A former Massachusetts fifth grader’s message in a bottle was found 26 years later after reportedly crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
The letter, written by Benjamin Lyons when he was a fifth-grader at Forestdale School in Sandwich, was part of a science unit on ocean currents for teacher Frederic Hemmila’s class in October 1997, Fox News reported.
A retired French fisherman named Hubert Eriau reportedly mailed the letter back to Forestdale via La Poste France, addressed to “Grade 5H Annee 1997,” according to the Cape Cod Times.
Message in a bottle written by Massachusetts 5th grader found in France 26 years later https://t.co/k0UACNchs0 pic.twitter.com/w5pelYVwjg
— New York Post (@nypost) November 17, 2023
“It’s crazy to think it took that long for someone to find it,” Sandwich Public Schools English teacher Carol Archambeault told the outlet. “The bottle is so old, I can see why people are so interested in it.”
Lyons, now in his mid-30s, addressed the letter “Dear Beachcomber.” He thanked the reader for being “kind enough” to pick up the bottle before explaining the class’ current current study.
“It was a culminating activity after studying ocean current and tides,” said Archambeault, who is an associate of Hemmila’s. “They were trying to see where the letters would end up, where the currents would take them.”
Lyons’ letter asked the following questions: “Where did you find the bottle? What condition was it in? Was there anything around the bottle besides water and rocks? How did you find it?” (RELATED: South Carolina Trash Can Washes Up on Shores Of Ireland)
Hemmila’s class dropped the bottles in the Nantucket Sound, according to the Cape Cod Times. The teacher was inspired to conduct the activity with his students because he had a friend who was a boat captain. Hemmila would ensure his students’ letters were securely sealed in their bottles to make it to faraway shores intact.