Owl's well that ends well! Sailing crew rescue exhausted owl lost at sea 70 miles from shore
The poor bird, later named Little Reg, was checked over at a vets after his traumatic ordeal
An Army sailing crew completing a gruelling race gained an unexpected guest on their boat after rescuing an exhausted barn owl 70 miles from the shore.
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The stricken bird fell into the sea multiple times as it tried to land and rest on the yacht's mast, before "collapsing" on deck.
The crew were taking part in the Round Britain and Ireland Race as it headed passed the North Tyneside coast towards the finish line at Cowes, Isle of Wight.
"We thought we'd lost her, but she kept fighting her way back up and to the boat," Sergeant Mark Petherbridge of 2nd Battalion, said.
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"Eventually she flopped onto the side deck where we threw a towel over her."
Skipper Will Naylor alerted the situation to race officials from offshore as sailors secured the owl, later named Little Reg, in a towel.
He said: "We have an extra crew member for the latter parts of the race. An exhausted barn owl that we are nursing back to health.
"It’s currently sleeping soundly and recovering. Found 70 miles offshore."
The Barn Owl Trust were later contacted to organise his safe collection.
James Stannard, a conservation officer for the Trust, believes the owl may have been roosting on a fishing vessel before being taken out to sea.
He said: "No one in the team has had a call like that, it's very rare one.
"What was really refreshing was how everyone I spoke to was just so invested in getting the owl safely back to shore."
He added it was "nothing short of a miracle" that he found the Army vessel.
The crew were completing the is a non-stop offshore challenge which circles the British Isles, starting and finishing in Cowes.