places where you can rent surfboards, but finding a suitable boat for two people to go sailing for a day proved more difficult. In the end, our bike ride a few weeks ago came to the rescue: we happened to pass a billboard, noted down the address and got in touch. And yes, this company has various sailing boats ranging from 22 to 46 feet on offer, for half a day, a full day or longer, at attractive prices. This rental company is not close to us, about half an hour by car, but compared to Mechelen, where we had to go to Zeeland or Nieuwpoort, it is still a big difference.
We rented their ‘Maya’, a Scholtz 22 sailing yacht that can accommodate four people. Upon arrival, as is usually the case when you arrive at a new harbour for the first time, it took a while to find the right person and the right boat, but eventually we were on board. After a brief introduction and some explanation about the boat and a few harbours in the area, we cast off. First, we took a short trip with the owner on board, but then we brought him back to the harbour and sailed out of the harbour ourselves.
The weather was perfect. A good wind of 2-3 Beaufort and bright sunshine over a beautiful blue, gently rolling Lake Balaton. And on this day (admittedly, a weekday outside the high season is not the busiest time), it was very quiet on the water. Not that we were the only boat on the water, but Lake Balaton is so large that I don’t think we were ever closer than about a kilometre to another ship. Quite different from our previous experiences on the Veerse Meer or the Grevelingen. Apart from a few ferries and a tour boat, there is no commercial shipping.
We sailed around for a few hours. This time without any real destination, except to get to know the boat and recognise the different villages from the water. It had been a year and a half since we had last sailed, so we had to get used to it again. A few tacking manoeuvres, a few jibes, a bit of close-hauled sailing, a bit of broad reach – and then it was already time to head back to the harbour..
This experience is definitely worth repeating. Next time, we might visit a different harbour, or perhaps take a day trip to Tihany. It’s also nice that it’s possible to work half a day at home and spend the other half sailing. We could also take one or two guests with us on this boat for a day trip – in theory, you could even sleep on it with four people, but that would be very intimate. Conclusion: we’re going sailing a few times this year, and if you’d like to come along, let us know!
