Courtesy of Canah along the Danube River, Germany.

Romanian Avram Iancu continues on his scheduled 60-day stage swim of 2,860 km along the Danube River through Europe.

The 41-year-old librarian from Petrosani, Transylvania started his stage swim from Donaueschingen in the Black Forest in Germany. He is now heading into Day 55 as each day is a dynamically different replication of the day before.

Day 52 on August 10th

Iancu swam 29 km, reached the 1155 km milestone on the Danube. The strong wind did not stop at all, with huge waves coming from the front – making it very difficult to swim.

Iancu arrived in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, where the local media was keen to learn more about his journey. Local and Romanian officials welcomed him and a staff member from the Romanian consular office to Serbia joined Iancu on the Danube. They swam together for 3 km “She is such an excellent swimmer! I gifted her the official cap for this expedition, identical to the one I am wearing,” Iancu said.

The Sava River joins the Danube in Belgrade. The junction made a big difference for Iancu as Sava has really warm waters compared to the Danube. “I had to swim in the dark for the last two kilometers as it was impossible to get out of the water quicker. The ground team guided him with a flashlight and ensured he got back on the shore safely.”

The distance traversed on the Danube from Day 1 to Day 52: 1,705 km

The distance remaining to be covered on the Danube: 1,155 km

Day 53 on August 11th

Today the waves on the Danube were present again, lifted by a very strong wind. “It’s really hard to swim as the river is very still, but it has huge waves which hit from the front and make pushing forward very difficult. I swam 22 km today and I don’t feel very well at the moment. I couldn’t eat anything for dinner. I know my body very well and I can feel when something is not right – my eyes are very tired and I feel like falling asleep right now. My tongue’s got a rash as well and I fear I might have gotten something from the water as I swallowed a fair bit these last couple of days. I hope in the morning I will feel better though. I am very determined to finish this journey regardless of how many problems I will have to face.”

The distance traversed on the Danube from Day 1 to Day 53: 1,727 km

The distance remaining to be covered on the Danube: 1,133 km

Day 54 on August 12th

The wind finally stopped blowing so Iancu and his team felt very positive. Even though the section of the Danube where he swam today was flowing very slowly, at less than 2 km/ hour, swimming was easier for Iancu without having to face huge waves. He swam two stages of 10 km each and when they started the third stage, the team could see the dark clouds coming their way. Two kilometers later, a huge storm reached them and the waves were back.

“The kayaks could not be controlled anymore because the strong wind and waves kept pushing them to the shore. We decided together to stop for the day even though personally I felt better in the water because I was used to its environment. As soon as I got out of the water, I got really cold because of the rain and cold wind.”

The water temperature dropped from more than 40°C to 17°C today. A Canah team speaking to the locals was told that they have never seen such huge waves on the Danube before, as well as such a sudden drop in the temperature.

The distance traversed on the Danube from Day 1 to Day 54: 1,749 km

The distance remaining to be covered on the Danube: 1,111 km

A report on his stage swims between Days 1-9 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 10-13 is posted here.
A report on his stage swim on Day 14 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 15-16 is posted here.
A report on his stage swim on Day 17 is posted here.
A report on his stage swim on Day 18 is posted here.

A report on his stage swims on Day 19-20 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 21-23 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 24-27 is posted here.
A report on his stage swim on Day 28 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 29-32 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 33-35 is posted here.

A report on his stage swims between Days 36-41 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Day 41-44 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 52-54 is posted here.
A report of his stage swims between Days 55-58 is posted here.
A report of his stage swims on Day 59 is posted here.
A report of his stage swims on Day 60-62 is posted here.
To follow Iancu on Facebook, visit here.

Copyright © 2008-2017 by World Open Water Swimming Association