Sunday, October 13, 2013

They're paddling WHAT ???

Today I headed to Windsor on a whim to catch an annual event that I'd never seen before. 

A big crowd had already gathered. 


And if you look closely, you'll that that another crowd had assembled at the starting line on the far side of Lake Pisiquid.  Don't ya just love the name of the lake ?

Aaaand ... they're off.


Some of the paddlers seemed to be having trouble keeping their vessels moving straight and true, which really should not be a surprise when you consider what they were paddling ...


What?   Are you leaning closer to the screen to see what they're paddling ?

Do those vessels look round ? 

There were 13 entrants in this race, but not all of them made it to the finish line.  Don't worry. Everyone is safe.

It's just that pumpkins can be a bit tippy.


Especially if two of you are squeezed into the same pumpkin and leaning in different directions.


This young fella fought valliantly to make his vessel go in the direction HE wanted.


I am happy to report he made it to the finish line... eventually.


It was only after the pumpkins were parked moored, that we were able to appreciate how tricky they must be to keep afloat,


and we were able to admire their paint jobs.



Can you imagine paddling one of these across a lake ?  


Ummmm ...

Do you know why this unique race is held here ?   Well you can thank Howard Dill for starting it all off.  Though Mr. Dill died a few years back, his legacy lives on.  Mr. Dill single-handedly put  Windsor on the map, by growing the world's largest pumpkin, and developing his own variety called "Dill's Atlantic Giant"  BTW, two seeds from a 1,000 pound pumpkin cost $12.  That's quite the legacy !  His farm is now a tourist attraction.


Next year I want to go visit the farm prior to the race, and see the boats before they get carved.

BTW the winning pumpkin this year, weighed in at just over 1,800 pounds !


13 comments:

  1. What a great way to have fun!!! Carve out a pumpkin and paddle across a lake!!! I'm very impressed by the decorated pumpkins - what a size they grow to! I'll have to watch out for that another year. Thanks again Sybil, for an informative post - about this amazing area!

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    1. Jackie, Boy the weather couldn't have been better for the event and the lake was like glass. Can't imagine what those poor pumpkin paddlers do if there is a wind !

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  2. Yes, I was thinking that too. What a fantastic spell of weather we've had, it's wonderful at this time of year to be able to enjoy the colours.

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  3. Do you think that's how people first settled Hawaii or Somoa? BTW, I like your new tattoo, you and your cousin are clever girls.

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    1. Les, I suspect a 6 inch wave would overwhelm those pumpkin-boats. Glad you like the tattoo. Do you have any ?

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  4. Don't know how the pumpkins stayed afloat. I'm behind reading your posts so I hope that I have commented on the correct one. This is so interesting. Never heard of using a pumpkin as a boat. :-)

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    1. A couple of them sank mid-lake but I think that was because they tipped and water got in. I think until they get water-logged they float OK. I'd never seen anything like it before.

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  5. Pumpkin paddlers! Who would have thunk? Have never EVER heard of an event like this!

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    1. Can't believe how far they had to paddle ! And boy, that water would have been c-cold.

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  6. Oh my goodness! I can barely believe what I saw here! Paddling in pumpkins - who woulda thunk to paddle in a "punkin" (that's how I always pronounced it as a child and occasionally catch myself reverting). Oops just scrolled up and saw Kathy making the same "thunk" comment. Guess I'm not too original here!

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    1. Great minds think alike ! Maybe "thunk" is the sound you hear when you rap on one of the "punkins" ... ;-)

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  7. I'm speechless! Those are very creative pumpkin crafts - it must be lots of fun participating in this unique regatta. Looking forward to seeing your pictures of the carving and decorating next year.

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    1. Next year I'm gonna check out the pumpkin farm that they come from, prior to the race.

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Thanks for stopping by. I really do love to read your comments.