A DETERMINED skipper rescued a baby deer that was swimming half a mile out to sea.

Mark Bowditch, skipper of a mackerel fishing charter boat, took a family of five out into Weymouth Bay to catch some fish on Saturday, when he noticed something swimming in the water.

At first he thought it was the fin of a basking shark but as he got closer he spotted two ears sticking up out of the water and realised it was a young female deer swimming in water roughly 50ft deep and half a mile out to sea.

With the help of one of the passengers onboard, he managed to pull up alongside the deer.

He said: "When I realised it was a baby deer, I knew there was no way I could just leave it there so I asked Morgan, the gentleman onboard, for his help.

"It took three attempts for me to pull the boat up next to the deer and then Morgan threw a rope with a lasso around the deer's neck so we could pull it over the side of the boat.

Dorset Echo: Mark Bowditch rescued a baby deer in Weymouth Bay Picture: Mark BowditchMark Bowditch rescued a baby deer in Weymouth Bay Picture: Mark Bowditch

"Once it was onboard it lay down in the corner totally exhausted but uninjured. We bound its legs using a soft rope so that it wouldn't bolt and scare the three children who were onboard but it wasn't really moving anyway, it was just resting."

With the deer onboard - fondly named 'Bambi' by one of the children - Mark drove the boat back to base in Weymouth Harbour so that they could release it near theNothe Gardens.

Dorset Echo: Mark Bowditch and Morgan Lloyd rescued a baby deer in Weymouth Bay Picture: Natasha LloydMark Bowditch and Morgan Lloyd rescued a baby deer in Weymouth Bay Picture: Natasha Lloyd

Mark said: "Morgan and I carried the deer off the boat and up the steep embankment to near the Nothe Gardens and just after we let it go, we both slipped and tumbled down onto the path below.

"The little deer came back down the bank and stood right beside me so I gave it a stroke and then it put its head on me so I gave it a hug and told it that it was safe now and it went back up the bank. It was such a lovely moment - it was as if the deer was thanking me.

"I'm just glad that it is okay."