In June 2023, Canadian writer Dan Rubinstein lashed camping gear to his stand-up paddleboard and embarked on an improbable solo voyage from Ottawa to Montreal, New York City, Toronto, and back to Ottawa along the rivers, lakes, and canals of a landlocked region.
Westside News caught up with him on July 30, 2023, when he stopped overnight in Spencerport to camp. He said that standing upright on the water and moving with or against the flow allowed him to see his surroundings in a new way and that he was planning to write a book about his experience.
During his journey of over 1,200 miles and 10 weeks, Rubinstein explored the healing potential of “blue space” – the aquatic equivalent of green space – and sought out others drawn to their local waters. The farther Rubinstein paddled, the more he realized that being in, on, or around water does more than boost our mental and physical health and prompt stewardship toward the natural world. He discovered that blue spaces are also a way to connect with the kaleidoscopic cross-section of people he met and the diverse geographies and communities he passed through.
Water Borne: A 1,200-mile Paddleboarding Pilgrimage has recently been released. In it, Rubenstein weaves together research, interviews, and an unmacho, malodorous, anti-colonial adventure tale. He shows readers that they don’t need an epic journey to find solutions to so many modern challenges. Repair and renewal may be close at hand: just add water.
Water Borne can be ordered from Lift Bridge Book Shop in Brockport.
For more information on Dan Rubinstein, visit http://www.waterborne.ca.
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