He may not be the Pumpkin King, but Wayne Hackney of New Milford, CT more than qualifies as the Pumpkin Pirate. Wayne single handedly navigated a two-mile crossing of a lake in Connecticut in 1996, on rough seas, to claim the distinction of being the first to use a giant pumpkin as a boat. His "Mighty Mabel" was equipped with an outboard motor and managed a barge-like 2 miles per hour. This singular act in November of 1996 sparked the interest of a number of grower/yachtsmen who planned and ran a race in New York¹s Central Park in October of 1997. Three pumpkins chugged their way around waters lined with media folk and spectators - all of which stood with awe-struck expressions as grown men behaved as children.

Since then, a number of growers and organizations have picked up the torch of pumpkin boating, making it one of the fastest growing offshoots of giant pumpkin growing. I must warn you, however, wet suits are required dress!