Around Madagascar on my Kayak

(Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball, 2010) 9781868423682. 233 x 153 mm; laminated pictorial wrappers; pp. vii + (i) + 345; map; colour plates. Some foxing to edges and outermost leaves. Very good condition. "Riaan Manser rewrote the definition of determination when he cycled unaided over 37 000km around Africa. ... Riaan set another world first in 2009 when he became the first person to circumnavigate Madagascar, the world's fourth largest island, by kayak. This incredible journey, 5000km in a little under a year, was considerably more demanding, both physically and mentally. Daily, Riaan had to conquer extreme loneliness, while ploughing through treacherous conditions such as cyclones, pounding surf and and unrelenting sun that, combined with up to ten hours in salt water, was literally pickling his body. The journey brought memorable encounters with Madagascar's marine life - humpback whales breaching metres from his path, giant leatherback turtles gliding alongside him and sharks ramming his kayak. It also brought a different kind of risk - that of arrest and imprisonment on suspicion of mercenary activity." .