In the spring 1954, a young mariner named Bill Kooiman stepped to the edge of the S.S. Santa Maria, steaming north off the coast of South America, and tossed a bottle into the blue. In it, a note: “I would appreciate the finder corresponding with the undersigned.”
Three years later, back on land, he received a reply. “Dear Sir,” it began, “The voyage of this bottle has been most interesting.”
William “Bill” Kooiman Jr., a…