Lake City, MN. Dragonfly is a sailboat again!

Yesterday, Kathleen and I had our first sail aboard Dragonfly since 2022, before this blog was created. We’ve cruised more than 4,000 miles over the past three years with the mast and sails in storage, and quite honestly, enjoyed being a powerboat more than we expected. But it was time to be sailors again, and we went out on Lake Pepin on a warm, gorgeous afternoon in light southeast winds and full main and genoa jib. Everything still worked, nothing (major) broke and we more or less remembered what to do. 

Dragonfly is now berthed in the Lake City Marina, a 635-slip municipal facility. The harbor was first opened in 1934, and its dedication was attended by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Map link: Lake City Marina.  Hansen’s Harbor, our former home on Lake Pepin and the location of our 2023 Great Loop departure and send-off party, was sold in February, following the unexpected passing of third-generation marina owner Allen Hansen. The site is now Pelican Point Yacht Club and Resort, and we observed significant redevelopment efforts on the grounds when we drove past yesterday. We thoroughly enjoyed our four summers at this marina and were saddened to hear of Allen’s death at the too-young age of 55.

Source: Visitlakecity.org

Bonus Question: Do you know the common names for the following medical conditions?

A. Sigmatism

B. Circadian disryhthmia

C. Cephalalgia

D. Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia

Lake City, MN (population 5,200) is 65 miles southeast of our home in St. Paul and is located on Lake Pepin, a 40 square mile natural lake on the Mississippi River. The lake was named after Jean Pepin, a French explorer who settled here in the late 1600s, and the name first appears on a 1703 map of New France. Lake Pepin sits in a valley carved out by the last ice age, and was created when sediment from the Chippewa River dammed up the Mississippi and backed it up for 22 miles. Besides Lake City, a large part of the Minnesota shoreline belongs to Frontenac State Park, a 2,600 acre collection of river bluffs, prairies and forests with excellent trails, campgrounds and picnic facilities. The Wisconsin side is home to the villages of Maiden Rock, Stockholm and Pepin, which was our first stop in September 2023 after leaving Hansen’s Harbor. Post link: https://dragonflyboating.blogspot.com/2023/09/first-stoppepin-wi.html

Lake Pepin was the site of one of the largest maritime disasters on the Mississippi River, when the ferry Sea Wing capsized in an 1890 storm, killing 98 people. In 1922, Lake City native Ralph Samuelson invented the sport of water skiing, using a pair of boards and a clothesline—towed by his brother, Ben, at about 20 mph. Samuelson spent the next 15 years teaching waterskiing and performing in shows from Michigan to Florida. A large bronze statue of Samuelson is on display in a park adjacent to the marina and Lake City celebrates Waterski Days every year on the last weekend in June. 

Ralph Samuelson statue

Bonus Question Answer: 

A. Sigmatism = Lisping

B. Circadian disryhthmia = Jetlag

C. Cephalalgia = Headache

D. Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia = Brain freeze