Easter mini cruise - day 1 - Oh deer !

Apologies for the naf heading, Mark thought it funny and as he was 1/3rd responsible for rescuing said deer I suppose I should let it stand.

I'll get to that in a min, first...... Mark couldn't sleep in, was up at 7am then out for a run so I upped, showered, breakfasted & generally made us ready for the off which we managed by 8.30am. It was warm & sunny despite a gloomy weather forecast & a real pleasure to get out of the marina.

After clearing Thorne lock we expected a straight run to Bramwith when just before Stainforth I spotted something moving in the canal ahead which turned out to be a young deer, which due to the piled edges had no chance of getting out unaided.

We cut the throttle as it was obviously panicking & trying to swim faster to get away from us so we kept back at a slow pace while trying to figure what to do. As we rounded the bend at the Huddle winding spot we spotted a small cruiser moored to the bank, a chap & 2 boys doing a spot of fishing, I shouted across & fortunately he quickly grasped the situation.
The wind then took us & blew us into the opposite bank & the deer turned to go back the way it had come. With us struggling to do anything the chap in the cruiser untied his ropes & being a bit more manoeuvrable than us, set off after the deer which by now had disappeared back round the bend.
We finally managed to get across to the towpath side, quickly moored & Mark headed off, rope in hand, whilst I stayed with the boat as it's an area popular with kids off roading on motorbikes & we could hear them not far off.
It seemed like an age then a wide beam 'Elonay' came into view & as he drew level shouted that all was okay, they had managed to get the deer out. Mark was back a few mins later & it appears that the chap in the cruiser had managed to lasso the deer & then Elonay turned up so when Mark got there the three of them managed to haul him out. He seemed okay just a bit shaky so hopefully he is now recovered from the ordeal.

Not long after that the cloud began to build up & by the time we arrived at Barnby Dunn lift bridge it was raining intermittently. As I stood operating the bridge I spotted a cruiser behind Poppy & then coming from the Doncaster side 2 dutch barges so the road traffic was building up in the few mins it took for them all to get through. As the traffic flowed again & I waited to cross the road a chap wound his car window down & yelled " get a b****y canoe" Nice !

Barges dissapearing at Barnby Dun Lift Bridge

We moored long enough for a bite of lunch & a quick trip to the local shop for a paper & bread loaf then moved on a few hundred yards outside the village away from the noisy road to moor.

Imposing cooling towers of Thorpe Marsh Power Station

Mark has found the 'dot in the sky' so good tv reception, a reasonable internet connection & Poppy has enjoyed being out & about despite the rain so everyone's happy.