Paddling The Blue Podcast

#168 - Kayaking 315 Miles Down Florida’s St. Johns River with Daniel Robison

Daniel Robison recounts his lifelong love of paddling and his expedition to paddle all 315 miles of Florida’s St. Johns River. Join us as we talk about changing ecosystems from swamp to brackish estuary, close encounters with wildlife including alligators and manatees, and the challenges of navigating shallow canals and wide lakes. 
About the St. Johns River
St. Johns Riverkeeper
To Rivers End by Daniel Robison
What is a Nutria?
 

#167 - Katie Carr - Moderate becoming good later kayaking the shipping forecast with Toby Encore

Today's episode is an encore presentation of a November 2023 interview with Katie Carr about her brother Toby’s ambitious project to kayak in every area of the BBC Shipping Forecast and the books that followed: Moderate Becoming Good Later and Thundery at Times.
Katie describes how she turned Toby’s notes and recordings into a book, took up sea kayaking to finish the remaining regions, and relied on the global paddling community while navigating grief and personal growth.
Get your copy of Moderate Becoming Good Later
Get your copy of Thundery at Times
Connect:
Katie Annice Carr (website)
Instagram
Twitter/X
Learn:
BBC 4 Shipping Forecast
Attention All Shipping: A Journey Around the Shipping Forecast by Charlie Connelly
Fanconi Anemia
The Churchill Fellowship
 
 

#166 - Kayaks to Classrooms: Building an Expeditionary Studies Career with the Paddling Professor Steve Maynard

Steve Maynard joins today's episode of the Paddling the Blue podcast to talk about about his journey from sea kayaking instructor to professor of Expeditionary Studies at SUNY Plattsburgh. We discuss how the program works, capstone expeditions, mentoring, and the credentials and experience that shaped his teaching and coaching.
The episode also explores some of the paddling dogma in our sport along with some of Steve's favorite paddling venues from Wales to down‑east Maine.
Resources:
Personal website
Questioning dogma
Instagram
Steve Maynard CV-SUNY Plattsburgh
SUNY Adventure Sports & Expeditionary Studies

#165 - Crossing Nicaragua: 16 Days of Human-Powered Adventure with Caleb McIntyre

Caleb McIntyre recounts a life-changing 16-day (mostly) human-powered crossing of Nicaragua — mixing kayaking and cycling to move from the Pacific to the Caribbean. He describes logistical challenges (customs, transporting kayaks), dramatic lake crossings, time in remote archipelagos, crocodile filled rivers, and the unique culture and people he met along the Rio San Juan.
The episode highlights expedition planning, risk management, and how packable TRAK kayaks made the trip possible, while reflecting on how the journey rekindled Caleb’s love of adventure and shaped his perspective as a paddler and parent.
What I found while crossing Nicaragua by kayak (Trak blog)
Instagram
Email
Rat Race Adventures
TRAK Kayaks
 

#164 - Six Ways Around Ireland: Multi‑Craft Ireland Circumnavigations with Rob Henshall

Today's episode of the Paddling the Blue podcast features Rob Henshall, who has circumnavigated Ireland six times in six different craft — from a Nordkapp kayak to a Contessa sailboat, plus a laser dinghy, a windsurfer, and more. Rob shares how he started on the water, the minimalist gear that carried him around the island, and what kept him going through 66 days and countless challenges.
Along the way he recalls near‑misses (including a foggy night with a container ship), close encounters with dolphins, Guinness-courage and pub moments, and the lessons learned across multiple expeditions. 

#163 - 25 Years of Keeping Paddlers Warm and Happy with Chris Reed

Chris Reed joins today's episode of the Paddling the Blue podcast to share the 25-year story behind Reed Chillcheater, from developing the Aquatherm fabric and UK-based production to creating innovative paddling garments used by kayakers, anglers, mountaineers and the film industry.  Staying small and focusing on what’s important to him has kept the business grounded.
The episode also covers Chris's personal paddling experiences, his embrace of the Greenland stick, community-focused business ethics, symposiums and more.
Reed Chillcheater

#162 - Four Years, One Canoe, One Happy Dog: The North American Odyssey of Jennifer Gosselin & Pierre Pepin

Jennifer Gosselin and Pierre Pepin quit the rat race, sold everything, and spent four years paddling a canoe across North America with their dog Jasmine by their side, following historic fur trade routes and the Great Loop. Along the way they faced extreme weather, long portages, wildlife encounters, and unexpected kindness from locals.
Join us as we talk about their planning and challenges, memorable human connections that sustained the journey, and what’s next as they build an expedition sailboat to continue voyaging.
Wild Raven Adventure

#161 - Live from Canoecopia 2026

Recorded live at Canoecopia in Madison, Wisconsin, today's episode of Paddling the Blue features interviews with a wide range of guests: activists protecting the Boundary Waters, the team behind the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, international trip operators from Kayak Portugal, organizers of the MR340 endurance race, and makers of paddles and boats sharing design and craft insights.
Thanks to Chris Hipgrave and the P&H Sea Kayaks / Pyranha Kayaks team for making space in their booth to record this episode, and of course for building my favorite top quality boats. 
Thank you to the enthusiastic audience who joined me at each of my presentations over the weekend. It’s exciting to see full rooms of smiling faces learning about ways to love paddling even more.  Thank you to all the listeners who stopped by the booth to say hello. I love hearing how Paddling the Blue has inspired and positively impacted you.  And thank you to the Rutabaga Paddlesports team for producing Canoecopia! It’s a pleasure to be part of this wonderful paddling community and I look forward to many more opportunities to connect one to one in the future.
Save the Boundary Waters
Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary
Kayak Portugal Tours
Old Mustache Canoe Paddles
Missouri River Relief
MR340
Bending Branches
Aqua Bound
Guillemot Kayaks
Bold Coast Boats
P&H Sea Kayaks
Pyranha Kayaks
Canoecopia
Rutabaga Paddlesports

#160 - Quiet Adventures 2026 Live: Adaptive Kayaks, Orienteering Worlds, River Stewardship, and more from Lansing, MI

Today's episode was recorded at one of our favorite events, the Quiet Adventures Symposium in Lansing. Today's episode features conversations with paddlers, conservationists, and accessibility advocates across Michigan.
Guests include Anna Green, a Junior World Orienteering competitor, Team River Runner, Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps), Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind, the Flint River Watershed Coalition, the League of Michigan Bicyclists, and the Michigan DNR Trails team.
While not all of today's topics are paddling related, they're paddling adjacent. I'm willing to bet that you enjoy more hiking, cycling, and more, in addition to your time on the water.  Today's discussions include orienteering at the world level, adaptive paddling programs, volunteer lake and stream monitoring, watershed stewardship, cycling advocacy, inclusive outdoor programming, and state water-trail and trail management efforts—highlighting ways listeners can get involved, protect waterways, and enjoy paddling in the Great Lakes region.
Connect:
Southern Michigan Orienteering Club
smoc-runs.com
USA Orienteering
https://orienteeringusa.org/
Flint River Watershed Coalition
Flintriver.org
Kayakflint.org
Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind
https://oubmichigan.org/
Team River Runner
https://www.teamriverrunner.org/
Creating Ability: https://www.creatingability.com/
Michigan Clean Water Corps
MiCorps.net
League of Michigan Bicyclists
lmb.org
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
https://www.michigan.gov/dnr
Hiking Trails: https://gis-michigan.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/3d190eb423fa4e578049faf36654a8ab_1/about
Water Trails: https://gis-midnr.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/midnr::michigan-dnr-designated-water-trails/about

#159 - Noatun’s Route: One Man’s Kayak Circumnavigation of Europe with Urban Heupgen

Many of us dream of adventures like circumnavigating Ireland and as far as I’m concerned, that’s a pretty lofty goal, and definitely on my list. 
And then there’s Urban Heupgen...Urban has unexpectedly found himself on a quest to undertake a bold journey to circumnavigate Europe.  Join me as Urban and I talk about his humble start, how he found himself on this path, and just how big his plans are for the future.
Noatan’s Route (Google Map) 
Urban Heupgen (Instagram)