A crumbling fort provides a centuries-old background view through a remaining portal onto the sun-kissed ocean.

In the late afternoon, I came to visit this fort to see if I could find some way to express its story. There are various shots using these portals, most of which capture the bay view onto another outcrop mountain (the Sentinel in Houtbay). However, while focusing more on the ocean, I happened to notice the yacht quickly drifting across and took this shot. I love the compositional mix of framing, the juxtaposition of the old stone setting of the frame against the soft pink hues, and the seafaring theme of the subject. For me, perfection is my quest.

East Fort Story

A bit of history about East Fort for those of you who have read up to here.

East Fort was built as one of four fortifications in Hout Bay between 1781 and 1806 by the VOC, the Dutch trading company that ruled the Cape Colony at the time. They were built to defend the Cape against a possible marine attack from the south. You can see the ruins of the old blockhouse fortifications on the left-hand side of the road, and a battery of guns is down a path on the right-hand side (driving up from Hout Bay).

The guns had their day on September 15, 1795, when they were fired at an attacking 16-gun British warship, the HMS Echo. The Hout Bay’s batteries won the day, forcing the ship to retreat. The Echo, however, sailed on to Table Bay, where later, on the same day after talks at Wynberg, the Dutch surrendered and the British took control of the Cape Colony. The British ruled at the Cape for more than 100 years.

In those days, the Cape was an extremely strategic location, being on the popular shipping trade route between Europe and the East.

Wild Shores Collection

Welcome to our wild shores, where the two worlds of turning ocean tides meet and dance with rocky, tumbling coasts and serene sandy shorelines. This is our place to taste the salty air that brings so much oxygen to our joy.

We explore the ever-present energy of the sea as it welcomes those who ride its tumbling waves, push through placid moments, and absorb its vast expanse. The sea, an ocean of the infinite, provides Mother Nature's oceanic forces to live in and find ourselves. We delight in its beauty, fly with its waves, and move through its tidal zones to find our moment of infinity.