As a message in a bottle of 1978 revealed the history of friendship of fishermen
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At the beginning of 2025, two girlfriends Hellenor Rosen Erickson and Asa Nielson found a bottle thrown ashore on the west coast of Sweden.
It had a wet and faded letter addressed to Addison Ranci and sent in 1978 by his friend Gavin Heddes.
After 47 years, finding the sender, they learned a touching story. Its told In BBC.
In February, exploring the coast, 32-year-old Hellenor and 55-year-old ACA came across an unusual find. Deep in the ASA bushes noticed a thick glass bottle protruding from the ground.
Inside, they found a damp note that was almost impossible to read. The women laid it in the sun to dry, and in the end could disassemble some text.
The letter indicated the date – September 14, 1978 – as well as the name and address – « Addison Ranci, Sitan, Cullen, Banfshire, Scotland ».
Hellenor and his girlfriend were amazed by finding a real message in the bottle and hoping to find out his story. Hope to reveal the secret, girlfriends published a post on social networks.
After inspecting the bottle, they found that the name « Addison Ranci » was the letters « ES », and before the address – the number 115. These details allowed BBC Scotland News to establish that James Addison Ranci really lived at this address in Sitauna, Cullen. It turned out that « es » was part of his name (James). This discovery was the key to further investigation.
78-year-old Jane Worby, the current resident of the house, called this story a pleasant piece of history.
Jim Rani, who was known as Pima, died in 1995. At the time of his death he was 67 years old.
History has gained unexpected turn when journalists talked with Gavin Hedes, one of Jim’s former comrades on the Lauraley ship. This ship sailed from Peterhead, and it was there that he threw a bottle.
« Just I saw a letter, I thought it was exactly my handwriting », Said 69-year-old Gavin.
The man lives near Kullen and remembers how he wrote this letter, and even checked him with his handwriting. Gavin said that they threw a couple of bottles then. One of the bottles symbolized James Ranci.
« We hid one for Jim. It is the only one found in 47 years. Now we got at least one answer, » Guin says.
83-year-old Sandra Taylor, Sister James Addison Renty, was amazed at hearing about a bottle found in Sweden with a message.
« It’s absolutely amazing. Watch in the sea for about 50 years, and then suddenly go ashore is incredible. Name and address definitely mean that it was he.
My whole family was engaged in fishing. He was a fisherman all his life, « Said Sandra.
Earlier we told The story of how home-made DNA test helped to solve the mystery of the birth of a 70-year-old British.
