Reinhard Sovinz is known among friends as a Styrian Viking. This summer, the 71-year-old lived up to his name again and went on an adventure with a group of six. They rowed 800 miles along the Danube and finally reached their destination, Romania.
“The idea of building a Viking ship came to me thirty years ago as a frustrated doctor,” says Reinhard Sovinz. He wanted to create something with his own hands and that is why within six years he built a rowing boat with sails based on the Norwegian model: 800 kilograms heavy and more than ten meters long.
But that was not enough, Sovinz also wanted to sail with his new vehicle. He did this for the first time on the Danube in 2017, but with little success. After 600 kilometers the crew fell apart and the adventure ended in mutiny. The next attempt will be made in 2022 with the same result. “I swore to myself that I would never do that again,” Sovinz says, knowing full well that things would turn out differently.
And so he and his team dared to try again this summer. In Mohacs, Hungary, the Vikings – three women and three men – launched their boat. Their goal was to row 1,300 kilometers along the Danube via Serbia and Bulgaria to Romania. During the day in sportswear and in the evening dressed as a Viking. Not exactly an everyday idea, right? “Of course it’s crazy. But I am known as a Viking, people are used to that now,” Sovinz laughs.
Pensioners rowed for days in the scorching heat
The good news: “There was no mutiny this year.” The troops actually arrived in Braila, Romania after six weeks. They covered up to 50 kilometers a day using oars or sails; the emergency engine was only used in absolute exceptions. “This required enormous mental and physical endurance,” explains the now 71-year-old doctor.
“It was over 40 degrees, we drank four liters a day and got up at half past four,” he says. “In the evening we were always extremely exhausted and had to pitch the tent.” night Vikings even on the boat – for fear of robbers.
And what sounds like something out of a bad movie became reality: at that anchorage in Serbia, two young people snuck into Sovinz’s boat at night. He woke up with a start and sent them both running. They ran away screaming, the 71-year-old says. Completely exhausted but satisfied, the adventurers finally arrived in Braila: “We had a big party there,” says the pensioner.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
