Message in a Bottle

Don't keep yourself all bottled up

Messages in bottles were first tossed in 310 B.C. and Queen Elizabeth I even had an official "Uncorker of Ocean Bottles". Breadonthewaters has some message bottle stories and mysterious links to missionary bottle information. Benjamin Franklin may have begun the practice of using "drift bottles" with messages to chart ocean currents and for over a hundred years the US Coast & Geodetic Service used drift bottles. In 1966 the switched to SafesSeas biodegradable non-toxic wood drift cards. The USCGS estimates a return of only 3% but there have been some remarkable message bottle recoveries. In 2005, an abandoned boatload of Ecuadoran immigrants were rescued off Costa Rica after their bottle was recovered and a partially finished bottle message from the sinking Lusitania was once recovered. Bottle Messages have been featured in a song by The Police, in a couple of Star Trek episodes, plus a nineties romance novel and film; arguably, Edgar Allen Poe's "Ms. Found in a Bottle" is the best literary treatment. For ten years Stuart Conway has operated the Message in a Bottle Server in Brighton for free. He has launched 6,000 messages and his site lists dozens of other bottle services worldwide. Conway reports a recovery rate of about 3% also. Oceangram claims to be the first virtual message in a bottle service read the FAQ first) and at The Spoon Bottle you can specify the recipient's e-mail. There's lots of online suppliers of plain or themed bottles for sending messages by post. An early one is Bottle a Message Gifts. If you opt to launch your own Conway says to use a laser printer for moisture resistance and pay attention to the tides and long range wind forecast.

Message Bottles In History

Safe Seas

Ms. Found in a Bottle

Message in a Bottle Server: Brighton UK

Message in a Bottle Server: World Index

Oceangram

Spoon

Bottle a Message Gifts