The chances of finding a bottle with a note in it washed up on a beach are astronomical but for American couple John and Kelly Moriarty not only did they find a note but they also found a lasing friendship.
And 20 years after they first found the note and wrote back to the Caloundra couple who threw it into the ocean, the duo finally made it to Australia to meet their old friends and penpals.
It was Australia Day 2004 when Ruth and Lyle May, now residents of Southern Cross Care Caloundra, on a container ship journey from LA to New Zealand, decided to drop a message in a Steinlager bottle into the Pacific Ocean.
A year later, John and Kelly stumbled upon the bottle on the shores of Ni’ihau island, Hawaii – an island that is known as “the Forbidden Isle”, privately owned and only accessible via a special helicopter tour.
Reflecting on the moment he found the bottle, John said it was an unlikely but extremely lucky find.
“It’s odd that I would even find the bottle in this remote location,” he said.
“The debris that washes up on the beaches hadn’t been cleaned up for possibly hundreds of years. Also, you would never guess how many bottles make it ashore with no lid. The pilot has found only two notes in a bottle in the 13 years he has lived in Kaua’i, and even then, could never make out the note. Our tour group couldn’t believe our luck.
“There were so many bottles, my wife said jokingly, find me a message in a bottle, so I started focusing on the ones with tops.
“It was very special. We had to push the cork in because we didn’t have an opener since we had just taken the helicopter over and didn’t plan on opening a bottle of wine or beer that day.
“When I returned the bottle to her on this trip, the cork was still in it. I was only worried that she wouldn’t write back, but she did, right away.”
John said this encounter brought to life his dream of finding a message in a bottle after watching the film Message in a Bottle.
“I never thought I’d be lucky enough to find one,” he said.
“Thanks to Ruth and Lyle, I was. It gave us such a thrill, and now, every time I’m at sea, I’ll continue the tradition.
The note inside invited the finder to right back and that’s just what John did which was as big a surprise for Ruth as the initial bottle find was for John
“Surprised does not even cover it,” she said.
When the letter arrived, it was a huge envelope, with warnings hand written all over it saying ‘this must be delivered to Ruth May ONLY’. Lyle initially thought, “Oh my, this is serious. Someone really wants to contact us…it must be bad news.’ But the news was only good.
“I’m not sure I believed anyone would really find it,” she said.
“You hear so many stories about a message in a bottle. I threw many bottles overboard and often would have the captain of the ship keeping an eye on me as it wasn’t really allowed.
“I’m not sure I really thought anyone would answer back, but something inspired me to keep doing it.
“And now for 20 years we have constantly written and sent birthday gifts.
“We have shared so many of our life experiences with each other. John’s parents have been out on a couple of occasions, and it was wonderful to meet them.
“We had a wonderful experience and made lifelong friends. It was like winning a lottery.”
John and Kelly said it was emotional to finally meet the couple they had spoken to for so long and it didn’t feel strange or weird.
“It felt like we’d already met them because my parents have met them in person twice when they’ve traveled to Brisbane to see their friends, the McCauls,” John said.
“Our first meeting with them, with the press and cameras all there was a bit overwhelming and very emotional.
“Although Having the press there actually helped me to keep my composure. The last day with them was very difficult for Kelly and I, knowing we may never seen them again.”
Although the two couples met through an out of the ordinary way their communication since then has been more conventional.
“Ruth and Lyle don’t email nor do they text…yet,” John said.
“For the past 20 years it’s only been mailed letter, Christmas cards and a few phone calls
“We heard from our new friend Kristie who works at the care center where Ruth and Lyle live. “They had shared our story with her and Ruth asked her to contact us so she could say her good byes. I told my wife, let’s just go and see her. When I had found the bottle, 20 years ago, I said to Kelly, if she writes back, I would like to meet her. So, we had to go.”
There trip to Australia was only six days long – most spend visiting their old new friends although they took two days to go to Sydney to see the Opera House and climb the bridge.
The couple said they were so pleased they wrote back all those years ago and came out to visit the couple.
“You could tell that Ruth and Lyle were kind people from the note,” he said.
“They were also adventurers. I always wanted to keep the letters going and build our relationship.
“We were so excited when they wrote back and it just confirmed that it would be a lifelong friendship.
“Ruth and Lyle have sent Sloane, our daughter, a birthday and Christmas card every year since she was born. So, writing to them became very natural.”
So do they go back to the place where they found the bottle often or was it the first and only time?
“The Island of Niihau, “The Forbidden Island”, is not an easy place to get to,” John explained.
“The Robinson family owns the island but they also own a helicopter that runs a tour, if the timing works for them and the needs of the Hawaiian people that live there, so it can be hit or miss and weather can be a factor too.
“We have been fortunate enough to have gone three or four times, we can’t remember exactly. “The first time we went, in 2004, was the only time we’ve found a bottle. We have looked every time and have never found one again.
“The last time we went, we took our daughter’s boyfriend Asa with us, and all four of us were looking for messages in a bottle.”
