When it comes to epic paddling stories, who doesn’t love to gather around the campfire and trade tales of swashbuckling adventures by kayak? No one knows what makes a paddling story sure to enrapture and impress your friends quite like John Chase, host of Paddling the Blue podcast.
With episode titles like “Best Friends Go Midlife Kayak Adventuring” and guests ranging from paddling legends like Dale Sanders to first-time adventurers, Paddling the Blue manages to be both aspirational and relatable, highlighting sea kayakers and stories from all walks of life.
Paddling Mag sat down with podcast host and ACA Instructor John Chase to get to the heart of what exactly makes a great kayaking story:
Behind one of kayaking’s most popular podcasts
John Chase got his start in paddling from adventure racing, nonstop multi-discipline multi-day races in which participants are handed a set of topographic maps and coordinates and told to figure out how to get from one point to another. Paddling was one of the disciplines Chase felt most incompetent in and decided to dedicate time to improving. In 2011 while taking a paddling class, the instructor asked if Chase had ever considered being an instructor himself.
“When I really started paddling and getting serious about the instructor track I sought out different ways to learn and I came across a podcast called the Sea Kayak Podcast. Simon stopped doing that podcast and moved on to other things,” explained Chase on the origins of Paddling the Blue. “For several years afterwards I kept thinking, boy, I wish that podcast would come back. Somebody should bring that back some day.”
It wasn’t long after that Chase realized maybe somebody should be himself. In 2019, Chase put the wheels in motion, learning the equipment and the craft, recording practice interviews.
What makes a good paddling story anyways?
“What makes a good paddling story in terms of the podcast is [the speaker] being descriptive. I tell guests that we’re an audio media and people can’t see what’s going on,” Chase explained, adding that if it’s something a speaker is passionate about, that passion comes through in their voice.
On the technical side of storytelling, Chase shared that one of the most challenging parts of the podcast is sourcing the guests.
“Recording a podcast is pretty simple. It is overcoming, in some cases, a personal fear of having their voice out there in perpetuity,” shared Chase.
Chase spends time before any interview helping guests understand that part of his process is to make them sound amazing and help them to tell their story.
“I enjoy that part of the challenge because I know that everybody’s got a story inside of them. Being able to bring that to life is a lot of fun for me,” said Chase.
Finding the heart of paddling stories
So what lies at the heart of a good paddling story? According to Chase, a captivating adventure story might have less to do with stunning scenery or gnarly conditions than one might assume.
“It’s almost always about the people. The trips people are taking, the landscape is great, the paddling is fantastic, but it comes down to the people you meet along the way,” shared Chase. “Almost always people are saying ‘I wish I slowed down. I might’ve been going for a speed record, but I wish I would’ve stopped and experienced the place I was going through and the people.’”
In addition to people being at the heart of paddling stories, Chase also shared that many expedition paddlers would do it smaller and slow down, getting to know an area more.
Chase shared that in 140+ episodes, the story that’s stuck with him most is that of Jake Stachovak in episode two, revisited again in episode 79 as an in memoriam.
“Unfortunately Jake passed from cancer a few years ago and he was an amazing guy. He did what we called the Portage to Portage paddle,” shared Chase.
Stachovak paddled from his hometown in Portage, Wisconsin down the Wisconsin River out to the Mississippi to the Gulf, around Florida, up the east coast from the Hudson River and Erie Canal to the Great Lakes and eventually back to Portage, Wisconsin, in his own take on The Great Loop circumnavigating the eastern United States.
“It took him, I think 16 or 17 months to do that. He had such a zest for life and such an enthusiasm for the trip that everything was fun and exciting and that really spoke to his personality,” said Chase. “He was one of those people that — I didn’t see him very often — but every time I would go to a symposium or event and knew Jake was there, I knew he was going to be one of the highlights of the event.”
Of all of the episodes he’s recorded, Jake’s episode is the one Chase recommends a listener begin with.
Paddling the Blue has listeners in over 100 different countries, and well over 100,000 listeners. Find Paddling the Blue on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or at find more ways to listen at paddlingtheblue.com.
