Greater  Zandvlei  Estuary  Nature  Reserve

 A day in the life of Isgaak Crombie, the pilot of the Kingfisher.

Filled up with fuel for the day and ready to go.

The business end - the cutters and the feed ramp, which picks up the floating cut weed an moves it on board to the rear end of the machine.

Looks kind of serious with those big teeth.

Off he goes, you can see the cut weed on the right of the photo.

Reversing out. The machine is steered by paddle wheels on either side, and powered 
with hydraulic power via pumps and a diesel engine.

There was some weed left from the previous days cutting, which needed to be picked up first, before dumping the previous days load.

Picking up the weed.

Another scoop.

Removing as much as possible.

Going to offload the cut weed.

The daily hangers on, riding on the back. They are Little Egrets.

Reversing in.

The weed is off loaded in a place for easy access so it can be removed. There are farmers who utilise the cut weed in Philippi. They grow the vegetables supplied to the markets for the population of Cape Town.

The Little Egrets waitng for breakfast to be served.

They are quite at home riding on the boat and having their meals supplied.

Isgaak coming along one of the canals in the Marina da Gama.

The paddles driving the craft along. The rubber paddles are flexible, 
so they do not destroy all in their path and cause damage to infrastructure 
and the paddles themselves.

Here comes breakfast.

It requires considerable endurance and concentration to work the patterns, required to
optimally cut the weed.

Going under the Thibault Bridge.

Picking up weed missed or out of reach on the cutting day....

.... and a return along the same path.

It is quite a slope and the conveyor is reversing the weed onto the boat.
The Egrets are waiting for any small fish stuck in the weed which may be picked up.