This man turned a 500kg pumpkin into a boat to set a world record

Latest update:Nov 4, 2024, 10:14 am IST

A man named Gary Christensen set an exciting Guinness World Record by swimming 73.50 km in a hand-carved pumpkin boat.

The pumpkin started growing on July 14 and was harvested on October 4. (Photo: YouTube)

A giant pumpkin recently turned the spotlight on the Columbia River in Washington, USA. A man named Gary Christensen set an exciting Guinness World Record (GWR) by sailing 73.50 km in a hand-carved pumpkin boat. His vessel, called the Punky Loafster, weighed 555.2 kg and took him nearly 26 hours to complete the journey. Before embarking on this unique adventure, Gary carved a pumpkin on October 11th and even attached a camera with a broomstick to capture the experience. To pique the audience’s interest, he added the words “this is real” on both sides of the pumpkin. Throughout the journey, Gary was accompanied by a group of kayakers to ensure he was safe and supported during the long journey.

According to GWR, the fruit started growing on July 14, was harvested on October 4, while it was officially weighed and measured on October 5 at the Baumann Harvest Festival in Jerva, Oregon. Gary, who lives in Happy Valley, Oregon, explained that he had thought about trying to set the record for a long time. This year he finally went for it as he managed to grow a large pumpkin perfect for the adventure.

Speaking about his trip, Gary Christensen said: “After a few hours of paddling, the wind picked up to 56km/h (35mph) and the waves started crashing into the pumpkin walls. A safe beach has been identified for pumpkin planting directly across the Columbia from Multnomah Falls. The landing was difficult because there was thick vegetation in the water, which did not allow the pumpkin to swim easily.”

“At the beach, I used an empty soup can to cut more pumpkin flesh, hoping the pumpkin would float better for the rest of the trip. This reduced weight helped the pumpkin float a little better on the waves,” he added.

As Gary began the second part of his journey, he planned to paddle until he found a safe beach to stay the night. However, when it got dark, he realized that taking his pumpkin boat on the sand was too risky. He was worried that even one sharp rock could injure him and ruin his chance to set the record. To avoid this, he decided to continue rowing until sunrise to find a good place to restore his energy. Finally, at 7:03 a.m., he spotted a safe place to land and rest on Hayden Island.

After resting for 5 hours and 22 minutes, Gary Christensen began the final leg of his journey and reached the finish line