GRAVEYARD 2017 #1
A watery graveyard tells a story of neglect and renewal in Cape Town's Hout Bay Harbour.
The year 2017 marked a stark turning point for Hout Bay Harbour, a coastal enclave in Cape Town - just over the hill from the 12 Apostles and Atlantic seaboard, where the sea harboured more than just working vessels. Beneath the rippled reflections of the water’s surface lay the skeletons of a dozen boats, haunting remnants of a once-thriving fishing community. Between 13 and 17 vessels, some capsized and others stacked atop one another, littered the harbour's basin. Their decayed hulls jutted from the water, their sides and skeletal frames mirrored in the harbour’s stillness—a poignant echo of time gone awry.
This watery graveyard did not materialise overnight. For years, neglect had seeped into the harbour’s infrastructure. Mismanagement and financial strain plagued the boat owners, many unable to salvage their ageing vessels. The boats, stripped of their valuable parts by vandals, were left to succumb to the currents, sinking one by one into the harbour's depths. Infrastructure theft and vandalism only deepened the crisis, turning the harbour into an unkempt and dangerous space.
The presence of these wrecks carried more than aesthetic consequences. Their jagged forms posed significant navigational hazards, limiting the harbour's already scarce docking space. For the Hout Bay community, the sight of these sunken vessels symbolised the larger challenges unfolding onshore. Local residents spoke of escalating crime, from poaching to drug-related activities, as the harbour slipped further into disrepair.
In 2017, a government-led initiative under the banner of Operation Phakisa sought to rescue small harbours like Hout Bay. Armed with a R100 million budget, this revitalisation project set out to recover sunken vessels, upgrade security, and rebuild the harbour’s infrastructure. The goal was clear: restore the harbour as a safe, vibrant space for fishermen, residents, and visitors alike.
Standing on the pier today, one can still see echoes of that troubled time. Black-and-white imagery of vessels like Graveyard 2017 #1 freezes a moment in history—when the carcasses of boats, submerged for nearly a decade, told a story of neglect, loss, and eventual renewal. These reflections on the water remind us that harbours are more than maritime hubs; they are lifelines for the communities that rely on them.
Though the scars of 2017 linger, Hout Bay Harbour is slowly reclaiming its place as a cornerstone of Cape Town’s coastal life—a place where lessons from the past are shaping a brighter, revitalised future. Graveyard 2017 #1 still remains to this day to remind us of that time.
Boats Ahoy Collection
Welcome to the world and the wonder of our sea-faring vessels. We explore various boats and ships, from out to sea to on land, where they rest after carrying us to places to do our travel. With centuries of service, they have transported us to new worlds, helped us discover each other as well as unknown wonders, and helped create a history of mankind founded on this form of transport that continues to this day in so many forms.
