Message in a bottle travels from Britain to Massachusetts

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- A 3-year-old girl visiting a Massachusetts beach with her family made an unusual discovery in the sand -- a message in a bottle that crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 11 years.

The Chin family said they were visiting Falmouth Heights Beach when 3-year-old Lila found the bottle while searching for shells in the sand.

The family removed the cork from the bottle after the Saturday discovery and found a message.

"Sent from the U.K. March 3, 2009," the note read.

The family said they are planning to write their own message and throw the bottle back into the ocean.