A message in a bottle that was left 10 years ago has been discovered in the sand dunes of Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsunday Islands, Queensland, Australia.
Cruise Whitsundays staff Cherie Louise and Monique Hartley-Smith were combing the beach for rubbish when they saw the bottle lying in the sand dunes. Inside, the discovered a message left by six holidaymakers in 2004, reading:
"5th August 04. We, the good friends and crew of the 'Blueberry Hill' DO PLEDGE to return to this spot at a time in the future to retrieve this bottle and remember the good times we've had and the good friends we have. Signed by [signatures]."
With the aid of Google, the pair discovered the Blueberry Hill was a Cumberland Charter Yachts vessel and eventually managed to contact the group who hired the boat 10 years ago.
Joe and Susan Marguccio, Wayne and Sandy Henderson and Pete and Marion Heywood chartered the motor catamaran owith Cumberland Charter Yachts in August 2004 to celebrate Joe's 50th birthday bringing a bottle of Penfold's St Henri up from Melbourne with them.
During a day at Whitehaven Beach, they wrote the note, signed it, took photos, tied a small yellow rope to a tree as a marker and buried it deep in the sand dunes, making a pact to return one day and find it.
In 2008 the Henderson returned to Whitsundays and searched for the bottle but were unable to find it.
Cumberland Charter Yachts together with Cruise Whitsundays has offered for the group to return and have another Whitsundays sailing holiday in August 2014 to celebrate Joe's 60th Birthday and meet Cherie and Monique.
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