The bad weather has caused numerous casualties over the last month but on Scilly this week there have been a visible reminder. Hundreds of “By the Wind Sailors” have been washed up on the islands.
On Wednesday St Mary’s quay was covered in the jellyfish after being washed over the quay wall in high winds. On Thursday “the bar” on Bryher was covered in hundreds of the animals that have drifted in shore.
The “By the Wind Sailors” or Velella velella as they are sometimes known are deep blue with a rectangular float and an upright, triangular sail. They are related to the Portuguese Man-of-War and they drift across the ocean’s surface in large numbers.