MURRAY WILLIAMS
Staff Writer
THE eruption of the Grímsvötn volcano beneath Europe’s largest glacial mass made world headlines. But for Capetonian adventurers Riaan Manser and Dan Skinstad, the dark cloud of ash has proved a fairly tame chapter in their epic adventure.
As of tomorrow, the duo will have been on their mission for 60 days and will have covered about 540km in their circumnavigation of Iceland in a double kayak.
Should they succeed, they will become the first Africans to complete such a task.
But the dramatic belching of gas and ash into the Icelandic sky occurred while they were land-locked because of continuing grim weather. The team said by e-mail yesterday: “We have been able to paddle (on) only 16 of the 58 days we have been on the expedition, owing to the highly changeable weather conditions and strong winds.
“Riaan has had to look at the weather and sea conditions for each day… as this is not like one of his completely ‘alone and unaided’ adventures like Africa and Madagascar… where he was able to use brute force to defend himself against the wrath of Mother Nature. This time he has Dan’s life in his hands, too.”
For the past while, gale-force winds and storms roiling over the Vatnajokull glacier have compelled them to stay in a hostel with the documentary film crew.
“But we try to camp when we can, and will go back to camping when the storms are over,” Manser said.
Several weeks back, the wind was gusting at about 50km/h – so strong that it broke their tent poles.
Even when roughing it, the pair try to eat healthily.
“We are trying to eat more fresh vegetables than we have been to keep sickness at bay, but are still eating a lot of pasta and protein. We have also sampled Icelandic lamb, reindeer and whale, and (have) yet to try our catties at catching a puffin,” the bearded adventurer joked.
And the cold?
“Where we are in Höfn on the south coast of Iceland, the temperatures are a little colder as they are affected by the huge Vatnajokull glacier nearby. The temperature at present is 3°C, and on still, sunny days can reach 12°C.”
But as difficult as the journey may be for Manser, his partner, Skinstad, has it even tougher as he has cerebral palsy.
“One of my greatest challenges is my balance in the kayak,” Skinstad wrote to the Cape Argus.
“Paddling with a partner requires that my position add stability and I have to work super-hard at correcting my balance when kayaking.
“I also have to deal with muscle spasms on a daily basis, and that is amplified by the long hours on the sea. I tend to lose concentration and I am learning how to deal with it, but I battle to do all of the things at once, like watching swell and maintain balance, when I am tired.
“Balance on a kayak is crucial, and this has caused difficulty for both parties, because to capsize and fall into the icy water could be fatal. This is not the Knysna lagoon.
“After a long day in the icy water I have sea legs, and ability to make small movements is hampered so that setting up camp becomes that much harder. Coupled with the debilitating cold it becomes a big challenge.”
Typically, on a paddling day the pair try to cover 20km.
“If we reach 30, 40, 50 or even 60km, that is a bonus,” Manser reported.
“Sometimes when there is a bay crossing, we have no choice but to do 30km or more in one stretch. When paddling conditions are good, we have on occasion started in the ‘midnight sun’, paddled 30km, stopped to rest, and continued paddling into the following evening. Our daily progress cannot ultimately be planned, it is dependent on the weather.”
Their 2 000km voyage was to be completed by mid-July, but the weather-induced delays mean they may finish in August or September.