Exhausted owl stranded 70 miles offshore tries to board British Army boat, sailors bring it ashore

Sergeant Mark Petherbridge (L) and Captain Tom Court (R) with rescued barn owl, Little Regina, aboard Fujitsu British Soldier (Reuters photo) A British Army sailing crew got recently an unexpected passenger during a race around Britain and Ireland when an exhausted barn owl landed on their boat about 70 nautical miles from shore.The bird was found struggling in the open sea on Thursday while the crew of Fujitsu British Soldier was taking part in the 50th Anniversary RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race. According to Reuters, the sailors saw the owl fall into the water several times before it finally managed to reach the boat.The exhausted bird then collapsed on the deck. The crew secured it with a towel and began looking after it as they continued towards the finish line at Cowes. They later named the owl Little Reg, before changing the name to Little Regina.The Barn Owl Trust, Marine and Wildlife Rescue and Caister Independent Lifeboat also became involved in getting the bird safely back to shore while the Army Sailing Association crew continued the race.Owl kept trying to reach boatAccording to Sergeant Mark Petherbridge of 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, the bird tried to ...