“It wasn’t a seagull; it was a barn owl.”
A grueling offshore race took an unexpected turn for the British Army sailing team Fujitsu British Soldier when crew members spotted a struggling bird far out at sea.
The team was competing in the Round Britain and Ireland Race, a demanding multiday event, when they noticed an animal repeatedly dropping into the waves near their boat.
At first, they assumed it was an ordinary seabird.
Then they got a closer look.
“It wasn’t a seagull; it was a barn owl,” one crew member said in a video.
The discovery was especially surprising because the owl was roughly 70 nautical miles from land. Exhausted and disoriented, she appeared to be desperately searching for somewhere safe to rest.
According to BFBS Forces News, the owl first tried landing on one of the sailors before aiming for the top of the mast. That attempt ended with her falling back into the water.
Eventually, she managed to reach the deck.
The crew quickly stepped in, covering the soaked bird with a towel and keeping her safe while they figured out what to do next.
They soon gave their unexpected passenger a nickname: Little Reg.
While continuing the race, the sailors contacted several wildlife and rescue organizations, including Barn Owl Trust, Marine and Wildlife Rescue and Caister Independent Lifeboat, to arrange for the owl to be taken ashore and receive professional care.
Little Reg was eventually transferred to the RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre.
There, staff began helping her recover from the exhausting ordeal.
“She is now receiving fluids, nutrition, warmth and plenty of rest,” the center shared on Facebook.
For a land-dwelling bird, ending up so far offshore could easily have had a very different outcome. Fortunately, Little Reg happened to cross paths with a crew willing to interrupt their intense competition to help.
Fujitsu British Soldier ultimately finished 18th in the race.
But for the sailors who rescued Little Reg, their most meaningful achievement may have had nothing to do with their position on the leaderboard.
They helped give one exhausted owl a second chance to make it home.