Touching A Heart With A Message In A Bottle-A True Charleston Story

Message In A Bottle is a 1999 film based on a novel bearing the same name written by Nicholas Sparks. It is about a woman who finds a mysterious, intriguing love letter in a bottle in the sand. Fascinated by the message, she comes in possession of two more, which leads her on a search for the originator of the released bottles. She finds him, befriends him, and the two of them get involved, but she is not completely honest with him, hiding the fact their meeting was not accidental, and she possesses the letters he wrote to his deceased wife he has not been able to release. The story has a powerful but sad ending.

The usage of a message in a bottle has been a form of communication going way back in antiquity. The first recorded account of messages placed in bottles dates around 310 BC. The Greek philosopher, Theophrastus, released the bottles as an experiment to prove the inflowing Atlantic Ocean formed the Mediterranean Sea.

A message in a bottle recovered east of Shetland in 2012 is believed to be the oldest message ever found at 98 years. It was one of 1,890 bottles released on June 10, 1914, by a scientist from Glasgow testing undercurrents around Scotland. The previous record was 92 years and 229 days, also released in 1914 and found on December 10, 2006. It contained longitude and latitude coordinates placing its release somewhere between Scotland and Denmark. A fisherman discovered it around Shetland, Scotland. The bottled message to travel the farthest from its point of origin ended up on a beach near Dubrovnik, Croatia, on April 17, 2013. It was tossed into the ocean 28 years earlier from the shores of Nova Scotia, Canada. It floated around 4,000 miles.

The saddest story involving a bottled message dates September 9, 1914. It was discovered in 1999 by a fisherman while pulling in his nets. Inside the eroded bottle were two letters. The first note requested the finder forward the second note, a love letter, to his beloved wife, Elizabeth Hughes. He was headed for France to fight in the Great War. Moved by the letter, the fisherman set out to deliver it. It had been 85 years since the writing of the letters. His search led him to the couple's daughter living in Auckland, New Zealand. He found out Thomas Hughes was killed in battle shortly after releasing the bottled messages. Thomas never got to see his wife again and never met his daughter, Emily.

Breach Inlet and the H.L. Hunley Bridge

I have made it a practice to release wine bottles with a message into Charleston's coastal waters from time to time. They contain lines of poetry I have written about life and dealing with its struggles, an email address included. Charleston's coastline offers a variety of places for an entry point for a bottled message. My favorite drop-in point is the outgoing tidal currents of Breach Inlet, accompanied by an off-shore breeze. I have sent out three. So far, I have received two responses. It is a unique story. Not as dramatic as the film, but it demonstrates the power a message from a bottle can have.

Isle of Palms beach

It was a month from the time I set this particular bottle afloat on the ocean currents to the time of its discovery on the Isle of Palms. So, it did not travel any great distances in that one month. It possibly floundered around off-shore until an ocean wind brought it in. A woman found the bottle while walking on the beach, something she does often to cope with a loss in her life. Following is the original email I received:

"I found your message in a bottle.....a green bottle on the shore. Where did u release it? If u don't mind me asking... I lost the love of my life 3 years ago in aug. and I walk that beach for therapy to deal with losing him. I have released a balloon there once with a message inside, and was touched by your poem...It was a cool thing to find. Take care."
Sent from my iPhone

The message

I was glad to hear the right person found the bottle and the message.

My next message ready for release

Coastal waters and tidal rivers surround Charleston. It is rich in stories associated with its long maritime history. I have not read any stories about discovered messages inside bottles in the Charleston area, but I am sure some exist. Someday you may be walking on one of the beautiful beaches of Charleston and unexpectedly see the top of a corked bottle sticking out of the sand. Upon pulling the bottle from its final resting place after its solitary journey on the ocean currents, you discover a message within. Maybe, it could be a record-breaking message in a bottle dating back hundreds of years, or it could be one of mine. If it is mine, I look forward to hearing from you.

The closest thing to a message in a bottle I know of in Charleston involves the Vendue Inn. It is a custom for people staying there to leave messages in some of the bedposts, or so I heard. I sent an email to Vendue Inn to verify the story but have not received an answer.