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 !