We arrive at the departure point of the tour early in the afternoon. After putting up our tents, we hold a first aid training, then go for test paddling. The leader of the tour explains the rules to be followed on the water and on ground. He also clarifies rules of accident prevention.
After the theory comes practise and he shows how to navigate, tie up and get in and out of a canoe. After answering the questions, the Team gets on water. The newcomers make the first strokes under strict guidance. After seeing how they are doing, we choose the navigators who are nearly always experienced guides or an adult guest, but sometimes it happens that a younger friend of us merits this post. In these cases, we choose the most experienced, serious, strongest and smartest guy or girl, and teach them how to navigate a canoe. Later on the tour we teach navigation for each participant. Everybody can try how it feels swimming in life vests. After making sure that really everyone of us knows how and what to do, we go and have dinner together.
As a rule of a thumb vehicles on water without an engine always pull off against the flow and gains speed carefully. For tieing up, we turn again against the flow and approach the shore slowly and carefully. We keep the canoe high above the water level to avoid that the sudden rise of water level could wash them away.
The whole Team goes together. Two of the boats have a special role, the first and the last one. These ones are always navigated by guides. The first one should never be overtaken and the last one always has to be the last. The guide can control the whole group like this and there are further guides in the group as well. The first and last boat can never be further than 200 m from each other to make sure that the Team really forms one group. When flowing with the water - as we always do - we follow the current, where the river goes the fastest. This way we also go faster and there is less obstruction there.
Every single participant under the age of 18 has to wear our well-designed life vests. The guides communicate by whistle when necessary. Every guide has a special rescue device, so-called throwing sack. This is composed of a lightweight sack and 12 meters of rope inside. There is a handle on the sack, so it can be thrown far away. The rope runs out of the sack as we throw it to the person who fell in water, while the guide holds the other end. After catching, we help him with swimming to the shore.
As we don't aim to paddle too much a day, we take brakes in a few kilometres. If there is a nice place on shore we tie up, when not we stay in the canoes and stretch our limbs there. It happens in the following way. The leader makes a signal to the first canoe to stop. Whoever catches up with him will stop paddling and flow with the water. In a minute the whole Team flows together holding the next canoe strong, forming one unit this way. Everyone can lean back and enjoy the sun, except for one guide who watches for motorboats or other possible obstructions. If a motorboat made waves holding together is also the best way to avoid turnover. To avoid turnover of waves cause by bigger ships' we turn half front half sideways, depending of the type and size of the waves, in some cases listening to the instructions of the leader.
In case a canoe would turnover, the rest have to act the same way (holding together), unless the leader gives different instructions. Two of the guide-navigated canoe helps the ones in the water; the third one coordinates the rest to form one unit and to avoid further turnovers. It is always the two guide-navigated canoes that help, except for the cases when the water flows faster then usual or there is a bridge or other obstruction nearby. In those cases, the canoes at the back (with guides) have to help. The people in the water are waiting on the surface scared but unhurt due to the life vests. They spill the water out of the canoe, calm down our friends, follow our beautiful way along the river, and catch up with the Team.
Participants under the age of 18 have to have a certification signed by a professional swimmer, that proves they can swim well.
Evezz Velem Egyesület - Address: Magyarország 1119 Budapest, Halmi utca 6/B. Tel.: +36 30 600 9782 E-mail: