The Island beaches have had a remarkable influx of ?sailors? this week, but not the ones you would usually expect, reports the Isle of Wight Council. Fort Victoria, Gurnard and Compton beaches have had hundreds of ?by-the-wind-sailors? washed up on the strand line.

The ?sailors? have a bluish disc about 8cm across with a sail-like structure projecting above the surface, which catches the wind, hence the name, and allows movement propelled by wind and tide. By-the-wind-sailors resemble jelly fish, but they are actually a colony of animals; one forms a float and others are specialised for feeding, reproduction or defence. They do have stinging tentacles hanging below the disc, which are used to stun their prey (of smaller marine plankton including young fish), but a sting is unlikely to be felt by people coming into contact with them.

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