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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Environment
Barry Christianson

The shepherd of the sea guiding small boats home to safety in South Africa

From the Hondeklip Bay Small Vessel Safety Monitoring Center, Patrick Rulph looks out over the ruins of a canning factory where his mother worked all her life [Barry Christianson/Al Jazeera]

Hondeklip Bay, South Africa – Before day breaks on a cloudy morning in Hondeklip Bay, a small fishing village in South Africa’s semi-arid Namaqualand region, Patrick Rulph rushes out of his front door in track pants, a loose-fitting hoodie and a dark cap.

The 61-year-old moves with urgency as he makes his way down the 200-metre-long dirt road to the beach, hoping to catch the fishers before they head to sea.

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