Updated sailing chart, 2026 cruising plan, Super Bowl trivia

It’s finally warmed up enough to venture outside in Minnesota, but we’re still in the grips of winter. For something to do, I modified our Great Loop progress chart by adding other sailing voyages apart from the Loop. These include many trips on Lake Superior, some with Kathleen, and various yacht deliveries I’ve done on the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea (see below and link: Gulf Crossings, Feb 2025 post).

Not pictured on the chart is a 3,000-mile, 22-day Pacific Ocean delivery from the Galapagos Islands to the Marquesas in French Polynesia in 2014. To date, I’ve logged more than 13,000 offshore sailing miles, another 4,300 miles on Dragonfly and an estimated 25,000 nautical miles on U.S. Navy warships. 

From my 2014 Pacific Ocean crossing

I never got a tattoo while in the navy, but I now have them on both upper arms. After my 2014 passage to French Polynesia I got a sea turtle on my right side in Papeete, Tahiti. In 2020, I added two swallows on my left arm to mark the completion of 10,000 ocean sailing miles  Swallows are traditional symbols of good luck in the sailing world. They are migratory, return to the same nest each year, and signify the desire for a safe voyage and return home. Another swallow superstition is that the tattooed birds will carry your soul to heaven if you die at sea. New seamen historically earned a swallow for every 5,000 nautical miles at sea—no small feat in a difficult and dangerous profession back in the day. In case you’re wondering, I have no plans to add to my pair, even though I have logged enough miles. 

For the 2026 sailing season, we will not be trailering Dragonfly anywhere as we have the past two years. We’ll be back on Lake Pepin, but at the Lake City Marina instead of Hansen’s Harbor. We thoroughly enjoyed our four summers at Hansen’s before our 2023 Loop departure, but the family-owned facility is now for sale, and we’re interested in trying something new. Hansen’s Harbor listing . The municipal Lake City Marina is right in town, with restaurants, groceries and shops within easy walking distance, and we’re looking forward to that very much. Also different this year is that, for the first time in four years, we plan to raise the mast and bend the sails, returning Dragonfly to the sailboat that it was built to be. Map link: Lake City Marina, MN. This summer, we also hope to charter with friends and family on Lake Huron—either in the North Channel or Georgian Bay—and may be able to add some new red lines to our sailing chart!

Bonus Quote 1: “Not all who wander are lost.” — J.R.R. Tolkien

Bonus Quote 2: “Unpopular opinion: I don’t think your life has to have a purpose or grand ambition; I think it’s OK to just wander through life finding interesting things until you die.” — Anonymous

This Sunday is Super Bowl LX, with the Seattle Seahawks playing the New England Patriots in Santa Clara, CA. The Patriots are making their 12th Super Bowl appearance, an NFL record. See below for more Super Bowl trivia (answers at end of post). 

Question 1: What team has won the most Super Bowls?

Question 2: What teams have never won a Super Bowl?

Question 3: Which teams have never appeared in a Super Bowl?

Question 4: Which two teams have played a Super Bowl in their home stadiums?

Question 5: What starting quarterbacks won Super Bowls with two different teams?

Question 6: Who is the only athlete to play in the Super Bowl and the World Series?

Question 7: What singer has the record for the longest National Anthem at a Super Bowl?

Question 1 Answer: The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots have each won 6 Super Bowls. 

Question 2 Answer: Twelve teams have never won a Super Bowl: The Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans. The Bills hold the dishonor of losing four consecutive Super Bowls, while the Vikings have the distinction of never holding a lead in four Super Bowl losses.  

Question 3 Answer: The Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars have never appeared in a Super Bowl. 

Question 4 Answer: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won at home in 2021 and the Los Angeles Rams did the same the following year. Fun fact: The Rams were technically the “away” team in that game per conference designation, despite playing in their home stadium.

Question 5 Answer: Peyton Manning won Super Bowls with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, while Tom Brady did it with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Question 6 Answer: Deion Sanders won back-to back Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers (1995) and the Dallas Cowboys (1996) and played in the 1992 World Series as a member of the Atlanta Braves (who lost to the Toronto Blue Jays). He is the only athlete to score an NFL touchdown and hit a MLB home run in the same week and he famously suited up for a pro football and baseball game on the same day. 

Question 7 Answer: Alicia Keys stretched the Star Spangled Banner to 2 minutes, 35 seconds in 2013, overtaking Natalie Cole’s 1994 record by three seconds.