I had decided to
paddle in a kayak, solo and without formal ongoing support, from the
source of the Zambezi to its mouth – a journey of just under 3 000
kilometres. I anticipated it would take three to four months, but
time was difficult to gauge accurately as unexpected obstacles were
sure to arrive.
I chose to use a
Necky Eskia kayak, a design capable of handling both rough white
water and flat stretches. It is constructed from Teflon, making it
practically unbreakable. It also has a slightly larger storage
capacity than most other designs, an essential feature for this trip.
In completing a risk
assessment of the journey it became clear that the risks were very
high. These escalated dramatically because I would be entirely alone...
Excerpt from: Zambezi: The First Solo Journey Along Africa's Mighty River: now available on Kindle:
