Decades-Old Message In A Bottle Found By Retired French Fisherman.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you sent a message in a bottle out at sea? Having seen this in a few shows and movies, I certainly have, but I always assumed that the odds of someone actually finding it were low. Turns out, though, it’s more possible than you might think. In 1997, 5th grader Ben Lyons did just that.

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This Oak Ridge student did so as part of a science project about ocean currents. With the school in Sandwich, Massachusetts, it was easy for them to toss their bottles off the shores of Cape Cod. In his letter, Ben posed some questions for whoever might stumble across his bottle. Twenty six years later, he got a response.

Rather than replying with another bottle, this retired French fisherman went with the safe and faster route: A letter in the mail. He addressed it to Ben, leaving the school secretaries puzzled as they searched for this mysterious 5th grader. Finally, they opened it to discover why they weren’t going to find Ben at school anymore.

“They felt like they found a treasure when they saw a letter from this gentleman from France, and then this letter that was dated in 1997,” Brandy Clifford, Assistant Principal said.

Over the course of decades, Ben’s message traveled 3,300 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Questions from Ben included: Where did you find the bottle? What are the conditions of the bottle?

“If you could, please fill out the questions and return,” the 5th grader wrote. “Thank you. Ben.”

In response to Ben’s questions, which were written in French, the retired fisherman explained that he found the bottle on a beach in Les Sables-d’Olonne, France.

“He said that he was walking around the beach, cleaning the beach, and he found the bottle and it was sealed tight with wax… and he had a really hard time opening it,” Brandy said.

Now in his 30s, Ben finally has a response to his message. Although his family said he can’t comment on the story due to his job, his parents have released a statement of their own.

“It’s great the kids can learn about the oceans and currents from this,” his parents said. “Showing what a small world it actually is. We’ve had fun reading the different articles and the interest this has generated.”

But this isn’t where these messages end — staff at Oak Ridge say they plan on keeping the conversation going with a reply. What a fun way to connect with someone from the other side of the world!

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