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‘ Adventures on the water’ by Jo Moseley
BY NATASHA SONES
I was delighted to read a copy of Jo Moseley’ s latest book, Adventures on the Water: The power of paddleboarding to change lives(£ 20), Vertebrate Publishing. Jo has a regular column called‘ Paddleboarding for Good’ in the UK’ s top paddleboarding magazine, SUP Mag UK.
As a qualified SUP Instructor and enthusiast, I have been a big fan of Jo Moseley’ s work since reading her two bestselling books: Stand up Paddleboarding in Great Britain( 2022) and Stand up Paddleboarding in the Lake District( 2024).
Since reading these books, I am pleased to have gotten to know Jo personally, through work for Ordnance Survey, Adventure Queens, Vertebrate Publishing and Red Equipment. She is a bubbly, inspiring lady, and I was so excited to read her latest project. I was also intrigued as this book was different from her previous two guidebooks. Rather than informative information about where to paddle, Adventures on the Water promises to explore the uplifting and restorative power of SUP. Paddleboarding has brought so much joy to my life personally, so I knew it would be a great read.
The book features Jo’ s trademark friendly and warm style. It feels like chatting to a friend when you read her writing and what inspires her about SUP. From the moment she stood on a paddleboard on Derwent, she fell in love. This is a love letter to SUP, full of stories to uplift you and inspire you to get out on the water.
From the start, the long introduction draws you into everything that SUP can do for you. It includes the physical and mental health benefits of the sport, as well as the warm and inclusive community surrounding it. Jo discusses how SUP is helping her build new friendships and connections.
The rest of the book contains 25 chapters by contributors, each featuring a fantastic, unique story.
Featuring personal stories and collected wisdom from a wide range of fellow paddlers, I couldn’ t wait to read them – especially knowing some of these inspirational people personally.
From world-record adventurer and charity founder Cal Major’ s story, as she describes encounters with orca while paddling Scotland’ s coastline, to extreme sports enthusiast Dean Dunbar, who, despite being registered blind, took on a daring Atlantic Ocean paddle from North Uist to St Kilda.
Kathy Marston recounts how SUP yoga gives her the space to process her anxiety and move through life with more resilience. Brendan Prince retells the story of circumnavigating the entire coastline of Great Britain on a paddleboard to advocate for water safety and drowning prevention.
I particularly loved reading Shilpa Rasaiah’ s story about paddling the length of the Grand Union Canal at the age of nearly 60. I’ ve got to know Shilpa well, and reading her story was really lovely, especially as she describes‘ paddleboarding home’, how the adventure turned into a celebration of community and the kindness of strangers.
I also enjoyed reading Cathy Miles’( aka‘ the disabled paddler’) tale about recovering from a debilitating stroke and how paddleboarding has brought her a serene sense of calm and community. I am lucky enough to have met Cathy through the Adventure Queens, and it was amazing to read her story.
Reading Emily King’ s story was just incredible. Emily is an elite athlete who has been kind enough to give me advice on my paddleboarding journey and future ideas. Reading about how her whole life changed overnight after an accident, and how PTSD kept her afraid, it was awe-inspiring to discover how surfing and paddleboarding brought her back to life. Now Emily races, coaches, mentors and advocates for mental health. Paddleboarding gave that to her.
There are also commercial tales in the book. Reading John Hibbard’ s story was also fascinating. Founder of Red Paddle Co, John describes the journey from convincing people that inflatable boards could perform well and how the brand has evolved. Plus, Sarah Thornely’ s chapter describes how SUP has brought new experiences into her life, such as setting up the media brand SUPJunkie.
There are many more wonderful stories in this book. I won’ t give them all away – you will have to purchase your own copy to find out the rest. But, wherever you are on your paddleboarding journey, this book is a must-read!