Guernsey beachcomber finds letter in a bottle after transatlantic adventure
A Guernsey beachcomber scanning the shores after Storm Arwen found an unexpected item nestled between two boulders on Chouet headland.
Richard Lord was stunned to see a message in a glass bottle which appeared to have survived an epic journey across the Atlantic.
The first clue was the dollar bill clearly visible inside the bottle.
After taking the bottle home and scraping off the goose barnacles which had grown during its journey, he set about the laborious process of trying to retrieve the message.
The bottle was sealed with a cork but once removed, it proved impossible to pull out the message with tweezers, leaving him no choice but to smash it open.
The contents finally freed, they comprised a business card, a faded letter on Crown Plaza headed paper and a one dollar bill.
The note revealed that it had been cast into the sea on 4 January 2020 off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida by retired US Navy Captain, Captain Dave Mozgala.
The local marine biologist spends hours every week cleaning the island's beaches and carefully recording his findings.
But it is not always interesting belongings he comes across.
Richard acknowledged that not all ships which pass through the Bailiwick are littering. But he is actively watching ship paths and is getting "very close" to being able to identify those ships who are.