Advanced search

Portraits By Rebecca Teagarden

The Ducks Of Seattle

You'll get a wild ride with a bunch of quacks

All aboard! Capt. Cody Pendent (Rik Rymer) is about to roll out and then set sail on another Ride the Ducks of Seattle excursion around town and into the drink at Lake Union. His passengers are mostly tourists just lookin' for a good time. (And others of us who know a guilty pleasure when we see one.) Rymer is a one-man band of an act up there in the driver's seat. He, of course, drives. But he also sings, gives safety lessons, does comedy, acts, leads cheers, quacks, waves, does sound effects, points out the highlights (KOMO News 4 is the hospital in "Grey's Anatomy") and skippers the World War II amphibious assault vehicle when it hits the water. Needless to say at this point, he's quite the entertaining fellow: sort of like the love child of Drew Carey and John Candy.

Q: The blaring disco music, bad puns, silly hats, whining kids, traffic, five trips a day, six days a week. What are ya, nuts?

A: The answer's yes! You really gotta be kind of crazy to do this. I drink a lot of Red Bulls, I really do. It's how I get through the day.

Q: What'd you do before this gig?

A: I was a waiter on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train. Prior to that, for 21 years I was a restaurant manager working 90 hours a week, waking up with my boss yelling at me on the phone. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Where else can you go where they pay you to have fun all day?

Q: When you go home are you very, very quiet or are you a party hardy guy?

A: You know what, by the time I get home everyone wants me to tone down, but I'm kinda like this all the time, kinda wild, crazy and always loud. I tell everybody I used to hate obnoxious people — until I became one.

Q: Ever lose your voice, cuz it's raspy right now?

A: I lose it two or three times a year. You just work through it.

Q: Other than the Ducks, what's your favorite tourist attraction?

A: The Seattle Aquarium. Maybe because it's quiet.

Q: What was your most unusual trip?

A: I have one tour that's my favorite tour in the entire world: It's the Red Hat Society ladies. They're the wildest set of older ladies I've ever seen in my life. Last time it was the Summer Solstice Parade in Fremont, and they made me circle the block so they could see the naked guys again — you know, the ones on the bikes. They were just absolutely crazy.