A bottle thrown into the sea in 1997 by a 10-year-old boy on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has been answered 25 years later, after it was found by a French fisherman more than 5,300 kilometers away.
“We received an inside envelope addressed to this student Ben, and secretaries were looking everywhere for him. They couldn’t find this student in class,” Brandi Clifford, assistant principal at Oak Ridge School in Sandwich, Massachusetts, told NBC10 Boston last Wednesday. Fifth”.
By opening the envelope intended for Ben Lyons, a former student who had studied at the institution more than 25 years ago, the school realized the “treasure” it held in its hands: the answer of a French fisherman attached to a letter and thrown into the sea in 1997, according to American media.
The director continued: “They had the impression that they had found a treasure when they saw a letter from this man from France, and then this letter was dated 1997.”
The bottle was launched into the water off Cape Cod, as part of a science project on ocean currents.
Inside, the student asked whoever received its contents to return the letter, answering some questions.
“Where did you find the bottle? What condition is it in? If possible, please fill out the questions and return it to me. Thank you, Ben,” we could read on the scanned paper.
26-YEAR-OLD MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE: Thanks to time, tides and a retired fisherman more than 3,300 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, Ben, now in his 30s, is getting a response to the questions in his letter. https://t.co/JUIQTydZz1
— NBC10 Boston (@NBC10Boston) November 9, 2023
The response came from French fisherman Hubert Eriau (71 years old), who said that he found the letter on August 19, on the beaches of Sable d’Olonne on the west coast of France, while he was collecting some waste from the site. According to French media reported.
“There were a few shells stuck to it,” the fisherman said.
If NBC 10 Boston had been able to track down Ben Lyons – who is now in his 30s – the man would not have been able to comment on his work.
“It is great that children can learn about the oceans and currents. It shows how small the world is. It has been a pleasure to read the different articles and the interest they have aroused,” his family responded in a press release, according to American media.
