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Bottle’s 13-Year Atlantic Drift Leads to Virtual Reunion of Newfoundland Couple and Irish Finders

Having confirmed the Squires remain together with three children, both sides are exploring transatlantic visits

A bottle containing a note from a Newfoundland couple is shown on a beach in southwestern Ireland on July 7, 2025. 
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Kate Gay
 (Mandatory Credit)
A bottle containing a note from a Newfoundland couple is shown on a beach in southwestern Ireland on July 7, 2025. 
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Kate Gay
 (Mandatory Credit)
Brad and Anita Squires had been dating for about a year when cast a message out to sea.
Image

Overview

  • Kate and Jon Gay came across the sealed wine bottle washed ashore on the Maharees Peninsula in early July while assisting with a beach cleanup.
  • Local volunteers broke open the bottle and posted photos of the dated 2012 note online, securing contact with Anita Squires within an hour.
  • The note from Brad and Anita detailed a September 12, 2012, picnic on Bell Island and included a phone number that initially went unanswered.
  • The viral discovery has inspired other couples to share their own message-in-a-bottle adventures and drawn widespread media coverage.
  • Organizers say the reunion underscores how beach cleanup initiatives can reveal unexpected human stories and strengthen transatlantic bonds.