Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rebecca & Paul Leser. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rebecca & Paul, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
Taking big risks was never something that came natural to us. We had been dreaming about potentially living on a sailboat for two years before we decided to go for it. If for some reason it didn’t work out and we hated living aboard, we knew we were giving up a lot. We sold our home, gave away all of our furniture, and donated a lot of clothing in hopes that it would all work out. However, the alternative would have been to always wonder “what if” and possibly regret never following our dream. When we looked at it that way, we knew that taking the risk was worth it.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Professionally, Paul is an aerospace engineer and I own a political consulting business, where I assist candidates for public office in Virginia with a variety of campaign services. However, our passion project is our brand, Sailing Mystic Hearts. For the past three years, we have been documenting our lives as a liveaboard sailing couple that has cruised 8,000 nautical miles up and down the U.S. East Coast, including two trips south to Key West, two trips north to Nantucket, and several laps around the Chesapeake Bay. We feel so lucky that we’re able to take our jobs with us on our travels as we work remotely while cruising. Living this lifestyle is not the easiest, but it is certainly worth the challenges because of the many wonderful adventures we’ve had. We hope that documenting our lives on our social media accounts and website has inspired other people to follow their dreams.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
There are a few basic qualities and skills that anyone should possess if they want to live on a boat and go cruising. You need to be flexible, a problem-solver, and willing to learn how to maintain boat systems (electrical, plumbing, the engine, etc.). Cruising plans often change based on weather conditions, so flexibility is key to staying safe and making good decisions. The ability to problem-solve and troubleshoot boat issues will be especially important as something is always broken. And of course, no sailor needs to be an expert on how to maintain their boat’s systems, but a willingness to learn and do it yourself is invaluable. These three qualities and skills we really had to develop once we moved on our sailboat. Nothing could have fully prepared us for everything we would encounter, but between the two of us, we have the personality types to welcome the challenge and be up for the adventure.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
We are absolutely open to collaborations! Since our social media and web content is solely focused on sailing and the cruising lifestyle, we are interested in working with fellow sailors and companies in the marine industry. We have already partnered with several companies for product promotions and are open to additional opportunities. If you’ve got an idea for a collaboration that you think aligns with our lifestyle, please send us an email or a message through our website
Contact Info:
- Website: https://svmystichearts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sv_mystichearts
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SVMysticHearts
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@svmystichearts
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sv_mystichearts
Image Credits
Paul & Rebecca Leser
