Nebraska man breaks world record for longest pumpkin boat trip: VIDEO

A Nebraska man achieved a new Guinness World Record for sailing inside a hollowed-out pumpkin for 38 miles on the Missouri River on Saturday.

To celebrate his 60th birthday, Duane Hansen entered his 846-pound floating pumpkin, named Big Berta, at approximately 7:30 a.m. with the goal of achieving the world record, the City of Bellevue confirmed in a statement shared on Facebook.

"Hansen had his wife, family and friends nearby to help him document the attempt. Some of them were following the pumpkin in case any mishaps occurred," the statement added.

Hansen confessed to News Channel Nebraska that the trip was fraught with danger, as his pumpkin filled with water on several occasions when boats passing nearby caused waves in his direction.   

"The boats were causing waves. You have to hang on and ride those waves," he told the media outlet. "It was really bad."

Hansen made the decision to break the record after meeting the previous record holder at a fruit-growing seminar in Oregon.  

Hansen himself grew the pumpkin in his garden for the specific purpose of breaking the 25.5-mile record set in 2018.

"I'm so proud of my dad," expressed his daughter Morgan Buchholz. "He's always said you can do anything you want."

His sister Yvonne Hansen traveled from San Diego to take care of the necessary paperwork so the adventure would meet Guinness specifications.

"When we started, it was very fast, like the first five miles seemed like nothing," Yvonne told the media outlet. "Once we went about 18 miles, it started to feel like, 'Wow, this is a long trip.'"

A friend drove a boat near Hansen in case of any mishaps on the trip that lasted a total of 11 hours.