When Chris Hopkinson, a 46-year-old father and standup paddleboard enthusiast decided to embark on a 200-mile journey through the nation’s largest estuary, plenty of people called him crazy. Chris was just glad they were paying attention. Inspired by his daughter’s science project and new-found knowledge that a single oyster can filter up to fifty gallons of water a day, coupled with the fact that the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay is at historic lows, Chris wanted to do something big to raise awareness for oyster recovery.

Power of the Paddle is a half-hour documentary that tells the story of the first-ever attempt to paddle the length of the Chesapeake Bay. The nine-day journey is fraught with powerful winds, unpredictable storms, and Chris’s own haunting doubts. Motivated by a desire to keep the bay clean for his kids and theirs, Chris is anxious to unleash the power of the paddle.