Few interesting titbits about the Blue Ribbon
· The first regatta was held in 1934, after which it was held every two years until 1942. The war put the tradition on hold for a few years, and it was then reinstated in 1947. The challenge has been held annually since 2001.
· The first truly impressive results were posted by the boat named Nemere II, completing the circuit in 10 hours and 40 minutes.
· The Nemere II held that record for 57 years, until it was finally beaten in 2012 by a catamaran made of high-tech materials.
· The Blue Ribbon has been won twice by a female helmsman – both times, the proud winner was Evelyn Kultsár, née Gordon.
· In 1953, the prevailing winds during the regatta were extremely weak, leading to the ‘slowest winner’ title being awarded that year. The boat finishing in first place took 40 hours to complete the course.
· 1991 was an exception in that there were two winners that year: the first to reach the goal was the Giftwerg, with Helmut Birkmayer of Germany at the helm, but he had not taken the prescribed route through the Tihany Strait. Fortunately for him, however, the stipulation was incorrectly stated in the German translation of the regatta regulations. As a result, his boat and the one arriving 20 minutes later were both awarded first place.
· No fewer than 681 boats took part in the 50th anniversary edition of the Blue Ribbon.