RE: Slow Bottle to Sweden, Evening Advertiser, October 14. I am 73 years old and all of my life, as far back as I can remember, I have been fascinated by thoughts and tales of messages in bottles, particularly of one reported being put into the sea off a beach in Australia and, after some years, finally being washed up and found on a beach in England.

In September this year I was on holiday in Cornwall when, having just emptied a bottle of apple juice, thoughts of messages in bottles surfaced once again. This time I decided to do something about it. I wrote a letter, complete with my name, age, address and telephone number and some general details about myself including my regiment, rank and number of my service days in the Middle East in the 1940s. I folded my letter, inserted it into the bottle (glass) and screwed the metal cap firmly on.

The next day my partner and I visited Looe where a river runs into and joins the sea. The tide was going out assisting the river to a very fast flow. This seemed ideal so from the jetty leading to the sea I lobbed my bottle. It landed about mid-stream and bobbed its way seawards.

I had visions of an extensive 'voyage' with my bottle washing up on some exotic beach. Perhaps some time in the future I would receive a letter from a gorgeous tanned beauty in a grass skirt (well, old men can dream, can't they?) with an invitation to visit her abode!

The reality was that we walked to the end of the jetty, keeping an eye on the bobbing bottle, to a seated area. I leaned on the parapet and watched my bottle round the end of the jetty. A young man standing by me said to his wife "I think there is a bottle out there with a message in it." I leaned towards him confirming that his assumption was correct. Armed with my binoculars we followed the passage of the bottle. It rounded clear of the jetty and began to progress towards the beach on the opposite side. It beached barely half an hour since it was launched.

Still maintaining a watching brief with my binoculars I saw my bottle lying near the water's edge by a young family, man, woman, baby and child. The man and child were busy making sand castles when the woman holding the baby spotted and picked up my bottle. With some difficulty, it seemed, she obviously opened and read my better, re-folded it, put it back and screwed the cap back on.

My partner and I left Looe shortly after and that was the last I saw or heard of my bottle. I had put a PS to my letter. "This was put into the sea off Cornwall on September 3, 2000 I hope it doesn't wash up on a nearby beach." I heard nothing from the young family so I am left wondering if they kindly re-launched my bottle.

To conclude I would like to congratulate young Thomas Jackson on the record voyage of his bottle. Has he any tips for an old'un? Perhaps next time I should launch in Coate Water!

IVAN E RICKWOOD

Islandsmead

Eldene

Swindon