Authorities say they are working with the owner of a 36-foot houseboat that has been beached at Harriet Island Regional Park for the past month.

The houseboat, manufactured by the former Whit-Craft Boat Co. of Winona, Minn., was first spotted on Aug. 10 by a deputy from the Ramsey County Water Patrol while patrolling the Mississippi River in St. Paul. The vessel was tied to the shore and partially in the water at Harriet Island, according to Steve Linders, a Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

The boat’s motor bay was propped open, and the boat appeared to be disabled. When the deputy contacted the boat’s registered owner, authorities learned that the boat had recently been sold and that the new owner had suffered a stroke while aboard the vessel.

Although the deputy has followed

See Full Page