Message in a Bottle Found: Seeking Ray From Philadelphia, Carnival Conquest, May 2014

[Clintelby]

I found a message in a bottle sent by someone named Ray from Philadelphia. I couldn't make out the phone number, so I am asking for help with spreading the word here. Finding messages in bottles is my hobby, and I wrote about Ray's message on my blog, where I have included all the photos and info I currently have--which is pretty much included in the title above: Click here to see Ray's message and help spread the word!

 

Thanks!

 

Clint

[Heartkrazy]

That is awesome!! I sure hope that you find Ray!!

[5ten]

:D Hope you find him. Can't believe you were able to read anything on that note!

[chengkp75]

When you find Ray, please give his particulars to Carnival and the government of the island you found the bottle on, so that they can fine him $5000 for throwing plastic overboard. It's bad enough when people think it's fine to throw a glass bottle in the ocean, but plastic is just criminal.

[Clintelby]

That is awesome!! I sure hope that you find Ray!!

 

Thanks! I hope so too!

[Clintelby]

:D Hope you find him. Can't believe you were able to read anything on that note!

 

Thanks! Yep, it's pretty faded, but in just the right light, I can make out most of it... Just not the phone number :confused:

[Clintelby]

When you find Ray, please give his particulars to Carnival and the government of the island you found the bottle on, so that they can fine him $5000 for throwing plastic overboard. It's bad enough when people think it's fine to throw a glass bottle in the ocean, but plastic is just criminal.

 

I certainly won't do any of those mean-spirited things, especially in light of Carnival's own environmental record, but I do hope to share with him (as I share with everyone who visits my blog) what I have found on the world's beaches, which is an unfortunate amount of plastic trash. In fact, a big goal of my blog is to raise awareness about plastic pollution and do what I can to help prevent it. Most people sending messages in bottles are like Ray--extending a hand in friendship to whatever stranger may find their bottle. I find it to be an innocent and heartwarming gesture. Most senders of messages in bottles have no idea how bad the plastic pollution situation is, because they haven't had the chance to see it. I don't believe for a second that Ray intended to hurt the environment. I believe he was looking to make a friend. Once he learns about the plastic pollution situation, I doubt he will toss any more plastic into the ocean--and that will be a good enough reward for me! :-)

[chengkp75]

Forget the world's beaches, what about the Pacific gyre and the plastic island there the size of Rhode Island. Why should this knucklehead be held to a lesser standard than Carnival or any other person who works or travels on the oceans. I can tell you that if I was found to have thrown a Gatorade bottle off my ship, the USCG would be down on me for a fine in a heartbeat. Please don't romanticize pollution. It's simply another manifestation of acting without thinking, and only considering "me".

[Jeepenfun]

When you find Ray, please give his particulars to Carnival and the government of the island you found the bottle on, so that they can fine him $5000 for throwing plastic overboard. It's bad enough when people think it's fine to throw a glass bottle in the ocean, but plastic is just criminal.

 

:rolleyes: Eat a snickers bar.

[christinasreadytocruise]

:rolleyes: Eat a snickers bar.

Hahahah 👏👏👏

[Clintelby]

Forget the world's beaches, what about the Pacific gyre and the plastic island there the size of Rhode Island. Why should this knucklehead be held to a lesser standard than Carnival or any other person who works or travels on the oceans. I can tell you that if I was found to have thrown a Gatorade bottle off my ship, the USCG would be down on me for a fine in a heartbeat. Please don't romanticize pollution. It's simply another manifestation of acting without thinking, and only considering "me".

 

We are clearly of very different outlooks on this issue, and indeed, humanity. I give people the benefit of the doubt. I'm looking to make friends here--not enemies. Sorry to see this post upset you so much. I don't know what to say except to reiterate the point that I make an effort every day to raise awareness about plastic pollution and encourage people to keep it out of the ocean. I view Ray as a friend I haven't met yet. If you want to be enemies with him, fine. But I simply will not join you in that.

[jsglow]

When you find Ray, please give his particulars to Carnival and the government of the island you found the bottle on, so that they can fine him $5000 for throwing plastic overboard. It's bad enough when people think it's fine to throw a glass bottle in the ocean, but plastic is just criminal.

 

Let's hope Ray was on an appropriate shore excursion.

[chengkp75]

Let's hope Ray was on an appropriate shore excursion.

 

What would be an "appropriate" shore excursion for polluting? Regardless of whether it is done from a ship or shore, plastic pollution in the ocean is a crime. Sorry, I've worked 42 years at sea, and seen the effects of all kinds of pollution in all of the world's oceans, and I detest it, and welcome all efforts by the world's governments in preventing it.

[carnivaladdix120]

I found a message in a bottle sent by someone named Ray from Philadelphia. I couldn't make out the phone number, so I am asking for help with spreading the word here. Finding messages in bottles is my hobby, and I wrote about Ray's message on my blog, where I have included all the photos and info I currently have--which is pretty much included in the title above: Click here to see Ray's message and help spread the word!

 

Thanks!

 

Clint

 

Well, I still hope you find him. And not to turn him in or scold him, but just to gain a new friend and share the story with us all would be amazing! Good luck!

[Clintelby]

Well, I still hope you find him. And not to turn him in or scold him, but just to gain a new friend and share the story with us all would be amazing! Good luck!

 

Thanks! Same here! I'll definitely share the story here if I am lucky enough to find Ray! :D

[jsglow]

What would be an "appropriate" shore excursion for polluting? Regardless of whether it is done from a ship or shore, plastic pollution in the ocean is a crime. Sorry, I've worked 42 years at sea, and seen the effects of all kinds of pollution in all of the world's oceans, and I detest it, and welcome all efforts by the world's governments in preventing it.

 

My friend, no one here is advocating for pollution or throwing things over the side of the ship. Moreover your history of very informative posts on this board is much appreciated by all. I too am an outdoorsman and believe strongly about the need to leave a place I have visited cleaner than how I found it. I would never advocate leaving behind trash for someone else to deal with. I'm simply saying that anything can be taken to an extreme and all this poor chap was doing was trying to make a human connection in a way as old as is known to seafaring man. Obviously it's an important issue for you. That's great. Have a super day.

[crewsweeper]

I thought some agencies tracked these things, like the rubber duckies, to measure the currents and interocean continuity. So if Ray can tell you where and when he launched it and you know where and when you found it, might be some interesting information available for oceanographers. Not saying to go out and dump a flash drive in a liter bottle overboard on a sea day. Just saying the act was "committed" 13 years ago, so if th ebottle is in decent shape, you could tell how much deterioration occurred and the movements of current, etc.

[SuiteTraveler]

There are many ways to darken ink that has faded. Here's some information that may help you in your quest:

http://www.inkpal.com/ink-news/how-to-fix-faded-ink-on-old-documents/

[Clintelby]

There are many ways to darken ink that has faded. Here's some information that may help you in your quest:

http://www.inkpal.com/ink-news/how-to-fix-faded-ink-on-old-documents/

 

Awesome! Thanks! Wonder if it works on faded marker, too...

[SeaScout]

What would be an "appropriate" shore excursion for polluting? Regardless of whether it is done from a ship or shore, plastic pollution in the ocean is a crime. Sorry, I've worked 42 years at sea, and seen the effects of all kinds of pollution in all of the world's oceans, and I detest it, and welcome all efforts by the world's governments in preventing it.

 

I'm on your side of this. Messages in a bottle are romanticized but at the end of the day they are just more trash in our oceans. Surely people have seen the amount of trash around the islands? I can't fathom why people want to destroy the very thing they love.

 

And don't get me started about light pollution on the ships. Just once I would like to be out at sea and actually be able to see the night sky.

[joepeka]

I'm on your side of this. Messages in a bottle are romanticized but at the end of the day they are just more trash in our oceans. Surely people have seen the amount of trash around the islands? I can't fathom why people want to destroy the very thing they love.

 

And don't get me started about light pollution on the ships. Just once I would like to be out at sea and actually be able to see the night sky.

 

(y)

[Clintelby]

I'm on your side of this. Messages in a bottle are romanticized but at the end of the day they are just more trash in our oceans. Surely people have seen the amount of trash around the islands? I can't fathom why people want to destroy the very thing they love.

 

And don't get me started about light pollution on the ships. Just once I would like to be out at sea and actually be able to see the night sky.

 

I think we're all on the same side, really. One of the main reasons I write my blog is to raise awareness about plastic pollution and try to prevent as much of it as possible. I just don't understand the line of thought that goes, "Attacking Ray is a good thing! It will prevent future pollution!" In my experience as an educator, attacks do little to encourage positive behavior change. Is Ray's message in a bottle "trash"? That may depend on your perspective. I mean, I delivered a 50 year old message in a bottle to a woman whose dad wrote it--he had been dead for 20 years when I delivered it. The last letter she would ever receive from her father. Is that "trash"? If I find a message in a bottle from your parents or grandparents, or anyone else's here, should I throw it away because it is trash, instead of delivering it to you? I don't think this issue is as black and white as some people are painting it. In my view, as a person who has seen first hand, for years, how terrible the plastic pollution problem is, how it grows worse every day--my opinion is that we can use small "treasures" like this to educate people. EDUCATE. Not attack. My goal is to make friends, enjoy the wild adventure that is finding a message in a bottle and tracing it back to the sender, and then use that experience to raise awareness about plastic pollution and encourage folks to refuse plastic whenever possible, and especially to keep it out of the sea. So, I don't know. I hope that means we're on the same side. At least, it sounds like we have the same goal--keeping plastic out of the ocean.

[evandbob]

I hope this post does not encourage any one else to send their own message in a bottle......rather the opposite, I do hope people will now think twice before polluting our waters by this practice. Thanks, Chengkp for speaking up.

[evandbob]

I think we're all on the same side, really. One of the main reasons I write my blog is to raise awareness about plastic pollution and try to prevent as much of it as possible. I just don't understand the line of thought that goes, "Attacking Ray is a good thing! It will prevent future pollution!" In my experience as an educator, attacks do little to encourage positive behavior change. Is Ray's message in a bottle "trash"? That may depend on your perspective. I mean, I delivered a 50 year old message in a bottle to a woman whose dad wrote it--he had been dead for 20 years when I delivered it. The last letter she would ever receive from her father. Is that "trash"? If I find a message in a bottle from your parents or grandparents, or anyone else's here, should I throw it away because it is trash, instead of delivering it to you? I don't think this issue is as black and white as some people are painting it. In my view, as a person who has seen first hand, for years, how terrible the plastic pollution problem is, how it grows worse every day--my opinion is that we can use small "treasures" like this to educate people. EDUCATE. Not attack. My goal is to make friends, enjoy the wild adventure that is finding a message in a bottle and tracing it back to the sender, and then use that experience to raise awareness about plastic pollution and encourage folks to refuse plastic whenever possible, and especially to keep it out of the sea. So, I don't know. I hope that means we're on the same side. At least, it sounds like we have the same goal--keeping plastic out of the ocean.

 

You advocate keeping plastic out of the ocean, yet defend the practice of plastic pollution? Seems like advocating for newspaper recycling by tossing newspapers in the wind. Illogical.

[Clintelby]

You advocate keeping plastic out of the ocean, yet defend the practice of plastic pollution? Seems like advocating for newspaper recycling by tossing newspapers in the wind. Illogical.

 

Where have I defended plastic pollution? I have never once encouraged anyone to send a message in a bottle. This accusation is befuddling...