The mystery of the message in a bottle in the North Sea that 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. James Runcie, right, with a crew companion aboard the Loraley fishing boat. Gavin Geddes via BBC The mystery of a message inside a bottle launched in the North Sea and found on a Swedish island 47 years later was unveiled by BBC News Scotland. Friends Ellinor Rosen Erikson and Asa Nilsson found the bottle brought by the tide earlier this year. The role, wet and already a little faded, was hard to read, but they managed to decipher the name Addison Runcie, the year 1978 and an address in the city of Cullen, northern Scotland. Now, it is known that the message was referenced to fisherman James Addison Runcie, who was aboard the loraley fishing boat and died in 1995. The letter was written by a crew companion, Gavin Geddes, who was surprised to learn that the bottle had been found 47 years after he thrown her into the sea. The women who discovered the message in Sweden said it is “fantastic” the mystery being resolved, and James’s sister classified the revelation of the story as “incredible.” Asa Nilsson and a friend found the letter inside the bottle in the North Sea in Sweden. Personal Archive/Ellinor Rosen Erikson via BBC Ellinor, 32, 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 to look for things on the beach, and that day we took a boat to the torso, the island that gets more north of the archipelago,” he said. In the middle of one of the island’s bushes, Asa saw something unusual: a thick glass bottle coming out of the ground. Inside there was a damp, almost ineligible role. They put the paper in the sun to dry and managed to decipher a few words and numbers written. The full date seemed to be “14.9.78”. They also managed to read a name and address: “Addison Runcie, Seatown, Cullen, Banffshire, Scotland.” Ellinor said they were “completely marveling” when finding a “true message in a bottle” and striking to find out the story behind it. They published on the letter on social networks, hoping to obtain some information. After a more detailed analysis, they managed to decipher the letters “ES” before the name Addison Runcie, as well as number 115 at the beginning of the address. BBC News Scotland was able to confirm that James Addison Runcie lived at the same address in Seatown, in the city of Cullen at that time, and that the letters “ES” corresponded to the end of the name James. From there, an investigation began. Today at the house, Jane Worby, 78 years old. Upon learning of the case, she said “it was really cool to know a little more about history.” “This messes with our imagination,” he commented on 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 destined, died in 1995, at 67. He was known in the place as Peem. The story took an unexpected direction when we talked to Gavin Geddes, one of the former companions of the crew of the Loraley boat, which had left the port of Peterhaear. “As soon as I saw the message I thought: it’s definitely my lyrics,” said Gavi, now 69. He lives a few kilometers from Cullen in Rathven, and said he remembered he wrote the letter – he even compared with another text he wrote to make sure it was his lyrics. Gavin said he and other crew members played “several bottles” to the sea and that one of them was in honor of James Runcie. “We played one for him, and is the only one that was found in 47 years,” he said. “Now, at least, we have an answer.” Coincidentally, the day BBC was in Cullen, Runcie’s sister, 83 -year -old Sandra Taylor, was visiting the city. She was impressed to learn of the story, and that the bottle had been found in Sweden. “It’s absolutely amazing!” “Being swinging at sea for over 40 years to suddenly stop on a beach … It’s unbelievable,” he emphasized. “The name and address confirm that it was for him, for sure. All my family devoted himself to fishing, and to James, there was nothing but the sea. He was a fisherman all his life.” When asked what the older brother would have found it all, she replied, “He would have fallen into the laugh, he would find it hard to believe. He would have served a drink and said, ‘Health’,” he said. In Sweden, Ellinor and Asa were very happy to learn that finally the author of the message was discovered. “It’s a fantastic story,” said Ellinor. “Finding a letter inside a bottle, from someone so far away, on a cold day of February, near a remote island with your best friend, it’s really magical.” Ellinor explained that if he knew how the story would end, he would have tried to preserve the bottle as well. “I myself come from a family of fishermen and I’m absolutely in love with the sea. I spend my time on the islands looking for treasures,” he said. “Where I live, we call this Vraga activity, which means going out in search of something lost or hidden, and discovering a story. And that’s exactly what we did.” He added, “Wing and I would love to visit Cullen someday to talk about the bottle, the story and know this community and the beach. We’re really amazed at all this.”

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