The Dubcast With Dubside

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When Dubside receives the devastating news of Maligiaq Padilla's death while attending the Delmarva Paddlers Retreat, he knows he must travel to Greenland to say goodbye. Thanks to an extraordinary outpouring of support from the international kayaking community, he makes it to Nuuk just in time for the funeral.

In this deeply personal episode, Dubside recounts his emotional journey to Greenland, where he is welcomed by Maligiaq's family and friends and honored with the role of pallbearer. He shares his experiences of Greenlandic funeral traditions, the moving graveside ceremony, and the moments of friendship, laughter, and sorrow that followed.

Reflecting on Maligiaq's remarkable influence on traditional kayaking, Dubside considers what his passing means for the community and looks ahead with optimism to a new generation of paddlers who will carry his legacy forward.

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In this episode of The Dubcast with Dubside, Dubside sits down with longtime Greenland-style kayaking enthusiast Henry Romer at SSTIKS 2026. Henry, who attended the very first SSTIKS and holds Qajaq USA membership number 16, shares his experiences from the early days of the traditional kayaking movement in America.

The conversation explores Henry's fascination with Greenland kayak design, his adventures building Greenland paddles, and the remarkable efficiency of traditional paddling techniques. Henry also offers a fascinating explanation of the history and physics of Greenland harpoon throwing, drawing surprising comparisons to shooting three-pointers in basketball.

Along the way, they discuss Greenlandic language, Inuit hunting traditions, and the evolution of SSTIKS. Henry reflects on the elusive quality known as “SSTIKS-ishness”—the welcoming, cooperative spirit that has made the event special for more than two decades—and whether it can survive the event's move to a new location.

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SUPPORT DUBSIDE'S TRIP TO HONOR MALIGIAQ

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Dubside remembers Maligiaq Padilla, the extraordinary Greenlandic kayaker, champion, teacher, and kayak builder whose influence reached paddlers around the world. After learning of his unexpected death during the Delmarva Paddlers Retreat, Dubside reflects on their friendship and prepares to travel to Greenland to honor him. This episode includes recordings from Delmarva’s moving campfire tribute, where friends share stories of Maligiaq’s adventurous spirit, warmth, and the joy of singing Greenlandic songs together.

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In this episode of The Dubcast with Dubside, Dubside sits down with SSTIKS co-founder Tim Mattson at SSTIKS 2026. Tim looks back at the symposium’s beginnings in 2002 and its original mission to build a strong community around Greenland kayaking skills, instruction, and tradition. He recalls one of the things that made the early SSTIKS especially unique: its dedicated kids program, complete with kid-sized Greenland kayaks, which allowed a generation of young paddlers to grow up together at the event.

From there, the conversation takes some classic Dubcast detours. Drawing on his career in theoretical chemistry and high-performance computing, Tim shares his thoughts on quantum computing, nuclear fusion, climate change, and even human travel to Mars. Eventually they make their way back to kayaking, with Tim discussing kayak surfing, Greenland paddles, wing paddles, and a lifetime spent on the water.

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Recorded at the 2025 Delmarva Paddlers Retreat, this episode finds Dubside talking with New England paddler and ER nurse Shannon Lonardo about her unexpected introduction to traditional kayaking—and the people who kept her coming back. Shannon shares how a canceled date led to paddle carving, a skin-on-frame kayak, and a growing love of paddling. Along the way, she recounts a frightening capsize, the frustration of learning to roll, and the satisfaction of finally tackling water that once felt impossible.

The conversation also visits a historic lifesaving station before moving into Shannon’s working life in the emergency department. With humor and candor, she talks about changing careers from accounting to nursing, the realities of patient care, and the first-aid concerns paddlers bring onto the water.

It’s a conversation about fear, persistence, helping one another, and the small victories that keep us moving forward.

Breeches Buoy demonstration on the coastguardchannel

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What turns a paddler who’s terrified of capsizing into an instructor who loves rough water? For Trina Hahn, it starts with a Greenland roll—and a community that believes in her.

Recorded at SSTIKS 2026 on the banks of the Columbia River, this episode finds Dubside talking with Trina about her rapid journey from nervous beginner to passionate kayak instructor. She shares how learning to roll changed her relationship with fear, why Deception Pass is her favorite place to paddle, and the unforgettable whirlpool encounter that earned her and a friend matching “But did you die?” keychains.

But some of her biggest thrills come from watching her students find their confidence. From rubber-duck kayak games to the women’s rough-water gathering Surf Sirens, Trina explains how play, patience, and supportive coaching can turn “I hate kayaking” into “Can I try that again?”

It’s a conversation about getting scared, getting back in the boat, and giving back to the people who helped you get started.

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Dubside sits down face-to-face with Greg Stamer, founder and former president of Qajaq USA, for a wide-ranging conversation about the rise of traditional Greenland kayaking in the United States. Greg recalls the early days of the Delmarva Paddlers Retreat, Maligiaq Padilla’s influential 1998 visit, competing in Greenland without even knowing the complete list of rolls, and the lively debates that shaped Qajaq USA.

The conversation ventures well beyond organizational history. Greg recounts his record-setting expeditions around Iceland and Newfoundland, his fourteen 300-mile WaterTribe races, and the lessons he has learned from Greenland, wing, and single-bladed paddles. He also explains why retirement has led him not to the couch, but to open-water swimming and underwater hockey—and shares the remarkable story of a historic kayak frame built for John Heath in 1959 that may finally return home to Greenland.

It’s an episode about paddling history, cultural respect, adventure, aging, and a lifelong determination to remain “out there” on the water.

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At Seattle’s Gas Works Park, Dubside sits down with expedition paddler and author Susan Conrad to revisit her two solo journeys along the Inside Passage: a 66-day paddle from Anacortes to Juneau in 2010 and a more demanding 78-day route from San Juan Island to Sitka in 2022.

Susan recounts the moments that tested her most—including a desperate, hypothermic night when she nearly called for rescue, a startling face-to-face encounter with a coastal brown bear and her cub, punishing open-water crossings, and days spent waiting out relentless gales. She also explains the crucial difference between fear and immediate danger, and how preparation, positive visualization, and a few well-chosen mantras helped her keep moving.

The conversation ranges from expedition food, weather forecasting, boats, paddles, and wilderness “trail angels” to Susan’s inspiration, legendary adventurer Audrey Sutherland. Susan also reflects on aging, mentoring a new generation of paddlers, and the elusive je ne sais quoi of wilderness—the awe, silence, vulnerability, and pride that even the best photograph can rarely capture.

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Check out our "GREENLAND IS A QAJAQ NATION!" t-shirts and other merch at the DUBCAST SHOP at Fourthwall.

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For nearly three decades, Sea Kayaker magazine was the voice of the sea-kayaking community—shaping conversations about technique, safety, equipment, expedition travel, and traditional kayaking. Founded by John and Bea Dowd in 1984, the magazine was led by Christopher Cunningham as editor from 1989 until its final issue in 2014.

This long-anticipated interview offers a rare opportunity to hear the magazine’s story—and the evolution of the sport—from someone who witnessed both from the inside. Cunningham brings a breadth of experience few others can match. He discusses the 2,500-mile paper-canoe journey that led him to Sea Kayaker, the growth of traditional Greenland kayaking, his friendship with John Heath, and his first encounter with a young Maligiaq Padilla. He also takes us behind the magazine’s influential kayak reviews, landmark safety reporting, Deep Trouble series, and eventual closing.

More than a look back at an important publication, this conversation is an oral history of a formative era in sea kayaking, told by one of its most thoughtful observers and influential voices.

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Recorded in the rain during the 2025 Greenland National Kayaking Championship in Sisimiut, Dubside talks with Danish civil engineer and traditional kayaking competitor Jesper Nielsen.

Jesper describes his work and daily life in Greenland, from its unusual system of land use and rapidly expanding construction to Arctic winters, the midnight sun, and surprisingly inexpensive fuel. He also compares Danish and Greenlandic paddling cultures, discusses the International Paddle Pass certification system, and explains how he introduced skeptical Danish club members to the speed and versatility of the Greenland paddle.

The conversation turns to cold-water equipment, local approaches to paddling safety, and Jesper’s experience with the Sisimiut Qajaq Club. He also shares a resident’s perspective on international talk of buying Greenland—and the reaction that idea received locally.