Message in a bottle from Canada to Alderney
A MESSAGE in a bottle that was thrown into the sea in Canada has bobbed nearly 4,000 miles to wash up on a beach in Alderney.
The small plastic drink bottle took six months to travel from Canada's easternmost point to a pebbly inlet next to Saye Bay.
States Works foreman Angus Macintyre was with a team repairing sea defences there when he spotted the battered bottle lying among the rocks.
'It was just a plastic bottle that looked like a piece of litter, but it caught my eye because there seemed to be something in it,' he said.
'I picked it up and inside there was a rolled up sheet of paper. On it was printed: "Hello. I am 11-and-a-half-year-old Justin Greene, from Ottowa, Canada. I am placing a bottle (with note enclosed) into the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Spear, Newfoundland, on the afternoon of 30th August 2015".
'He asked that I let him know when and where it was found, using contact details supplied. I phoned him straight away.'
It was 3.30pm in Alderney, but early morning in Ottawa and Justin had been getting ready for school. When Mr Macintyre said who he was and why he was calling, Justin's father put the call on speakerphone so that the family could listen in.
Justin reportedly shouted with excitement.
