Riaan and Dan reach expedition halfway point

Riaan Manser and Dan Skinstad, who set out on a quest to become the first South Africans to circumnavigate Iceland by kayak  more than 91 days ago, have just paddled through the half-way mark of their expedition.

Having paddled a distance of 848km since the beginning of their journey, the team went through the town of Vik, the southernmost town in Iceland, which is now symbolic as the halfway point of the expedition.

The pair’s appetite for adventure is inarguably unassailable.  Just days before reaching the halfway point, the expedition team paddled through the largest glacial planes of Iceland located in the south-east coast and hiked up the highest mountain of the island called Hvannadalshnjukur.

Comments Alan Roberts, spokesperson of the Windhoek trademark in South Africa: “It might be too early to do a countdown to the finish line but our excitement for the team making it past the halfway point cannot be contained. The guys continue to make us proud in their conviction they continue to display in finishing this expedition as the first two South Africans to do so. We are with them all the way and encourage them to paddle on!”

The excitement from Riaan and Dan on their progress in this expedition is palpable. “We are moving forward; paddling past the halfway point gives us a psychological advantage to complete the kilometres left of the expedition,” says Dan Skinstad.

“Going past the halfway point essentially means that we are on our way home and will be taking a record with us,” enthused Riaan Manser, whose optimism and experience on the expedition has propelled the team’s progress thus far.

The duo is currently paddling towards Sólheimafjara located on the South coast of Iceland.

In Brief:

Ø  Days completed thus far: 91 days

Ø  Last terrain covered: Glacial plains and long beaches of the south-east coast

Ø  Distance covered thus far: 848km

Ø  Distance still to go: 1148km

Ø  Present point: Leaving Vik, the southernmost town in Iceland, and the half way mark

Ø  Next stop: Sólheimafjara

Please look at the Google Map of the journey on the website at

http://www.riaanmanser.com/pages/iceland.php#tab-8.

This is updated after every paddle day and notes the kilometres covered and exact landing spots.

To see the latest footage on the trip visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLdy2AeuLQE

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