American Fred Nass sent the message during a trans-Atlantic crossing in July 1970.
It was picked up by then 11-year-old Guernsey girl Tina Robilliard, now Tina Campbell.
The pair began to exchange letters but lost contact after about 12 months.
Mr Nass came across the old letters last year and set about tracking Tina down over the internet and eventually made contact with a Guernsey resident who managed to discover Mrs Campbell’s mother’s address.
After several months of contact, Mr Nass and his partner, Gary Schulz, paid their first visit to Guernsey, where he met Mrs Campbell and her family.
During their short visit they enjoyed eating at local restaurants and bistros and also took a trip to Herm.
