Paddling The Blue Podcast

#87 - Nigel Dennis - Breaking the rules to make a Classic

Today I am honored to bring you a conversation with the one and only, Nigel Dennis. Nigel has received more requests by other guests as a future guest. Thank you to GInni Callahan, Olly Sanders, and all the others who made the recommendation. 
Today we talk about the founding of Sea Kayaking UK, formerly Nigel Dennis Kayaks, the creation of the Romany Classic, Easter Island, Cape Horn, Antarctica, and more.
Learn:
Sea Kayaking UK
Connect:
info@seakayakinguk.com
 
 

#86 - Alistair Wilson - A Life of Adventure Behind a Lendal Paddle

Today I am pleased to bring you a great conversation with Alistair Wilson. Alistair has had an amazing life blessed with personal, family, and business successes, including two trips to the Olympics and the founding of Lendal Paddle. He is an original innovator in the world of paddle design and today we hear his story firsthand.
Enjoy today’s episode with Alistair Wilson.
Learn:
Behind the Paddle book
Alistair Wilson (Facebook)
 
Level Six has been a great supporter of Paddling the Blue and they have stepped up again with a special offer just for you as a Paddling the Blue podcast listener. If you would like to pick up some great Level Six drywear or other kit, visit their website at levelsix.com and use the coupon code PTBPODCAST at checkout for 10% off your order. 
Also, if you’re not already a subscriber to onlineseakayaking.com, James and Simon keep on delivering great content. Visit onlineseakayaking.com and use the coupon code PTBPODCAST at checkout and you’ll get 10% off up to 12 months of your subscription investment.  

#85 - Richard Barnes - 67 days solo across the Tasman Sea on Weet-Bix and Coke

Today you get to hear first hand from Richard Barnes. Richard recently completed a solo kayak crossing of the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand, in a kayak that he designed and built. His is only the second solo of the Tasman Sea and the first unassisted effort. 
Level Six has been a great supporter of Paddling the Blue and they have stepped up again with a special offer just for you as a Paddling the Blue podcast listener. If you would like to pick up some great Level Six drywear or other kit, visit their website at levelsix.com and use the coupon code PTBPODCAST at checkout for 10% off your order. 
Also, if you’re not already a subscriber to onlineseakayaking.com, James and Simon keep on delivering great content. Visit onlineseakayaking.com and use the coupon code PTBPODCAST at checkout and you’ll get 10% off up to 12 months of your subscription investment.  
Enjoy today’s episode with Richard Barnes.
Learn:
Blue Moon (Facebook)
Trip resources and infographic (Lane Cove River Kayakers)

#84 - Canoecopia 2023 - Madison, WI

We are coming to you today from one of our all-time favorite shows, Canoecopia, which is the world’s largest paddlesports expo, held in Madison, Wisconsin. This event is 100,000 square feet of canoes, kayaks, kit, outfitters, everything you can imagine, plus more than 100 speakers on an incredible array of topics.  Thanks to Stig Larssen and the entire Level Six team for the use of their booth to record this episode. 
Enjoy today’s episode from the Canoecopia!
Learn and Connect:
Susan Conrad
Wildly Inside
Inside: One woman's journey through the Inside Passage
Inside my Sea of Dreams: The adventures of Kami and Suz
Books by Susan's inspiration, Audrey Sutherland
Paddling North: A solo adventure along the Inside Passage
Paddling My Own Canoe: A solo adventure along the coast of Molokai
Paddling Hawaii
Just Around the Pointe (Facebook)
P&H Sea Kayaks
P&H - the full carbon clear Cetus
Pyranha EVO
Little Bay Boards
Level Six
Paddlesports Trade Coalition
Turning Point Boatworks
Werner Paddles
Isle Royale Families and Friends Association
Rutabaga
Canoecopia

#83 - Quiet Adventures Symposium 2023 - Lansing, MI

Today’s episode comes from the 28th annual Quiet Adventures Symposium in Lansing, MI.  We talked with exhibitors from the US Great Lakes region including chats with Chicago Adventure Therapy, Paddling Adventures Radio, the Lake Superior Watershed Conservancy, Paddle Antrim, and others working to educate paddlers, protect our waterways, and keep the Great Lakes great.
Enjoy today’s episode from the Quiet Adventures Symposium!
Learn and connect:
Paddle Antrim
Chicago Adventure Therapy
Association of State Dam Safety Officials
Lake Superior Watershed Conservancy
Paddling Adventures Radio
Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium
West Michigan Coastal Kayakers Association
 
 

#82 - Dale Greybeard Sanders Dan Faust and Matthew Briggs - Setting a World Record on the Mississippi River

Today we will be talking with a trio of guests, featuring none other than Dale “Greybeard” Sanders, and friends and fellow Mississippi River paddlers, Dan Faust and Matthew Briggs. Dale is a multi-time World Record holder for both paddling and hiking and is currently the reigning record holder as the oldest to paddle the Mississippi River source to sea at age 87. They had a great journey down the river for Dale’s most recent record-setting run and they’re going to share it with you today.
Enjoy today’s episode with Dale Greybeard Sanders, Dan Faust, and Matthew Briggs!
Learn and Connect:
Greybeard Adventurer
The Man, The Myth, The Mississippi
Dan Faust: The Blogs
River Gator
Mississippi River Angels (Facebook)
Matt Briggs
Special offer for Paddling the Blue listeners:
If you’re not already a subscriber, visit onlineseakayaking.com and use the coupon code PTBPODCAST at checkout and you’ll get 10% off up to 12 months of your subscription investment.  

#81 - Dan Carr - Erupting Seals along the Maine Island Trail

Dan Carr, volunteer extraordinaire and friend of Jonathan Hearn and Katie Sylvester from episode #76 joins me today to talk about the Maine Island Trail. 
The trail extends along 375 miles of shoreline with more than 250 islands. Dan is going to share some of his favorite stories and a few of the must-visit islands along this paddler’s paradise.  
Learn:
Maine Island Trail Association
Leave No Trace - The 7 Principles
Special offer for Paddling the Blue listeners:
If you’re not already a subscriber, visit onlineseakayaking.com and use the coupon code PTBPODCAST at checkout and you’ll get 10% off up to 12 months of your subscription investment.  

#80 - Sean Pierce - For the Love of Islands

There’s something magical about islands to a paddler and that’s definitely true for Sean Pierce. For starters, he was the photo editor for Ireland’s foremost paddling guide book, Oilean (Irish for Island), so that should tell you something. 
Sean is known in the Irish sea kayaking community for both his involvement in the Irish Sea Kayaking Association, but even more so for his passionate pursuit of birding while visiting those islands. Today we will talk with Sean about the island that is Ireland, but also many others, including the worlds largest island. 
Thanks to Kevin O’Sullivan not only for referring Sean but for sending me a copy of Oilean.  As a self-confessed guidebook and map geek, it’s a favorite in my library.
Enjoy today’s episode with Sean Pierce!
Learn:
Shearwater Sea Kayaking
Oilean
Irish Sea Kayaking Association
Sakhalin
Kamchatka (sorry, not quite an island)
South Georgia Island

#79 - Remembering Jake Stachovak

Who is Jake Stachovak, and why did I decide to make a special episode just about him? Well, Jake is a paddler, and I would say just like the rest of us, but he wasn’t. There was only one Jake Stachovak.
Today’s episode will share some of the paddling highlights of the Great Loop trip that Jake brought to episode #2 while also hearing from just a few of his friends telling you about Jake as a person. 
Jake, thank you for the memories. Thank you for the inspiration. Thank you for the laughs. We are all better for knowing you. Paddle on, my friend. We miss you.
 
Photo Credit: Michael Franklin

#78 - Joe Solomon - Kayaking 4 a Cause on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers

Today’s guest is Joe Solomon, who joined me by way of referral from Madison Eklund from episode 73. He paddled the Ohio River and Mississippi River in support of mental health and we’ll talk with Joe about how paddling changed his life in more ways than one. 
Enjoy today’s episode with Joe Solomon!
Connect:
Kayaking 4 a Cause
Learn:
Mississippi River Angels
Adventure Crew Cincinnati
Special offer for Paddling the Blue listeners:
If you’re not already a subscriber, visit onlineseakayaking.com and use the coupon code PTBPODCAST at checkout and you’ll get 10% off up to 12 months of your subscription investment.