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)
Boat Name
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.
Boob Job
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…
The Boat
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.
Upgrades
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!)
Location
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
➔ Antigua
➔ Australia (Riley sailed as a crew of a racing team)
➔ Dominica
➔ Grenada
➔ British Virgin Islands
➔ St Lucia
➔ Venezuela
➔ Panama Canal
➔ French Polynesia
➔ Tonga
➔ New Zealand (friends boat)
➔ Mallorca
➔ Morocco
➔ 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.
Net Worth
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
Conclusion
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…🙂)
1 thought on “Sailing La Vagabonde: Net Worth, Boat, Crew and Elayna’s Income (2024)”
Comments are closed.