Wild encounters around the course

The RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race is held only every four years, with that gap likely needed to accept the hardship that occurs along the 1800 nm course. But when the elapsed winner – Volvo 70 Pace – required nearly a week, and most entrants took closer to two weeks, good memories are needed too.

During the 50th edition in 2026, the fleet was rarely alone. A Carroll Marine 60 reported orcas, while a J/45 encountered minke whales. A Sun Fast 3600 spotted puffins while another watched gannets working the sea. On a JPK 10.80, a hawk attempted to land aboard, while Pace spotted an enormous leatherback turtle estimated at around three meters long.

Numerous crews also reported dolphins around the course, in some cases following boats for extended periods. For the young sailors aboard the Sun Fast 3600 RORC Griffin, one North Sea calm became magical when dolphins surrounded the boat while hundreds of seabirds gathered overhead and gannets plunged into the water.

But no wildlife encounter produced quite as extraordinary a story as the unexpected passenger aboard the Army Sailing Association’s Fujitsu British Soldier. Approximately 70 miles offshore, an exhausted barn owl repeatedly attempted to reach the Sun Fast 3600. She fell into the sea three times before eventually collapsing on deck.

The seven serving soldiers named her Little Regina and immediately added a new owl-watch duty to their watch system. They still had a yacht race to sail, but they kept watch over their tiny passenger.

“She simply refused to give up,” reported crew member Mark Petherbridge. The crew coordinated with wildlife specialists and Caister Independent Lifeboat, which eventually collected Regina near Great Yarmouth before she was transferred to specialist care.

For skipper Will Naylor this was his fifth Round Britain and Ireland Race, and calls the event the “sailors’ ultra-marathon”: knowing when to push, when to protect the boat and the people and this time when the mission unexpectedly included saving an owl.

Source: RORC