Last Sunday the Palisade Boat Club organized the most unusual event I've seen on the river in a long time. Roel Kunst, our club rep., invited me to see firsthand one of their members, Justin Fornal, paddle across the river in a hollowed-out 1200lbs pumpkin. The pumpkin was launched from Kennedy Marina in Yonkers and floated up to The Yonkers Yacht Club where it was totally cleaned out allowing Justin to sit inside.
The tidal currents weren't favorable as Justin was carried north away from the Palisade Boat Club. At one point with his leg numb the monster pumpkin was steadied by the flotilla members as Justin repositioned himself for a safe return to the club.
Justin made a short speech when he arrived about environmental impacts and conservation of our natural resources. He urged all listeners to, "Grab life by the horns before it's too late."
The objective was to start an annual pumpkin event bringing boaters and friends of the Hudson together. In the future perhaps we can have a HRBYCA pumpkin race among the clubs. A fall party celebrating the Hudson Valley harvest.
Justin Fornal is a long-distance swimmer, polar bear, and explorer. His past endeavors include a swim around Islay, Scotland on a whiskey tasting tour. I hope he wore his PFD. He was accompanied by kayakers and swimmers in whiskey casks:-)
Regards,
Jerry Silverman/HRBYCA President