From: "Jon Bickel" papillon31@earthlink.net

Subject: Papillon update

Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 14:15:31 –0500

N 36° 51.25 W 76° 21.67 We have completed our journey through the Dismal Swamp without being attacked by "A Swamp Thing". As you can see from the pictures I posted to the Chart Our Course page, link below, the dismal swamp is getting more dismal every year. It probably has to do with Congress not providing enough funding to adequately maintain it. Hurricane Isabel did not help because of the extra cleanup to reopen the canal after the Hurricane. The lock tender informed me that Bush did not include funding in his budget to maintain the canal and unless Congress restores funding it will close on Sept 30, the end of the current Government fiscal year. In fact parts of the ICW are in jeopardy of being closed because of shallow water and inadequate funding to maintain the waterway. Unlike many things our government wastes money on the waterway is used annually by thousands of boats going north and south during the year. Also many of the towns along the waterway rely on this boat traffic to help support their communities. Trouble in Paradise.

We are in Portsmouth staying once again with friends for the next month or so as we get some much needed maintenance done on the boat. It is good to be at our summer home and look forward to an enjoyable summer.

Tom and Donna our gracious hosts in Portsmouth

Check out our position ( copy and paste to your browser) liveaboardsvpapillon.homestead.com/chartourcourse.html

To check out Ruby's web pages (copy and paste to your browser) liveaboardsvpapillon.homestead.com/rubyspage.html

"Goin where the weather suits my clothes"

Capt Jon & Ruby