rapido trimaran la vagabonde

Sailing La Vagabonde: Net Worth, Boat, Crew and Elayna’s Income (2024)

Everything you always wanted to know.

Joshua Smith

Founder and Editor at Cruising Freedom

This is the definitive guide to Sailing La Vagabonde for 2024.

Over the last 6 years, my Youtube stats tell me that I have spent around 170 hours watching and researching everything I could about La Vagabonde because I adore their channel. 😎

Being obsessed, I’ve watched almost EVERY episode to date!

If you wanted to know:

➔ How Sailing La Vagabonde afforded all their boats

➔ How much they make on YouTube today

➔ What boat they have now and its upgrades

➔ How you can start crossing oceans

Then you’ve definitely come to the right place.

Think of this like a wiki for Sailing La Vagabonde.

Before we start, a quick introduction from me…

The Cruising Freedom Author

Ahoy, Matey! I’m Joshua from Australia.

I’ve built the perfect business to sail the world.

A business model which can allow me to:

➜ Own a catamaran debt-free

➜ Go for weeks without WIFI

➜ Create semi-passive income

➜ Inspire others to dream big

But more on that later… 🙂

La Vagabonde FAQs (2024)

La Vagabonde

Crew Members

Riley Whitelum (age 37) from Kimba, South Australia.

Elayna Carausu (age 34) from Perth, Western Australia.

Lenny Whitelum (age 3) who is now actively talking and swimming all by himself.

Elayna gave birth to their 2nd child, Darwin, in 2021, who is now almost 2 years old!

Riley and Elayna are NOT married, nor has Riley ever proposed to Elayna. They remain in a de facto relationship.

If you’re wondering if Elayna Carausu from Sailing La Vagabonde had breast enhancement surgery (fake breasts), then the answer is YES.

Riley actually confirmed it on a recent episode. He also appears to be juicing… 😲

Because, you know, they have to keep up…appearances…

Sailing La Vagabonde’s current catamaran is a 2022 Rapido Trimaran 60 with an owner’s cabin in the starboard hull.

This is designed for serious performance and sailing beyond the wind speed.

Some say this boat isn’t ideal for family cruising with very young children, and I tend to agree.

Sailing La Vagabonde’s previous catamaran was a 2017 Outremer 45 with an owner’s cabin in the starboard hull.

Previously to this, they owned a monohull which was a 2007 Beneteau Cyclades 43. This is the original ‘La Vagabonde’, a yacht that was designed for the charter market without a dedicated owner’s cabin.

They had planned to sell the Outremer but decided against it:

In short: They’re creating Vagabonde Adventures which will become a boat charter company where you can learn to sail on their very own catamaran.

Their friend Jack, a sailing instructor, will run the business so Riley and Elayna can continue sailing as a family.

More info at: VagabondeAdventures.com

A very wise choice I must say! They will still buy the Rapido 60 for themselves.

Before taking ownership, Outremer had spec’d the 45 at the factory in France with:

➔ Code D and Code Zero lightwind sails (the code D is Elayna’s favorite sail)

➔ Two upright 12v fridges in the galley

➔ Retractable daggerboards (a rather expensive optional upgrade, yet highly recommended)

➔ Twin 215hp diesel inboard motors

Meanwhile, Riley and Elayna have added:

➔ Fortress Spade Anchor (they use it as a spare)

➔ 560watts of solar panels on the bimini

➔ Dessalator Freedom Cruise Water Maker

➔ Watt And Sea Hydro Generator

➔ Inflatable tender called Cunningham II with 15hp Honda outboard. Their first tender mysteriously disappeared 5 years ago as it was being towed while sailing. (Whoops!)

Riley and Elayna are currently in Vietnam to assist in building their trimaran. It’s likely that they’ll spend a few months here before it’s launched.

Past Cruising

In prior years, Riley and Elayna have sailed extensively to:

➔ The Mediterranean

➔ The Bahamas

➔ United States of America

➔ The Azores

➔ Cape Verde

➔ Australia (Riley sailed as a crew of a racing team)

➔ British Virgin Islands

➔ Venezuela

➔ Panama Canal

➔ French Polynesia

➔ New Zealand (friends boat)

➔ Gibraltar

Affording It

They didn’t start out with an epic lifestyle and the freedom to live their dreams.

Riley worked for 4 years in the mining industry in South Australia (just like me!) and he saved $100,000, earning *just* enough to purchase his monohull before meeting Elayna.

Once their channel blew up, they were approached by various boat manufacturers, ultimately settling with Outremer.

The purchase of La Vagabonde II didn’t cost them $1,200,000 USD (the retail price of La Vagabonde’s Outremer 45), and instead, was based off their audience size and Outremer’s potential for marketing reach similar to a sponsorship deal.

(And if you’re wondering, I’ll be buying either a Seawind or an Outremer myself)

The La Vagabonde II catamaran itself, just like the original monohull, is legally owned by Riley and Elayna. Outremer simply assisted with the loan on the catamaran.

Outremer has never given a free boat to Riley and Elayna. This is the biggest false rumor on the internet which continues to haunt the couple to this day.

YouTubers are wealthier than we imagine, and after watching Riley and Elayna for many years, the following is my best estimation…

Right now in 2024, Sailing La Vagabonde has a net worth of $6,700,000 USD. This is based on the value of their two boats, online business and personal investments.

They have also saved around 85% of their income over the last 6 years.

Making Loot

In 2024, Sailing La Vagabonde makes money through:

➔ YouTube advertising revenue

➔ Amazon affiliate links

➔ Official La Vagabonde merch

➔ Elayna’s songs and CDs

➔ Their thousands of Patreons

➔ Brand sponsorship with Audible

So it’s clear that cruising YouTubers know how to monetize their audience well.

It’s estimated that Riley and Elayna make $27,000 per month in US dollars, or $8,200 per episode published . However, earning that much money requires 30 to 50 hours of editing to eventually publish one polished YouTube video.

Elayna recently created Vaga Bella Swim™︎ – a 100% recycled swimwear company that is definitely worth checking out.

Collaborations

Sailing La Vagabonde has collaborated with the following YouTubers:

➔ Adam Stern from Free Diving Family who held the Australian record for freediving

➔ Yosha, a previous crewmate of SV Delos , also stayed on board several years ago

➔ Eamon & Bec who usually do Van Life.

➔ Lost Leblanc who is a very popular travel vlogger

After all these years, I’m still waiting for a collaboration with SV Delos . 😃

Big Moments

Memorable moments in the Sailing La Vagabonde journey include:

➔ Being chased by a powerboat late at night during a potential pirate attack. This was on the original Beneteau. While Elayna hid in the aft cabin, Riley avoided the attack by throwing cans of tin food. Surprisingly (and fortunately) the strategy worked.

➔ Lenny having stopped breathing and being rushed to hospital.

➔ Sailing 22 knots in high winds without putting a reef in the main, causing Elayna to panic and the YouTube community to voice their concerns.

➔ Sailing Greta Thunberg across the North Atlantic with Lenny in tow.

➔ Freediving in the deepest hole in the world where Adam was featured.

In recent episodes, both Riley and Elayna have really struggled to manage 2 young children AND all the work that’s necessary on a boat.

Future Plans

With their Outremer 45 being listed for sale, Riley and Elayna are now working on building their 3rd boat, a Rapido 60, announced in June, 2021. It should be ready in a few months.

Interestingly, despite the growing family, they have chosen a boat with orientation for speed over comfort.

As mentioned previously, I disagree that this is the right boat for their growing family and many within the cruising community agree with my stance.

Key Takeaways

We can learn from Riley and Elayna that:

➔ Cruising isn’t always moonshine and sunsets

➔ Men and women play an equal role on board

➔ Much of the world is actually a safe place

➔ Raising children on sailboards is trending

➔ Always speak the truth, even when it’s hard

➔ You only live once, so make life happen

Riley and Elayna are authentic yet polished influencers of the sailing world. Some would say modern-day sea gypsies!

Fun fact: They even have their own Subreddit !

We see Riley and Elayna’s epic lifestyle today but we don’t see the consistent work over multiple years prior.

Getting here and finally living #boatlife certainly wasn’t an easy process, but through their commitment, but we can clearly see it’s been well worth it.

Create Your Own Cruising Freedom

Hey! 😃 it’s Joshua again…

I’ve been very inspired by [Channel Name] and their travels…

Some say I’m obsessed, but sailing the world is my childhood dream.

They’re living the dream, but that dream isn’t actually that far away.

I mentioned earlier about discovering the #1 cruising business model.

With this exciting opportunity, I’ll be able to:

➜ Generate a sustainable full-time income through learning basic skills

➜ Fund the purchase of my first sailing catamaran without any loans

➜ Do it without selling to friends and family (I found a better solution!)

➜ Share my lifetime passion for sailing, cruising and global adventures

Keen to discover more? Jump on the free training right now. 👨🏻‍💻

(I share more about it on the next page…🙂)

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Sailing La Vagabonde – Rapido 60

"Oceanvolt will be the perfect compliment to the Rapido Trimaran and Project SLV. Silent, emission free propulsion is a dream for sailors everywhere and the regeneration curves on a vessel as powerful as the Rapido are extraordinary!" "The Oceanvolt motor has already proved itself invaluable. On our first crossing our diesel had a major failure and was inoperable. The Oceanvolt gave us power and got us home." – Riley, Sailing La Vagabonde

Billed as the World’s Ultimate Ocean Cruising Trimaran, the Rapido 60 really is the Queen of the Oceans. It offers speed, safety, performance – and luxury.

The inspiration behind the Rapido 60 comes from Paul Koch (co founder of Rapido Trimarans), arguably, the man who has built more production trimarans than anyone else on the planet.

The design is by world renowned naval architects, Morelli & Melvin Design and Engineering who use some of the most sophisticated technology in the world.

Technology used in the electric Rapido 60 Trimaran:

• Boatbuilder: Rapido Trimarans
• Length overall: 18.1 m
• Boat beam: 11.7 m
• Displacement: 10000 kg
• Electric motor system: Oceanvolt ServoProp 10 saildrive motor
• Electric motor system nominal power: 10kW
• Electric motor system voltage: 48 V

Written by Anna

View all posts by: Anna

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Sailing La Vagabonde

Today's most famous sailors have little in common with a quiet man like Eric Tabarly or a scholarly writer like Joshua Slocum... Riley Whitelum, Elayna Carausu and their son Lenny sail, and they look good: they have a whopping 1.59 million subscribers to their YouTube channel (Sailing La Vagabonde) and have become serious pros at video and social media communications.

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WORLD FAMOUS SAILING LA VAGABONDE UPGRADES TO RAPIDO 60

The world’s most exciting sailing news is the long awaited decision that Sailing La Vagabonde will sail the world’s oceans aboard a Rapido 60.

Rapido is filling a segment in the market that is missing: a trimaran that is owner-operated, powerful, ocean-cruising, and can be safely crewed by two. The concept for the world’s fastest production cruising trimaran is designed by world-acclaimed naval architects, Morrelli & Melvin.

SLV comprises an Australian couple, Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu and their two young children. Each week, they bring their adventures to our phones, desktops and iPads via their YouTube videos.

They began documenting their evolving journey on YouTube back in 2014 with a single-hull vessel. After a time, they upgraded to a twin-hull vessel. For the last 18-24 months, the couple have been researching which boat would become the future of their sailing story, and would proudly wear the title Sailing La Vagabonde III.

With the extraordinary reach and exposure of Sailing La Vagabonde, perhaps the Rapido represents the future of sailing. Riley and Elayna explain why and how the Rapido 60, a three-hulled 6o’ (18m) trimaran, met their criteria.

Initially, they were worried about the amount of space on board. However, once they were on board, this concern was perfectly fine. Riley describes the fore cabin as being “massive” with a “huge” bed. When you’re standing in the saloon, it’s actually a huge room.

During the test sail, the couple were convinced the boat could move at lightning speed. With just one hand on the helm, they were travelling under sail, maintaining speed at 25.7 knots. Even at that fast speed, it was only slightly heeling over. A Rapido trimaran only gets a heel of up to 15 degrees, this is important as they both want to travel safely while at a good pace. They said that when they were travelling at 20 knots, it felt like they were only going at 10 knots, and it also felt like they had so much more power sitting in reserve.

One thing that was really important with the trimaran was that Riley will have the ability to sail it single-handed, when Elayna cares for the two children on the boat.

The Rapido trimarans are stable boats that do not heel, ideal for long distances, short sprints and the passage between. They are ideal for discovering places that others cannot venture to when you sneak up alongside a secluded beach or glide over a reef. The draft of the Rapido 60 is just 0.75m with the rudder and daggerboard retracted.

Having the flexibility to power up and sail away from bad weather systems is paramount. The Rapido can be sailed short-handed with centralised systems, Karver reefing hooks, self-tacking furling jibs, furling reacher and stay sails. Boasting excellent safety, the Rapido is designed to put you in control for fast, safe, fun sailing.

The nets on each side of the Rapido 60 measure 6.3m x 3m (that’s 18.9 m2), providing enormous space to play or lounge upon when the fish are not biting. They also provide an exhilarating vantage point when cruising to watch the water rush by beneath.

The foam sandwich and carbon construction provide an extremely strong and rigid structure. This enables the Rapido to withstand the might of the oceans, without carrying excessive weight.

The T-foil rudder blade is designed to provide additional stability and control. Each float (ama) has four watertight bulkheads. The main hull has five bulkheads to ensure that the Rapido 60 is as safe and unsinkable as possible. The engine and main equipment compartment has two bulkheads and is located under the saloon.

There are three emergency escape hatches: one located in the forward cabin, the second is in the aft cabin, and the third is in the main storage compartment under the cockpit. This storage compartment has been specifically designed as a safe survival area. Automatic and portable bilge pumps are provided.

The helm position offers superb all-round visibility. It is in an elevated position, away from the elements with a hard top bimini with sliding roof. It has a 1.2m wide seat/leaning post for seating comfort and standing support. Main controls are at the helm making single or short-handed sailing easier and safer. Steering is direct with strong well-engineered Jefa systems.

An emergency rudder blade is ready to deploy in an emergency. The engine compartment has an auto fire extinguisher system. There are an additional three portable fire extinguishers and a fire blanket. Diesel is the only fuel on board for engine, stove and heating, which removes the need to carry highly flammable cooking gas.

The head sails are on furlers for ease of deployment and operation. There are twin bow anchors with the main anchor ready to deploy. A dedicated storage area for safety equipment and wet weather gear is located in the cockpit. Jack stays and clip-on points are provided, as are bow and stern cockpit safety rails. Even in the storms of the southern oceans, trimarans are safe, easy to handle and faster on all points of sail due to their wide beam and light weight.

Riley plans to be on hand at the Vietnam-based factory to customise certain aspects of the boat to better suit their family. www.sailing-lavagabonde.com

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

LENGTH: 18.1M

BEAM: 11.7M

DRAFT: 0.75M

DISPLACEMENT (LIGHT): 10,000KG

DISPLACEMENT (MAX LOAD): 12,000KG

HEADROOM (AVERAGE): 2.1M

SAIL SPECIFICATIONS

MAINSAIL: 125M²

SOLENT: 71M²

STORM SAIL: 25M²

REACHER: 130M²

ASYMMETRIC SPIN: 225M²

MAST HEIGHT ABOVE: 25.3M

Rapido have also developed a folding trimaran system, making their new Rapido 40 and 50 models available with a folding mechanism that will allow them to access monohull marina berths. The Rapido folding system keeps the floats vertical when in the folded position, preventing growth from occurring on the sides of the floats and ensuring they remain in pristine condition. The Rapido system also adds to the overall strength of the boat by reducing the loads on the beams when sailing without adding any length to the boat when folded.

Rapido Trimarans are distributed by Multihull Solutions as the Asia and Pacific dealer for its innovative range of ocean-cruising trimarans. Further information on the Rapido Trimarans range can be obtained by contacting Multihull Solutions on 1300 855 338 or emailing [email protected]

Published in print January-March 2022

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Hvorostovsky in Moscow

With Guest star Sondra Radvanovsky Constantine Orbelian, conductor Philharmonia of Russia

A Magical Match Made in Moscow. In June 2008, Dmitri Hvorostovsky invited Sondra Radvanovsky to be his guest star in the prestigious Moscow concert series ‘Hvorostovsky and Friends,’ with conductor Constantine Orbelian and the Philharmonia of Russia. This glamorous occasion, captured on film for Russian television, marked these artists’ first-ever musical collaboration – and proved to be a historic event that documented for posterity one of those all-too-rare instances of magical artistic alchemy between two great opera stars. Their electrifying performance was an instant sensation, and a potent preview of the two stars’ effusively acclaimed later appearances together in Il Trovatore at Covent Garden, The Met and The San Francisco Opera.

Delos recorded the live concert, to be released later as the critically-acclaimed CD, ‘Verdi Opera Scenes’. The Russian TV show, featuring their national baritone hero and his dazzling guest, was broadcast throughout the Russian Federation. Upon obtaining that film footage, Delos collaborated with California film editor Steve Scoville, who expertly synched the footage with Delos’s concert audio. The result, available for the first time on this DVD, takes the viewer/listener to Moscow’s Great Hall for the concert’s most unforgettable moments, with stunning ‘you are there’ sonic and visual impact. Bonus feature interview with Maestro Orbelian.