Couple Shocked After Their Message in a Bottle Found 13 Years Later (Exclusive)

A young couple’s lovey-dovey message in a wine bottle, written 13 years ago in Canada, has been found nearly 2,000 miles away in Ireland.

Another couple — Kate and John Gay — discovered the message tucked inside a glass wine bottle at Ireland’s Scraggane Bay on Monday, July 7.

The cursive message, written in Newfoundland on Sept. 14, 2012, read: “Anita and Brad’s day trip to Bell Island. Today, we enjoyed dinner, this bottle of wine and each other at the edge of the island.”

Kate exclusively told PEOPLE that finding the message has felt like “letting a genie out of that bottle” because “it has brought joy to so many.”

“That bottle had survived so many storms that have caused damage, erosion and flooding in Maharees, yet it arrived on our beach that day a little weathered but holding strong,” Kate says. “It’s such a romantic story.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

With help from the Maharees Heritage and Conservation’s Facebook page, Kate and John were able to locate Anita and Brad Squires and inform them that their message was found on another continent more than a decade after they threw the bottle into the ocean at Bell Island.

“The message in a bottle has gone from being a time capsule of a happy moment on Bell Island to a metaphor for resilience and the ripple effect of positive actions and connections,” Kate explains.

The environmental group, which was in charge of a cleanup at Scraggane Bay when the message in the bottle was found, was able to confirm that Anita and Brad are still together — now with three children.

“We were so delighted to find Anita and Brad so quickly, and to hear of their marriage, children and their trip to Bell Island,” says Kate, who is one of 10 community partners involved in co-creating a climate adaptation plan, which funded by Creative Ireland, alongside Maharees Conservation Association and three local artists.

The Squires married in 2016, according to Canadian outlet CTV News.

“We were young in love and now we’re older in love,” Brad said. “Anita and I both feel like we have new friends, and we’re all equally amazed.”