Experience report SX20 -Yachtline-: Danube (Hungary)

The second season with our boat Pole-Pole

In the meantime, we have also acquired a full digital Danube map for our built-in Garmin chartplotter, which really makes the trip much more informative.
Our home port is in a warm bay where the algae attack vigorously. That’s why our boat was properly antifouled in the spring so that we could enjoy roughly the same performance throughout the season.

After a very active season in the previous year, 2022 was a little slower, mainly for professional reasons. In addition, we kept hearing about a possible fuel shortage in the summer and so we postponed our planned longer tour south to the Serbian-Croatian border on the Danube for a year. Based on our experience, we consider the boat to be suitable for overnight stays of 2-3 nights.

So, our Pole-Pole was used more locally within a radius of 60 km around Budapest. The water level of the Danube was extremely low throughout the summer. This didn’t bother our boat and we were able to carefully navigate areas that many others had already refrained from. This allowed us to enjoy the advantages of the boat’s shallow draft.
Due to the low water level, numerous gravel and sand banks became visible that are otherwise never seen. This was also a good reason to memorize them so that you know where to be careful even at normal water levels.

Summer fun

The water level was low, but the temperatures were extremely high. Peaks of up to 40 degrees were recorded. However, this also had certain advantages for boat lovers on the Danube. The water temperature was often 26 degrees, which is not typical for the Danube. What’s more, the water quality was clear and transparent because the river flowed for months in the so-called gravel bed. Ideal for swimming breaks. We were able to enjoy the advantages of the electric anchor winch and the stable ladder.

Every year, our boat club organizes a major event on a temporary Danube island (Danube bend, Helemba bank at river km 1710). This time the island was quite large and the party was accordingly great with around 120 boats.

Conclusion

Our Pole-Pole boat also earned the gold medal from our family in its second season.
Kind regards, Family C.

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