Current:Home > NewsRubber duck lost at sea for 18 years found 423 miles away from its origin in Dublin -ProfitPioneers Hub
Rubber duck lost at sea for 18 years found 423 miles away from its origin in Dublin
View
Date:2025-04-15 15:29:32
Nearly two decades ago, 150,000 rubber ducks were set loose from Dublin in an attempt to break the record for the world's largest plastic duck race. But plans – and ducks – went awry, and one of those floating toys has just been found hundreds of miles away.
Filip Miller, 13, found one of the ducks from the 2006 World Record Duck Race on the Scottish island of Stronsay – 423 miles away from where it was released at Dublin's Millennium Bridge, CBS News partner BBC reported. Photos show that despite the years at sea, the duck was still in relatively good condition, still having a bright orange beak, dark eyes and the race's information printed on its front.
According to Irish news service RTÉ News and Current Affairs, the 2006 Guinness World Record attempt failed, although it succeeded at raising money for Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children Crumlin. The ducks were supposed to travel a mile from the Millennium Bridge, but RTÉ reported at the time that they ended up going in the wrong direction.
The latest world record for such a race was sealed in 2009 with 205,000 plastic ducks floating down the River Thames.
Miller's mother, Marion Miller, told BBC Radio Orkney that the teen was walking their dogs along the beach and talking to his mom on the phone when they came across the duck.
"Filip says, 'Oh, you know, I've been walking quite far,' and then, 'ooh, here's a rubber duck,'" Marion Miller told the station. "So I said, 'oh you must pick it up.'"
Filip took the duck home and that's when they realized the duck was from the race. Its relatively good condition was "really surprising," Marion said. It was so good, in fact, that the duck's individual number in the race is still on it as well – No. 59,933.
"It's maybe not the quickest duck, but it must have been one of the farthest ducks," Marion said.
BBC Radio Orkney reported that ducks from the 2006 race have been popping up all over the world for years. At one point, the station said, one of the ducks was found in Sweden.
- In:
- Dublin
- Guinness World Records
- Scotland
- Ireland
Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (571)
Related
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Harris to visit battleground Wisconsin in first rally as Democrats coalesce around her for president
- The facts about Kamala Harris' role on immigration in the Biden administration
- Will Sha'carri Richardson run in the Olympics? What to know about star at Paris Games
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Horoscopes Today, July 22, 2024
- July is Disability Pride Month. Here's what you should know.
- The facts about Kamala Harris' role on immigration in the Biden administration
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Missouri judge overturns the murder conviction of a man imprisoned for more than 30 years
Ranking
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Middle America
- Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen's Relationship Hard Launch Is a Total Touchdown
- Harris steps into the limelight. And the coconut trees and memes have followed
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Man is arrested in the weekend killing of a Detroit-area police officer
- Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Reveal Name of Baby No. 4
- Calls for Maya Rudolph to reprise her Kamala Harris interpretation on SNL grow on social media
Recommendation
Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
As hurricane season begins, here’s how small businesses can prepare in advance of a storm
As doctors leave Puerto Rico in droves, a rapper tries to fill the gaps
Netflix plans documentary on Michigan Wolverines football sign-stealer
Travis Hunter, the 2
Love Island USA's Kendall Washington Addresses Leaked NSFW Video
TNT sports announces it will match part of new NBA rights deal, keep league on channel
Jordan Love won't practice at Packers training camp until contract extension is reached