Although this website is dedicated to sea-beans,
"things that float and wash ashore" are often of interest to sea-beaners, in particular these ducks.
The following is a compilation of links on the subject.
Plastic duckies, often referred to as "rubber duckies" in the press, have been floating in the ocean ever since 1992 when they were liberated from a container which was lost from a ship due to high seas. The process is closely monitored by Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer. Duckies of interest have "The First Years" imprinted on their side. Finding one of these ducks could get you a $100 savings bond reward!
The following links-chronology can be followed to inform oneself about the container spill that started it all, but also become informed of oceanic currents and efforts to study them to predict transport and dispersal of a variety of items or matierial inadvertently deposited into the ocean.
On Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer's website:Beachcombers Alert there is a page that has drift model output from
OSCURS (Ocean Surface CURrent Simulations) that shows the predicted/actual drift of the duckies lost from a container ship. Access the Beachcombers Alert site and click on the "Photos" button. From there, click on "North Pacific toy spill"