The Author built this one. What's yours gonna look like?

This is the Author's craft. While he did use modern plastic fenders for flotation, which, of course, are a bit outside of the historical theme of the book, similar bumpers made of rope were used in 1908. Adding extras from the book can only help improve your chances of winning the contest. 

To build his craft, the Author took a 2x4, two floats similar to the type of flotation devices that seafaring merchants would have used on San Francisco Bay in 1908, some cord and, of course, a copy of 'Mermaid Sails the Bay. Then he strapped it all together and dropped it in the river. The author must know a thing or two about boats...his craft floated for hours. You can see a few minutes worth of the successful launch here.   

Now how about you? Read a few of the ideas to the left taken directly from 'Mermaid Sails the Bay.' We update them once a week. Or order you're very own copy of 'Mermaid' and discover how you can build your very own craft based on one or more scenes in the book. Build your craft (size doesn't matter) based on any object that is mentioned in the book or any object that would have existed in 1908, and use it to float a copy of 'Mermaid Sails the Bay' on a body of water of your choice. 

Or download a copy of the novel's cover and float that on your craft. Make sure the author can see it in your video.

Then flip on your video camera or smart phone, set sail, and record at least a minute of your craft floating a copy of the author's novel or a copy of the book cover. Post your video to YouTube, then send us your link along with your name, email address, and the name of the place where you floated your craft is all it takes to enter the 'Make My Novel Float' contest. 

You and a friend might win an all-day tour, by boat, on 

San Francisco Bay!  

Check back here for weekly updates!

Excerpts from 

'Mermaid Sails The Bay'

Excerpts from 

'Mermaid Sails The Bay'

· A large cooking pot (Chapter.2)

· Fishing floats (Chapter.2)

· A hay bale (Chps.4 & Mare Island)

· An old-fashioned milk can  (Chapter 1)

·

- A tin canteen like Ted used at Yosemite – can be combined with other listed items.

· A crate of fruit – those with a copy of the book have a distinct advantage here. Using rotten produce as described in the story is not required, but bonus points may be earned.

Propulsion – remember the golden rule: 

Steam Gives Way to Sail.

On the water this means that power boats must allow sail craft room to maneuver. For this contest, it means that your fancy remote-controlled powerboat will not score higher than a hand-crafted raft or vessel.