Lost at Sea: Jersey Shore Message in a Bottle Resurfaces 54 Years Later in the Bahamas

"A year has passed since I wrote my note
I should have known this right from the start
Only hope can keep me together
Love can mend your life, but love can break your heart"
- The Police (Message In A Bottle) 

It was only a year for this message in a bottle; our story centers around a message that was floating at sea for 54 years! floating some 1,000 miles from the Jersey Shore and landing in the Bahamas.

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Who Wrote The Message In A Bottle At The Jersey Shore Back In 1971?

As it turns out, the message was sent by a Monmouth County resident, John Forsyth, in 1971 while working aboard the Miss Belmar. According to New Jersey Digest, "Neptune native who loved life on the water, the day was special enough to commemorate. He scribbled a few lines on a torn piece of brown lunch bag, slipped it into a Dr. Pepper bottle, and dropped it overboard."

Tracing the Bottle’s Ocean Journey

The bottle was thrown off the Miss Belmar while en route to the Hudson Canyon, some 90 miles from Belmar. Then, 54 years later, the bottle (Dr Pepper) was discovered in a quiet stretch of the Southern Bahamas. The bottle was found by "Clint Buffington, a teacher, songwriter, and self-described message-in-a-bottle finder from Utah."

According to New Jersey Digest, "John Forsyth spent most of his life working around boats. He started out as a paying customer on the Miss Belmar, became a mate, and eventually took over as skipper by 1975. He died in 2022, never knowing that his bottle had survived decades of waves, storms, and salt air."

John passed away at 72 years of age, but for the majority of his life, his "message in a bottle" traveled the high seas. I find this a fascinating story, and glad to help share a part of it with you.

In conclusion, Clint Buffington hopes to return the "message" to the Forsyth family in person, not by mail.