"Drift bottles gave oceanographers at the start of the last century important information that allowed them to create pictures of the patterns of water circulation in the seas around Scotland. These images were used to underpin further research – such as determining the drift of herring larvae from spawning grounds, which helped scientists understand the life cycle of this key species. The conclusions of these pioneering oceanographers were right in many respects – for example, they correctly deduced the clockwise flow of water around our coasts. However, it took the development of electronic instruments in the 1960s before the true patterns of current flows, and more importantly what causes them, were unlocked."It was on April 12, 2012, that Andrew Leaper, skipper of the Shetland-based fishing boat Copious, hauled in his nets to find the clear glass bottle, just 9.38 nautical miles from where it originated (coordinates here). He recalls, "As we hauled in the nets I spotted the bottle neck sticking out and I quickly grabbed it before it fell back in the sea. I couldn’t wait to open it." Leaper did as instructed, but instead of the sixpence reward he has been awarded the world record for finding the oldest message in a bottle. This gives him bragging rights over his friend and fellow fisherman Mark Anderson, who found what was previously the oldest drift bottle 6 years ago and reportedly, "never stopped talking about it." Anderson had been fishing from the same waters in the same boat!
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Earlier posts about bottles:
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