An Interview with Dan Rubinstein, author of Water Borne
By Mathew Channer
Canadian Dan Rubinstein launched his Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) in Ottawa in June 2023 at the beginning of a 10-week paddling to Montreal, south to New York City, north-west to Toronto and then back to Ottawa. His voyage took him along the Ottawa River, south along the Champlain Canal and then down and back up the Hudson River to the mouth of the Erie Canal. He paddled west along the entire length of the Erie, skirted the western and northern shores of Lake Ontario, then finally took the Rideau Canal back to Ottawa. Along his 1,200-mile journey he met hundreds of people, each with their own unique relationship with the waters he travelled. Rubinstein’s fearless exploration into the history and culture of these waterways lays bare the best and worst of humans’ interactions with water, the environment, and with each other. His book Water Borne also dives into the healing potential of “blue space”, and how spending time in and around water encourages personal growth and healing, stewardship of the land, and deeper connection between diverse peoples and cultures.
Canadian Boating editor Mathew Channer talks to Rubinstein about his incredible journey, what took him by surprise, and the healing potential of water.
MC: Dan, it’s been just over two years since you completed your journey. How do you feel about it now, looking back?
DR: That’s a big question. In a lot of ways, I think I’m still there. I’m still on the water on this journey. It has such a profound impact on me. And then for months I was working on the book, so I’ve been thinking about it almost nonstop since I finished. You know, I look at rivers and lakes and I see them differently now. I see people differently. The entire experience changed how I think. It changed who I am.
