23 October 2005: Table Mountain looms behind Granger Bay. We paddled from Three Anchor Bay to Clifton, backtracked to Granger Bay, and ended where we started.

Off Clifton. Morning cloud is framed by Lion's Head and Table Mountain. Spot the upper cable station. Some pretentious and tasteless villas dot the slopes.

The Twelve Apostles.

Lion's Head.

Mid-winter glass 24 July 2005. Cruising back to Simonstown from Smitswinkel Bay. This was a 20km round-trip.

The beachmaster at Boulders demands to see our permit.

Boulders beach penguin colony.

Heading back north to Simonstown. Fish Hoek and Muizenberg in the distance.

Kalk Bay harbour, 20 Feb 2005. The water seems deceptively calm behind the breakwater, but outside it was a confused amalgam of wind chop, swell and reflected waves.

We paddled from Kalk Bay to Simonstown, hopped off for lunch at the waterfront, and paddled back downwind, a total of 15km. Some kayakers tell me that they don't venture off this coast anymore since "the great white attack". That's more extreme than no longer crossing a road because somebody was run over. Here Deon relives his navy conscript days as he gazes at the base.

The Sentinel, Hout Bay 19 March 2005. We did an easy, early-morning traverse of the bay in a light northerly, and then headed to the seaward side of The Sentinel to get close to the seals.

Seal colony: We spent a magical hour there repeatedly easing past the colony, and then drifting through its nursery before the breeze. The water was boiling with playful activity as seals zipped below us, porpoised, jumped and performed slow half-rolls, and then popped up and eyed us as if to see if we were watching. Above, a tourist boat, diesels growling, noses up to the island. It could get crowded here in high season...