While cruising Fort Lauderdale’s Middle River on a sailboat sea trial in 1992, Jimmy Buffett discovered the strange looking boat made from an airplane. Being a seaplane pilot the vessel attracted his notice and struck an inspirational chord. After researching its past, he wrote the plane-boat into his first novel, a No. 1 best seller, Where Is Joe Merchant? as Desdemona’s   Cosmic Muffin, her rocket ship to the stars.

In this fun filled mystery novel spiritually guided Desdemona, formerly rock star Joe Merchant’s back-up singer, is contacted by aliens from the Pleiades (or Seven Sisters) star system and somehow realizes that the houseboat made from Howard Hughes’ private plane featured in a newspaper will become her spaceship. She travels throughout the Caribbean and south Florida enjoying many adventures while searching for Joe Merchant. Mr. Buffett also wrote a delightful song referring to the Cosmic Muffin on his Banana Wind CD titled “Desdemona’s Building A Rocket Ship.”