Dear Mark,
You would think that lots of folks would have attempted the almost marathon-length swim. I mean, it's not like the English Channel. But there have only been a handful who have tried, and the last one was five years ago.

The latest person to successfully swim across the lake was Randy Raggio in May 1999. He finished the 24-mile swim in 13 hours, 44 minutes, and 22 seconds.

Raggio, who was 30 years old at the time, was a graduate of Mandeville High School and captain of the swim team. He said that swimming across the lake was a dream of his, so when the opportunity came to train for the swim he took advantage of it.

It was May 28 at 10 p.m. when Raggio entered the water at the Metairie toll plaza. But he didn't go alone. He was supported by family members including his mother, father, half-brother, sister, and nephew, along with a reporter from The Times-Picyaune, who followed in a boat.

After the overnight swim hampered somewhat by strong winds, he came ashore at Sunset Point in Mandeville and was greeted by a group of about 30 friends and family members.

Back in the late 1980s, Covington resident Pat Owens made the swim, but Raggio's time was about four hours faster. So it seems that he holds the unofficial record.

There were others in the 1950s and 1960s who have made the crossing, but it seems that no one recorded their times. And, of course, there have been others who started out bravely, but either turned back or got in the boat.

Now that I think about it, swimming the lake does take a lot of stamina and dedication. The last time I tried to swim the length of a pool someone had to throw me a life preserver.

Hey Blake,
Did you ever hear of a man named Bartholomew Lafon? In the early 1800s he sailed on the Carmalita and was supposedly associated with Jean Lafitte. I'm with the Lafitte Society (we do research on the old boy), and we're trying to determine Lafon's date of death.
Cindy

Dear Cindy,
You must mean Barthelemy Lafon, the noted architect, engineer, city planner, and surveyor in New Orleans who laid out significant portions of the city. Lafon was born in Villepinte, France, in 1769, and he died of yellow fever in New Orleans on Sept. 29, 1820. He is buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.

Lafon came to New Orleans around 1789 or 1790 and for many years had a successful career. He designed plans for public buildings including public baths and a lighthouse; he also designed numerous private homes. During the years 1806 to 1809, he was Deputy surveyor of Orleans County -- yes, Louisiana used to have counties. He subdivided four plantations in the Second Municipality between the years 1806 and 1810, unifying the Faubourgs Delord, Saulet, LaCourse, and Annunciation, and lined up the streets with the older Faubourg St. Marie, New Orleans' first subdivision. It was Lafon who gave us all of the streets and avenues with Greek names.

Parts of the Bywater and Bayou St John neighborhoods also boast being planned by Lafon. His services were much in demand, and they included map making, designing the plan for Donaldsonville, and surveying and recommending improvements to the fortifications of New Orleans during the War of 1812.