Mermaid writer seeks information (A writer about mermaids not a mermaid who writes)

[ep_haury]

Hello. Some of you might recognize me. You can find my previous messages on the “Writer Seeking Info About Guernsey & Other Channel Islands” message on this sub-board. To summarize for those who haven’t seen those messages, I am a fiction writer trying to write a novel about mermaids in which the anatomically unrealistic mermaids are treated as living in a highly realistic environment. The environment I have chosen is a fictional equivalent of the [English] Channel Islands. I’ve done all sorts of research to try to make the portrayal of the environment as realistic as I can. One of those ways was to ask residents of the C.I.s about tie environment via this message board. And I’m back to ask more.

My research is complete enough to have written a detailed outline for the novel, but there are still questions about a large number of details that I want to accurately hang on that outline. I’m wondering if you can assist me again. Here are some of my questions:

I know that at least seem of the C.I. have incredibly extreme tides. How much of the seafloor is uncovered in the highest tide? How much of the seafloor is undisturbed by the tidal flow? Do the extreme tides cause any extreme currents or other problems for swimming?

What are those large intertidal zones like? Lots of muscles?

According to Sue Daly’s web site, Wrasse are not afraid of humans. Are any other fish/sealife not afraid? Are there any that are pests, the equivalent of flies whatever the size)?

Any of you used local dogfish sharkskin as sandpaper? (I know it can work; Mythbusters says so!) If so, how many long (I know that’s variable) does the sharkskin tend to last?

What can you say about the presence of dolphins and seals on the C.I.s? How do either react to humans on land or in the water? Dolphins are known to be friendly. True for you? If they are generally friendly, is there anything that makes than either flee or become aggressive?

What scavengers would have to be attracted to large sea mammal carcass washed up on the shore? Mammals or birds.

How concentrated and how scarcely populated are different types of CI microenvironments? I would love to pictures or videos intrinsically, but especially if they sow a typical population density or behavior.

How long foes it typically take =for you to clean you catch? Different for different fish, I bet.

I know Sea Gulls form when I lived in San Diego, California. They were quite aggressive when they found food. Are there similarly aggressive seabirds in the CI that would take food from a person?

I know that electric rays live around the C.I.? How often do people there make contact? What causes them to “go off?” And are there any stories about people being shocked before the modern understanding of electricity was developed? If so, what was the shock thought to be?

If you do chase a fish -- to hunt or just to chase -- are there kinds of fish that typically try to flee n a straight line ahead of you and others that typically try to dart in a different direction?

Have any of you found cloth, preferably wool, linen, or silk in the water. Not after decades but probably having entered the water days,, weeks, or at most a few months ago? If so, what do the exposure do to the cloth? If it’s clothing, how long before the materials became unbearable?

How much particulate matter is found in the C.I. waters? How much variability is there, and what causes the variability?

In general, how comfortable are the rocks by the seashore or in caves to sit or lie on with bare skin? A lot of variety in that, I know. What, also about rocks in the caves?

Any of you know about a map that shows the different microenvironments off the major CIs? l, seaweed forest (or grove or concentration; whatever its called), reefs, etc?

Is there anything (beside drowning) that you fear when swimming the Channel waters? Anything you fear specifically at night or at certain times of year?

My main mermaid character will actually live with the humans, in her own room somehow attracted to a “castle” (or château or something) Anyway the setting Is mid 1700s equivalent and the place where she will dwell could be several centuries old, so castle is at lest a plausible term. Anyway, I want her to be in a structure connected to the lord of the Island’s residence, but a separate structure and with easy access to the sea,. Any suggestions about what sort of structures your forebears would have built by the 1700s that would fit the bill? I had a thought of their building a ramp down form that structure directly into a small harbor, but I also thought that a ramp might be too modern an idea. I don’t think wheelchair accessibility was a priority in the Stuart or Hanoverian Eras.

Also, any of you familiar with 1700s fishing techniques? Because if so, I could ask more questions.

But that’s all for now. Looking forward to your replies.

[Adrian]

Just one thing about colors that I don't know if you are aware of. Your comment of cloth triggered this memory. Last summer I saw a large dirty grey brown cloth at a depth of around 8 meters and decided to take it with me back to shore to throw away. As I was ascending, the color gradually changed from dirty nondescript brown to a beautiful vivid red granate. I now have a lovely beach towel. It was totally unrecognizable as such at depth. I have no idea how long it was underwater for, but probably not more than a month or so. Seeing the color change was beautiful!

Reds and yellows get absorbed inthe first few meters of the sea, afterwards, everything is greenish and blue if the water is clear and brown to black if murky.

And last but not least, it's mussels, not muscles!

[wabond]

Hi EP Haury

In my book, “Mermaids, Witches and Amazons” I got a lot of information from the Book Sea Enchantress: The Tale Of The Mermaid And Her Kin by Gwen Benwell & Arthur Waugh.

To quote from my book.-
In Guernsey Folklore by Sir Edgar Macculloch there are stories of sirens that lived on the island of Sark. Guernsey fishermen claimed they were old women, yet their singing was so wonderful that they would still draw sailors in to sail too near to the dangerous coast around Sark. Then a fierce storm would suddenly arise, driving the vessel onto the rocks. To drive the point home, about how dangerous these sirens are; the fishermen also claimed that the sirens would carry the sailors to the bottom of the sea and devour them.


If that is a help and want more information, I can look up this in my files in my computer.

William Bond

Mermaids are real!

[mermaid wannabe]

To Ep Haury and Wabond,

I have a question (no information),do mermaids dance and how?

mermaid wannabe