The Pelican Brief

The wind-battered islands offthe West Coast are home to important breeding colonies of sea birds, under siege by bloodthirsty pelicans. You can volunteer to spend a week on Malgas Island and chase the pelicans away. Yes, for fun!

- Cyril Klopper

The cabin of the SANParks motor boat is scarcely big enough for two crewmen and three passengers. Having the misfortune of being born without sea legs, I keep my eyes locked onto the horizon as ocean spray drenches the nape of my neck. My wife Suzaan – the architect of this adventure – joins my daughter, eight-year-old Miri, in giggling at daddy’s discomfort.

We speed past the Saldanha Terminal, where cargo ships gorge on iron ore from the mines at Sishen. At Marcus Island, the bay abruptly surrenders its sheltering embrace to the cold Atlantic Ocean. The little motor boat heaves from side to side as it carves a path through the swell.

Malgas Island gradually reveals itself through a veil of fog. A wooden jetty juts towards us like an accusing finger. On the jetty, six strangers with unreadable expressions await. One of them, a burly man, cranks a winch that lowers a gangway ladder. The skipper feathers the throttle to keep us from ramming the ladder or being dragged backwards into the swirling current.

Our luggage and provisions are passed up, hand over hand, before Suzaan, Miri and I scurry up the steps. On the jetty we greet Shift 15: The burly man, a woman, two children and an elderly couple. There’s no time for chitchat. After a round of handshakes and hellos, the departing shift members begin boarding. The burly man mentions in passing that their research notes are in the sunroom, along with the base diary. Halfway down the ladder he pauses, turns, and calls forlornly to no one in particular: “I don’t want to leave!”

Still, he jumps willingly into the waiting SANParks boat.

DAY 1 Welcome, Shift 16