Hungarians take to sailing as safe cure for cabin fever

Members of a sailing race team practice on Lake Balaton, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), near Balatonfured, Hungary, May 21, 2020. Picture taken May 21, 2020. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

BALATONFURED, Hungary (Reuters) - Released from lockdown three weeks ago, Hungarians are making day trips to the blue waters of Lake Balaton, raising hopes that tourism may recover sooner than expected from the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

As an antidote to cabin fever that also allows for social distancing, many groups and families are chartering sailing boats. Since lockdown ended, the number of bookings for sailing yachts has surged, operators at the lake say.