“On a paddleboard, you‘re vulnerable to tides and winds. You don‘t fight them—you learn to fit into natural rhythms.”

Journalist and author Dan Rubinstein joins the Explore Podcast for the second instalment in our annual canoe/paddling series to share the story of his epic three-month, 2,000-kilometre paddleboarding journey, which took him from Ottawa to New York City and back via the Ottawa River, the St. Lawrence River, Lake Champlain, the Hudson River, the Erie Canal and Lake Ontario. Along the way, he explored the idea of blue space—the powerful impact of water on our bodies, minds, and communities. In this conversation, Dan reflects on his new book Water Borne, the physical and spiritual pull of water, and why paddleboarding offered a unique way to connect with people, places, and history. From Mohawk communities reclaiming their relationship with the St. Lawrence River to grassroots activists restoring the Hudson to strangers offering kindness along the Erie Canal, Dan’s journey reveals how water shapes us, heals us, and connects us across boundaries.