The report said Steve Kueny, hailing from Lebanon, Missouri, navigated the Missouri River after nearly 11 hours aboard his 1,208-pound pumpkin boat named “HuckleBerry.”
Kueny described the experience as “cold, tired, but pleased with the result.”
The journey began at 7:30 a.m. in Kansas City and concluded at 6:18 p.m. in Napoleon, Missouri.
Kueny was accompanied by Paddle KC Padding Club along with half a dozen boats.
According to some estimates, Kueny logged a distance exceeding 39 miles while kneeling inside his unique watercraft.
The Paddle KC Paddling Club had safety precautions in place to ensure Kueny’s protection.
Founder and manager of the Paddle KC Paddling Club was quoted as saying, “We’re hoping that we might be able to reach 4 1/2 miles an hour. If we float at 3 miles an hour and hit some eddies, it could be up to 12 hours. But we don’t want to be out on the river after dark.”
In the coming days, Kueny will submit evidence to Guinness World Records for official verification.
USA today quoted Kueny as saying, “We’re going to be taking this pumpkin and trying to sail 38 miles to set a new world record. The current record was set over 37 miles about a year ago. We’re going to start at sunrise and try to get out there and put some miles on it.”
In the previous years, there have been two more people who have achieved this.
In 2022, Duane Hansen from Nebraska set the Guinness World record for pumpkin paddling in his 846-pound pumpkin, breaking every previous record.
In 2021, Rick Swenson (2016) made a 25-mile trip from Grand Forks, North Dakota to Oslo, Minnesota, the report said.
