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An American has finally realized his dream of growing a pumpkin big enough to sail on.
This is reported by the Guinness Book of Records.
Gary Christensen swam 73,50 km on the Columbia River in Washington, USA to set the record for the longest journey in a pumpkin boat (rowing).
The 46-year-old completed the journey in 26 hours on October 13 aboard his hand-carved Punky Loafster.
Gary has been growing giant pumpkins since 2011, and in 2013 he carved his first boat-sized pumpkin to enter the competition, which he has won four years in a row.
Gary, from Happy Valley, Oregon, said: "This record attempt has been a challenge I've been thinking about for a long time and finally decided to do it this year when I grew a travel-friendly pumpkin."
Punky Loafster was pollinated on July 14th and plucked on October 4th, then officially weighed and measured at the Bauman Harvest Festival in Gervais, Oregon on October 5th. Its circumference was 429,26 cm, and its weight was 555,2 kg. This is about the weight of an adult dromedary camel or a grand piano.
On October 11, Harry carved a boat out of a pumpkin and attached a camera to it with a broom to film his journey.
The finishing touches were the words "this is real" on both sides of the pumpkin so that stunned passers-by who saw it row down the river could satisfy their curiosity.
His journey, which lasted three days, broke the previous record of 63,04 km set in 2023.
Gary launched his pumpkin into the Columbia River from a trailer on Hamilton Island in North Bonneville, Washington. To ensure his safety, he was accompanied by other people in kayaks and a pontoon boat throughout the trip.
But this does not mean that everything was smooth. He said: “After a few hours of rowing, the wind increased to 56 km/h and waves began to crash over the sides of the pumpkin. We found a safe beach on the opposite bank of the Columbia from Multnomah Falls where we could moor to shore. It was difficult because there was thick vegetation in the water, which did not allow the pumpkin to easily swim through it."
But he used this time with maximum benefit. "On the beach, I used an empty can to cut out more pumpkin flesh, hoping that the pumpkin would hold up better for the rest of the trip," he said.
"That reduced weight helped the pumpkin hold up a little better in the waves."
Starting the second leg of his journey, Gary planned to paddle until he found a safe beach where he could set up camp for the night. But as darkness fell, he felt that putting a pumpkin boat on the sand was dangerous, as an accidental bump on a sharp rock could pierce it and put an end to his record attempt. He explained: “For this reason, I just kept rowing through the night and waited until sunrise to find a safe place to dock. At 7:03 a.m. the sun rose and I found a safe place to dock and rest on Hayden Island.”
After 5 hours and 22 minutes of rest, including time to sleep and eat, Gary set off on the third and final leg of his journey to the finish line of Langsdorf Landing in Vancouver, Washington.
A reporter was waiting to interview him, and Gary's story was broadcast on news channels in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington.
He told them then: “I'm a little worried, but I'm excited. If I don't get the record, I've had an incredible adventure."