Ryan and Nicole’s Wild Idea: To leave San Diego, their jobs and house to sail to French Polynesia. Now they are sharing their awesome story and you can find out how.
Ryan and Nicole Levinson of Two Afloat set sail for French Polynesia two years ago to pursue a dream. Taking on such a feat requires tons of preparation, but there’s only so much you can do on land to prepare for the unknown sea. Eventually, you just have to untie the dock lines and go, as they say. This episode explores how they untied the dock lines and set sail across the Pacific, with challenges and great feats they faced along the way. We also talk about Ryan’s own physical limits. Despite having FSHMD, a disease that literally eats away his muscles, he’s managed to defy doctors initial thoughts about his body and pursue the sports and activities, including sailing, that bring him joy. This is a story for anyone who has a dream, but has self-doubt and fear. It’s also a great episode for anyone wanting to set sail across the Pacific or even across their local bay.
The Deep Dive
- 00:55 – What it took to prepare for the trip and voyage across the Pacific.
- 03:10 – What it’s like to live on a boat for two years.
- 04:20 – The contrast in coming back to land after two years at sea.
- 08:15 – Everything you want to know about the boat they used to cross the Pacific.
- 09:45 – How Ryan and Nicole found their boat.
- 11:15 – Ryan has FSHMD. He explains what it is and how he adapted the boat to meet the physical limits of what he can do physically with the disease.
- 14:40 – Ryan shares the story of when he found out he had FSHMD and what advice doctors initially gave him.
- 17:25 – How Nicole and Ryan got interested in sailing.
- 22:35 – How long it took Ryan and Nicole to get from San Diego to French Polynesia.
- 22:55 – The scariest and most memorable moments on their boat.
- 29:15 – Ryan and Nicole share what someone with no sailing experience needs to know to do an adventure like this.
- 30:15 – Why many people never leave the dock, and how to avoid being one of them.
- 31:15 – What Ryan and Nicole have learned about fear.
- 32:50 – Why French Polynesia?
- 37:50 – How cool the kids are in French Polynesia.
- 42:00 – Ryan on surfing and equipment.
- 49:10 – Life on a boat.
- 53:40 – Ryan and Nicole’s morning routines.
- 55:30 – Nicole on confidence.
- 59:15 – Ryan and Nicole’s incredibly popular YouTubeChannel and the creative process behind it. How they got to 300K views.
- 01:03:25 – Ryan and Nicole biggest influences.
- 01:09:15 – Why humans crave challenges. There is such a thing as “too much comfort.”
- 01:09:20 – Advice Ryan and Nicole have for those who want to live more wildly.
- 01:16:10 – What food Ryan and Nicole looked forward to most back in San Diego.
- 01:17:20 – How Ryan and Nicole afford their trip.