Hundreds of "incredible" blue sea creatures have washed up on beaches in Cumbria. Velella velella, commonly known as by-the-wind sailors and closely related to the Portuguese man o' war, have been spotted on St Bees beach in recent weeks. Their nickname comes from the small stiff sail which they use to catch the wind and propel them along an ocean's surface. Resident Louise Nicholson initially thought the creatures - which can sting - were seaweed and "almost picked one up" before she began to take pictures. She said: "There were hundreds of them and there were lots of visitors to the area taking photos.