By Liz Dunphy

A message in a bottle, sent from Florida in the US, arrived on a sandy west Cork beach last week, almost exactly one year after it left the Sunshine State’s shores.

Three west Cork women found the bottle, while walking on the beach at Long Strand, outside Clonakilty, Co. Cork , and they managed to track down the letter’s author in the US.

Ernie LeMay, and his friends wrote the letter while on a ‘frinking’ trip, as the four friends christened the times on their boating trips when they fish and drink beer together.

“I started writing some miscellaneous thoughts with two of my closest pals we laughed a lot. We've often joked about where it ended up! Nobody could believe it,” said Ernie.

The glass bottle became a habitat for goose barnacles on its transatlantic trip, which clung to its surface, turning the bottle into what resembled an intricate sculpture.

Caitlin Ruth, the head chef at Deasy’s Restaurant in Clonakilty, contacted the letter author via an email address listed on the letter. The chef, well-known for her seafood prowess, refrained from cooking the barnacles that clung to the bottle on this occasion.

Bridget Healy, of Lettercolm Kitchen Project in Clonakilty , said that the last page of the letter got stuck so she had to break the bottle, but the women took photographic evidence of the find beforehand.

“We’re going to get hats made with the word ‘Frinking’ on them, and take a picture of us all wearing them and sipping Pinot Noir,” said Ms Healy. She then plans to send the photos on to the US men who originally sent the letter.

The letter author, Mr Ernie LeMay, was delighted that his letter had landed in Ireland, and that the women who found it had made contact with him.

“I just think it's the coolest thing. I attached a photo of us and one of me holding a Wahoo I caught. Great time and now with a way cool story to go with it,” said Ernie.

Ernie said that the boat which they now routinely sail each year is owned by Allan Howat, 72, and it’s called ‘Jane E’, “named after Allan’s lovely wife”.

“Allan keeps it at his house in Jupiter, Florida, and he spends his summer months in Block Island, Rhode Island,” said Ernie. The boat had to be transported each year to its new moorings by Alan and his son Dave Howat, 48 from Glastonbury, Connecticut.

“Every year Dave would help his dad drive the boat up the east coast in the spring, and take it back in September. To accomplish this they would have to run the boat as fast as they could before night then return to shore and tie up for some rest,” said Ernie.

Dave suggested that if they took the boat out on the gulf stream, at just over idle speed they could save a lot of fuel approx. 6,000 gallons both ways.

Dave suggested that his friends could help them out.

Greg Gosselin, 50, from Marlborough, Connecticut was a local friend, and Ernie is Dave’s brother-in-law and best friend.

“They know their way around boats and are great guys. We can fish all day then take shifts running the boat at night,” Dave told his father.

“So Allan geared the boat up for fishing, loaded it with pretty much everything to eat and drink flew us to Florida and we were off for the Block,” said Ernie.

“This year makes our third trip up and we’re getting pretty good at fishing off the swim platform, ‘frinking’ on the back deck,” said Ernie.

“‘Frinking’ (fishing and drinking) is a little term we came up with while hanging out on the swim platform. Five days with nothing to do gets you thinking and man have we come up with some pretty silly stuff,” said Ernie.

“The trip usually takes around 110 hours over five days. On two of the five trips we’ve done (three up and two back) we had to duck into a port due to foul weather and both times were a blast. Allan takes good care of us.”

“When the first trip was done I remember saying to Allan, could I have a hug goodbye? (I’m a big hugger) He replied of course I hug all my kids. That made me feel pretty special,” said Ernie, who’s sister is married to Allan’s son.

“The four of us have formed quite the strong bond over the past few years. I know this won’t last forever as few things rarely do but the memories are far more than most could ask for.”