The mystery of the message in a bottle in the North Sea which was resolved after almost 50 years

The letter, which had an address in Scotland and was dated 1978, was found on an island in Sweden in February 2025.

The mystery of a message inside a bottle launched in the North Sea and found on a Swedish island 47 years later was presented by the BBC News Scotland.

Friends Ellinor Rosen Erikson and Asa Nilsson found the bottle brought by the tide at the beginning of this year.

The role, wet and already a little faded, was difficult to read, but they managed to decipher the name Addison Runcie, the year 1978 and an address in the city of Cullen, in northern Scotland.

Now it is known that the message has referred to the fisherman James Addison Runcie, who was aboard the fishing boat Loraley And he died in 1995.

The letter was written by a crew partner, Gavin Geddes, who was surprised to learn that the bottle had been found 47 years after throwing it into the sea.

The women who discovered the message in Sweden said that the mystery that is resolved is “fantastic” and James’ sister ranked the revelation of history as “incredible”.

Ellinor, 32 years old, and Asa, 55, found the bottle on the west coast of Sweden in February.

“I was exploring the Väder islands with my best friend, Asa. We loved looking for things on the beach, and that day we brought a boat on the bust, the island that gets north of the archipelago more north,” he said.

In the middle of one of the bushes of the island, Asa saw something unusual: a thick glass bottle that came out of the ground. Inside there was a humid role, almost not admissible.

They put the paper to the sun dry and managed to decipher some words and written numbers. The whole date seemed to be “14.9.78”.

They also managed to read a name and an address: “Addison Runcie, Seatown, Cullen, Banffshire, Scotland”.

Ellinor said they were “completely amazed” when they found a “true message in a bottle” and hitting to discover the story behind it. They published on the letter on social networks, hoping to get some information.

After a more detailed analysis, they managed to decipher the letters “eg” before the name Addison Runcie, as well as the number 115 at the beginning of the address.

The BBC News Scotland was able to confirm that James Addison Runcie lived on the same address in Seatown, in the city of Cullen at that moment, and that the letters “eg” corresponded to the end of the name James. From there an investigation began.

Today at home, Jane World, 78 years old. After learning the case, he said “it was really nice to know a little more on history”.

“This mess with our imagination,” commented the message in the bottle. “It makes you want to do the same thing.”

Already the former resident, James Runcie, for whom the message was intended, died in 1995, at 67 years old. He was known in place as Peem.

The story followed an unexpected course when we talked to Gavin Geddes, one of the old companions of the boat crew Loraleywho had left the port of Peterhaear.

“As soon as I saw the message I thought: they are certainly my texts,” said Gavi, now 69.

He lives a few kilometers from Cullen to Rathven and said he remembered having written the letter – he even compared another text he wrote to make sure it was his texts.

Gavin said that he and other crew members played “several bottles” for the sea and that one of them was in honor of James Runcie.

“We played one for him, and he is the only one who was found in 47 years,” he said.

“Now, at least, we have an answer.”

By coincidence, the day when the BBC was in Cullen, Runcie’s sister, 83 years old Sandra Taylor, was visiting the city. He was struck to know the story and that the bottle had been found in Sweden.

“It’s absolutely fantastic!”

“Being oscillating at sea for over 40 years to suddenly stop on a beach … it’s incredible,” he underlined.

“The name and address confirm that it was for him, for sure. All my family dedicated himself to fishing, and James, there was nothing more than the sea. He was a fisherman for life.”

When asked what all his older brother would find, he replied:

“He would have fallen into laughter, he would find it difficult to believe. He would have served a drink and said:” Health “,” he said.

In Sweden, Ellinor and Asa were very happy to learn that the author of the message was finally discovered.

“It’s a fantastic story,” Ellinor said.

“Finding a letter inside a bottle, from someone so far away, on a cold February day, near a remote island with your best friend, is really magical.”

Ellinor explained that if he had known how the story would end, he would have tried to preserve the bottle.

“I myself come from a family of fishermen and I am absolutely in love with the sea. I spend my time on the islands in search of treasures,” he said.

“Where I live, we call this activity shadowWhich means going out in search of something lost or hidden and discovering a story. And that’s exactly what we did. “

He added: “Ala and I would like to visit Cullen one day to talk about the bottle, history and get to know this community and the beach. We are really amazed at all this.”

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.