Racers Carve Out Giant Pumpkins for Annual Boating Regatta
Last weekend, folks in Nova Scotia hauled their giant pumpkins from the pumpkin patch into the water, carving them into boats for the annual Pumpkin Regatta competition.
This adventurer dove into the autumnal spirit this weekend when he piloted a 520-pound pumpkin across the Boston Harbor.
Traveling about 2 mph. So far no issues, and he's about half way. pic.twitter.com/NMnjmzVDLT
— Steve Annear (@steveannear) October 1, 2017
Traveling about 2 mph. So far no issues, and he's about half way. pic.twitter.com/NMnjmzVDLT
Whenever autumn rolls around, consumers brace for the pumpkin frenzy to begin – pumpkin food, pumpkin decorations, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin everything.
One event from Boston, Massachusetts, however, propels the seasonal spirit to a whole new level.
31-year-old Christian Ilsley is being hailed for not only growing a 520-pound pumpkin, but rigging it for a voyage across the Boston Harbor.
His notion to do something fantastic with the gourd succeeded, after he piloted the massive veggie-fruit from Jeffries Point to the Fish Pier and back again on Sunday morning.
"I just wanted to grow the biggest pumpkin I could in my backyard," Christian Ilsley told Steve Annear from the Boston Globe. "But I was just like, ‘All right, I have got to do something with it that's insane, or fun.' And I was like, ‘That would be [expletive] amazing if I crossed the harbor — in a pumpkin.' "
Pumpkin regattas, though rare, are not new. Every year in Nova Scotia, Canada, a tiny town holds a race where folks take their orange vessels seriously, as you can see in this video. The same goes for Maine and Oregon.
While the hollowed-out Bostonian squash only traveled at about 2 miles per hour, it made the entire journey in a little over an hour. The trip was mostly uneventful, but the intrepid pilot says that he was a bit nervous when his makeshift boat got caught in the wakes of passing yachts, yet remained seaworthy.
Now THAT'S what we call a great pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
One last shot of the vessel he built around the pumpkin he grew (520ish pounds) in his Revere backyard. pic.twitter.com/bvtpHr5S5j
— Steve Annear (@steveannear) October 1, 2017
One last shot of the vessel he built around the pumpkin he grew (520ish pounds) in his Revere backyard. pic.twitter.com/bvtpHr5S5j
Click To Share The News With Your Friends – Photos by Steve Annear/Boston Globe
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