British Army crew rescue barn owl 70 nautical miles from shore during RORC race
A distressed barn owl was rescued by a British Army sailing team in the middle of the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, prompting a coordinated handover to wildlife agencies while the crew continued their 1,805-nautical-mile journey to Cowes.
A British Army sailing crew competing in the 50th Anniversary RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race rescued a barn owl stranded approximately 70 nautical miles from shore. The incident occurred aboard the vessel Fujitsu British Soldier, forcing the team to manage an unexpected passenger while maintaining their pace in one of yachting’s most demanding events.
Skipper Will Naylor reported the situation to race officials, describing the bird as an "extra crew member" for the latter parts of the race. Naylor noted that the crew was nursing the exhausted owl back to health, joking that "someone is going to have to walk the plank" to finish with their original complement.
The owl’s arrival on the vessel was not without difficulty. After failing to land on a crew member’s head and tumbling from the mast into the sea on three occasions, the bird finally collapsed onto the deck, where sailors secured it with a towel. Sergeant Mark Petherbridge of the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, stated that the bird "kept fighting her way back up and to the boat."
The crew initially christened the passenger "Little Reg," before deciding that "Little Regina" was a more suitable name. The rescue operation required coordination between the Army Sailing Association crew and multiple external bodies, including the Barn Owl Trust, Marine and Wildlife Rescue, and the Caister Independent Lifeboat.
These agencies worked together to collect the bird for transfer to a wildlife centre. This logistical effort allowed the sailing crew to continue their 1,805-nautical-mile circumnavigation toward the finish line at Cowes without significant delay to their race schedule.
