My feeble attempt at a photo story....DJ's Crocs will never fit me....
Nelson Mandela birthday paddle - 18th of July is our beloved Madiba's birthday and I hadn't really planned anything particular other than going to work and grinding away as per usual. By lunchtime I realized we had one of those rare days where the ocean was complete glass – unfortunately without swell, so a surf was out of the question.
Then it struck me, why not paddle solo to Robben Island, Nelson Mandela's time-share, as we jokingly refer to it – conditions where perfect, always wanted to do it and what better day than on his birthday?
I set off on the 17' Naish Javelin just after 3pm thinking its about 7km each way so I should be good as sun sets around 6pm. Cellphone, flares, spare wetsuit top and a leash + notification of next of kin were my safety precautions.
It took me over 1hr 20min to reach the island so I realized it was obviously longer from Sunset Beach where I set off, than it is from Blouberg, which is where the 7km is measured from. You are not allowed to set foot on the island without permission, so I paddled to the kelp surrounding the Southern tip of the Island and headed back.
Distance from Sunset Beach is 10.8km so I had a bit of a grind getting back. Caught a great wave in to complete 21.6km in 2hr49min – just as the sun had set. It felt great having done the paddle and even better thinking about Madiba and all the greetings and love he so deservingly has been receiving from all over the world.
Happy birthday Madiba!
Very nice.. Thanks.. Great pictures.. and great board.. 
.. btw I would have stepped onto the island.. 
DJ
Where's the photo of the Egg McMuffin for breakfast?
That's otherwise a fine photo journal of an amazing and terrible place in recent history. Somehow, our own French Island doesn't quite measure up, which may explain why DJ hasn't yet got around to circumnavigating as he intended to do one day. But I agree, DJ would definitely have set foot on Robben Island, rules or no rules. [}:)]
Nice looking waters there. Fixed fin in the 17 Glide - good move, what fin are you using and where's your fin box?
Well spotted HC - as you can see from pic I put it just behind the rudder-hole and I put in my flatwater weed-fin from Black Project - seems to work fine. I used the 10.5 Naish Dolphin fin on downwinders. The main advantages of fixed fin is that I can ride in our weedy canals and I can now use the board properly on flatwater as the steeering system is way too far back for flat water paddling - the correct paddling position on the board is with the heels on the front of the steering arms which obviously doesn't work. Downwind it also helps being able to run up ahead of steering system to catch a run - and then you got to run back to try and steer!
DJ - I would have been naughty and gone on the island under normal circumstances - but I was running out of light so I had to hurry back - as it were I got in after sunset
