From Dublin to Orkneys. The odyssey of a plastic duck

After 18 years of traversing the ocean, a plastic duck was washed ashore in the Orkneys, revealing its part in a global record attempt.

13-year-old Filip Miller stumbled upon a rubber duck on the beach of Stronsay Island while out with his dog. Initially considering discarding it, he then noticed an intriguing inscription on it.

- We spotted an inscription about the world record in the duck race, Ireland 2006 - shared by the finder's mother during a BBC Radio Orkney interview. - It piqued our curiosity, prompting us to research more about this race online.

The discovery revealed that the duck was one of 150,000 released into the Liffey River in Dublin in 2006 for a world record attempt in the duck race organized by the Children’s Lifeline Challenge (CLC) group, with sponsorship from Today FM radio.

Initially intended to travel approximately 1.6 kilometres (1 mile) downriver, many ducks veered off course. The fortunate owner of the winning duck received a trip to the United States, while the remaining ducks ventured through the waters, eventually reaching places as far-flung as Stronsay Island and Langness. One such duck landed in Langness in 2022, discovered by 16-year-old Charlotte Moran.

Another was found in 2016 by Nick Westell in Morecambe on St. Patrick's Day, with one duck even ending up in Sweden.