Pirates let the games begin in ML

Countdown to fifth annual Pumpkin Regatta starts with ominous letter

MOSES LAKE-It all began with a letter, sparked by three years of consecutive silver-medal finishes.

Supreme pirate Richard "Jabba Junior" Teals wrote a letter to his unvanquished foe, Commander/Admiral/Commodore "Blue Nose" Dennis Parr, promising him not only a showdown between the two, but a sound defeat, as well, to make up for Teals' consecutive three-year second-place finishes.

And just like that, with the weather still somewhat warm and pumpkin-unfriendly, the countdown began for the fifth annual Moses Lake Pumpkin Regatta, scheduled for October 30 on the sure-to-be frigid shores of Moses Lake.

The race, where people sail on makeshift boats made of giant pumpkins, is slowly becoming an autumn tradition in the city, with enthusiastic crowds showing up around Halloween time to cheer on a bunch of friendly crazies dressed as pirates floating around on a large vegetable. About six people have committed their presence on this year's race, with spots still open.

Committed is the key word, because these folks are nuts, all right. Not for sailing up and down Moses Lake in a pumpkin, or because some of them do it in pirate garb, but because they do it in weather only an Eskimo could love. The pirates battle one another while the small but loyal crowd battles frostbite.

And it's definitely a battle all right. This is not a bunch of genteel corsairs out of a Emilio Salgari novel. This is a struggle for bragging rights where nothing is spared, where dead fish and green tomatoes become weapons and where your kid's water gun suddenly becomes your favorite toy.

The past three years, fish, tomatoes and water guns notwithstanding, Parr has soundly beaten the competition, with Teals coming in second each time, and with Roger Glaese coming in third the last two years, winning the non-motorized division both times.

"Motors are for weenies," Glaese said after last year's race.

This year, both weenies and non-weenies are expected to participate. Although the hot weather conspired with the growth of the giant pumpkins, there is still plenty of time, Parr said.

"It wasn't the best year for pumpkins," said Parr who grows his own ships. "They don't like the hot weather so we were late getting some of them going."

With a little overhead watering, which helped drop the temperature on the soon-to-be vessels, their growth continued, and the race is expected to be on as scheduled.

The origin of the race dates to half a decade ago, where after trips to pumpkin weigh-offs in Seattle, the idea was born to bring the East Coast idea of pumpkin races to the quiet waters of Moses Lake.

"If the East Coast can do it, so can we," said Teals, who believes the race here is the only one of its kind he knows of in the West Coast.

Pumpkin-eers from the area are already stockpiling an arsenal of throwable veggies and fish for this year's race.

"Last year, (Teals) and his nefarious motley crew brought the WMDs," Parr said, referring to Teals' son and a friend of his from Tacoma who tried to block Parr's advance in the home stretch of the race. "This year I am forming a Blue Nose Armada of my own."

Teals, as expected, was less than impressed.

"Last year I missed my opportunity and I didn't capitalize against Blue Nose," Teals said. "I lost sight of the goal."

This year, he vowed, it will be different.

"My goal will be to be first, and not to shoot tomatoes," he said. "I'll be focused and alert."

Parr quickly retorted that that may not be enough to keep him from an unprecedented fourth win in five years.

"This year I am pulling out all the stops," he said. "There may be a few sinkings."