Around Africa

Following in the wake of Vasco da Gama, Peter Marshall set off in early 1992 to circumnavigate the huge continent of Africa. Having been warned that he might never make it, he found himself travelling on a wide variety of craft, ranging from a Portuguese caravel, a Moroccan fishing boat, French, German, Greek and Polish container ships, a sanctions-busting South African cargo ship and a Swahili dhow to an Italian cruise ship. On his way, he went deep into the interior of many countries, spending time with drummers in Senegal, pygmies in Cameroon, ANC activists in South Africa, war refugees in Mozambique, lions in Tanzania and the ghosts of pharaohs in Egypt. His voyage took him over seven months on a dozen ships, through four seas, fifteen countries and nearly 18,000 miles. It was a voyage of self-discovery as well as the discovery of a continent. Around Africa is an exciting and thoughtful tale, a rich kaleidoscope of ships, people, places and adventures.