British sailing team gains a feathered friend

Meet Felix the peregrine falcon – one of the more unusual members of the British sailing team, Skandia Team GBR.

Felix joined as an honorary member of the team last year, to help the sailors, including triple Olympic Gold medalist Ben Ainslie and double Olympic Gold medalist Iain Percy, get a good night’s sleep during major competitions held at the team’s accommodation block in Weymouth and Portland.

He works by scaring away noisy seagulls, whose squawking in the early hours of the morning was disturbing the sailors’ sleep and their fouling was beginning to damage buildings and boats.

With Weymouth and Portland the venue for next year’s Olympic Games, Skandia Team GBR’s sailors are spending increasing amounts of time training and competing in Weymouth in their quest for selection to win medals for the nation.

Felix joins the 35-strong support team at Skandia Team GBR - which includes specialist coaches, a meteorologist, a psychologist, physiologists and physiotherapists, a nutritionist and even a chef – who all work to help the sailors be as much in control of their training schedules as possible.

However, just like the sailors, Felix will have to earn selection to make it to the Olympics. Team manager Stephen Park says, "Felix will have to deliver a consistent performance to guarantee his place in Weymouth in 2012. Seagulls are a natural part of the seaside environment but the sheer quantity of them around our accommodation block is a problem for us. Felix will have his work cut out to ensure the sailors' sleep isn't disturbed. If he does his job well, his place on the team is assured."

Peregrine falcons are the fastest animal on the planet with a self propelled speed of up to 250mph during dives.