A US man said he finally achieved his life-long dream of growing a pumpkin that was big enough to use as a boat. Gary Kristensen sailed 73.5 km along Washington's Columbia River and set a record for longest journey by a pumpkin boat.
The 46-year-old took 26 hours to sail along the river in his self-grown and hand-carved vegetable vessel which he named “Punky Loafster”. Although he has been growing giant pumpkins since 2011, he carved his first boat-sized pumpkin in 2013 and soon the dream to sail in one materialised.
"This record attempt was a challenge I had long considered, finally deciding to pursue it this year when I grew a pumpkin suitable for the journey," he told the Guinness World Records.
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Onboard the pumpkin boat
“Punky Loafster” grew to be 14 feet in size and weighed over 555kg before it was turned into a boat for Gary's unique journey. When it was harvested, the pumpkin weighed as much as a grand piano.
Gary's journey on the pumpkin began on October 11 when he carved the massive vegetable to turn it into a boat. He then mounted a camera on it with a broomstick to record his incredible journey.
{{/usCountry}}Gary's journey on the pumpkin began on October 11 when he carved the massive vegetable to turn it into a boat. He then mounted a camera on it with a broomstick to record his incredible journey.
{{/usCountry}}To ensure that those who saw him knew he was in an actual pumpkin, he even added the words "it's real" on the side of his boat.
Treacherous journey on pumpkin
To ensure his safety, Gary was followed by several kayaks and boats throughout the three legs of his journey.
"After a couple hours of paddling, the wind had strengthened to 56 km/h and waves were starting to come over the sides of the pumpkin," he told the Guinness World Records.
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He even sailed through the night, fearing that beaching the pumpkin might result in a sharp rock puncturing it. "For this reason, I just kept paddling through the night and waited until sunrise for a safe landing spot," he said.
After he got off the boat, Gary said he was "little nervous but excited". "If I don’t get the record, I had an incredible adventure," he said.