£5.00 to ‘moor’ on a mudbank!!…

We had an interesting experience last night – Ian and Karen joined us for a meal, we’d had a few bevvies and Rog said ‘there’s a deer swimming down the canal’  ‘Yeah, right’, we said - ‘how many have you had’?  But he was right!  Poor thing had fallen in somewhere and the bank was too high for it to get out.

Not a good photo as it was almost dark and the flash didn’t reach that far, so I had to lighten it up a lot – but you get the picture.  It managed to scramble out a few seconds after I took the photo.

This morning we set off for the Thames.  Dukes Cut lock needs a bit of TLC – it looks like BW have forgotten about it. 

Open vistas on the first part of the Upper Thames

We arrived at Eynsham lock and duly paid for our EA licence – the locky said to moor the other side of the bridge if we wanted to have lunch in the nearby pub – so we tried – and got stuck fast on a mudbank right next to a sign inviting us to moor for £5 a day!

 

I was on the bank at the time ready to take the rope.  Much pushing, pulling and use of the engine, bow-thruster and boat pole couldn’t shift us, so Serenity reversed back to tow us off, almost getting stuck several times themselves.

Serenity to the rescue

First they tried to pull the back off

Then the front

An hour later we were still stuck solid.  We then decided that we needed further help, but there were no other boats moving to lend a hand, so I walked back to the lock and the locky said that Anglo Welsh were only a few minutes away, and very kindly phoned them for us.  He said that the EA had dredged that bit during the winter, and taken away the buoy which told you not too moor here as it was too shallow – it’s obviously silted up again.  Anglo Welsh came haring to the rescue, but just as they arrived, Karen managed to pull us free.

The  Cavalry arrive

Free at last!!

We are now moored, breasted up, just around the corner, so all’s well that ends well.  We have a lovely view from our side hatch to make up for the stress!  Things can only get better, and we have learnt a valuable lesson – don’t assume that because there is a sign inviting you to moor, you can!!