Standing on Water

The Water Borne Journey

by Barbara Burke

Dan Rubinstein, a writer, adventurer, and paddleboarder from Ottawa, Canada, camped overnight on the banks of the Erie Canal in Spencerport on Sunday, July 30. Rubinstein is on a paddleboard journey that began in June 2023 and is expected to go through September 2023. The trip will take him from his home in Ottawa to Montreal, New York City, and Toronto, and then back to his home via the Ottawa Pier, St. Lawrence River, Richelieu River, Lake Champ lain, Champlain Canal, Hudson River, Erie Canal, Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and Rideau River.

Rubinstein calls his journey “Water Borne – A stand-up paddle boarding pilgrimage through the blue space next door.” Rubinstein is writing a book about his paddleboard experience. He says, “My book, rooted in this experience, will be about the importance of immersing ourselves in ‘blue space’ and deepening our relationship with water for a wide range of reasons.”

He is meeting and interviewing people – planned and impromptu – along the way, asking questions about the waters where they are and what these places mean to their lives.

Rubinstein says that, to him, paddleboarding is: “A unique way to interact with both natural and human aquatic ecosystems that can help connect us to this vital natural resource that we often ignore or neglect.” He says standing upright on the water and moving with or against the flow allows him to see his surroundings in a new way.

Water Borne will be Rubinstein’s second book. His first book, Born to Walk, details another of his passions. He said, “The humble act of putting one foot in front of the other transcends age, geography, culture, and class and is one of the most economical and environmentally responsible modes of transit. Yet with our modern fixation on speed, this healthy pedestrian activity has been largely left behind.”

Rubinstein traveled throughout the U.S., U.K., and Canada to walk with people who saw the act not only as a form of transportation and recreation but also as a path to a better world. He said, “There are no magic-bullet solutions to modern epidemics like obesity, anxiety, alienation, and climate change. But what if there is a simple way to take a step in the right direction?” Born to Walk explores how far this ancient habit can take us, how much repair is within range, and guarantees that you’ll never again take walking for granted.

For more information on Dan Rubinstein’s journeys, visit his Instagram (danrubinsteinsup) and website, www.waterborne.ca.