photographer Mr. Paul VanDevelder dropped a bottle containing a message into the sea each day.

After floating all the way from the coast of Africa, one of those bottles washed up on Coral Beach on Monday -- Columbus Day in the United States.

It was discovered by Canadian Mr. Stewart McKeough, who is on his eighth visit to the Island.

The note inside the wine bottle said it was dropped overboard from the clipper ship Star Flyer on October 15, 1994 -- almost exactly one year ago.

"I've never found anything like this before,'' said Mr. McKeough, 29, who runs a public relations firm in Toronto. "It is funny that today is Columbus Day.'' He contacted Star Clippers Ltd. of Coral Gables, Florida -- the company that owns Star Flyer and her sister ship Star Clipper -- and learned the bottle he found was the only one recovered to date.

"What is astonishing is that this bottle drifted all the way from off the African coast to Bermuda,'' having been dropped two days out of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, said Star Clippers public relations director Mr. Alan Bell.

"On the way it drifted westerly to eastern edge of the Caribbean obviously, pushed by the prevailing trade winds from the east, and then was caught up by a northerly current, eventually including the Gulf Stream.'' The two 360-foot four-masted clippers make scheduled Atlantic crossings, each carrying 100 passengers.

The crossing Mr. VanDevelder took was following the route of the fourth voyage of Columbus.

of Africa one year ago.