In 2016, the organisers of the Budapest Regatta approached us, as a civil organisation dealing with the Danube, to take part in the annual rowing regatta.
We had one month to learn, as complete beginners, to row together—indeed, to row together as eight people on the great Danube in a boat more than ten metres long. We practised the movement on rowing machines, in a pool, and tried the boat on the Soroksár branch of the Danube. Finally, we went out on the water, and after many early‑morning training sessions, we managed once to complete the race distance from the floating boathouse of the Danubius National Boating Association on Margaret Island to the Northern Railway Connecting Bridge and back.
In the amateur section of the race, only one team besides the Valyo Eight entered, so in our first race we finished second. It was a very great experience for the whole team. We thank our coach, Kriszta Nagy, and Gergő Orbán, the organiser of the race. We recommend this noble sport to everyone, as it strengthens the team, the person, and the mind as well.
The Valyo Eight came together again in 2017 and 2018 and trains weekly as a hobby team. This way we can always stay close to the Danube and promote the beauty of this wonderful sport as a possible Danube‑based activity.
