So La Vaga was put on the hard in Grenada for the hurricane season!
Was quite emotional seeing her pulled out. After 5 painful flights we are back in Australia for a few months (until end of October) visiting friends and family and working for some cash before we go back and continue the adventure, sailing towards Panama and out into the Pacific!
But don’t worry, we have some movies lined up to keep you entertained in the next few months 😉
We also now have time to catch up on all things internet, Riley is working on building his blog website and I’m going to continue making movies and record an album.
… If we survive this cold in Perth.
Thank you so much to all those people following our adventure, you guys are the best bunch of people and we love sharing all of this with you. Huge thank you to our Patrons as well for making the movies possible!! Legends.
– Love Elayna xo
Comments 54
Hi,
Greetings from Minneapolis Minnesota in the United States. The past few months I’ve been taking sailing certification classes. At the moment I’m studying bareboat chartering. Recently I’ve been reading about how to set an anchor. In the videos it seems like anchoring was a reoccurring issue. Do you have any words of advice on setting a good anchor?
Thanks,
Christian
Hi – I just went sailing for the first time up on Lake Superior – loved it!! Now I want to learn how to sail and get a boat. In your post you said you were taking sailing lessons. Could you tell me where? I also live in the Mpls/St Paul area.
Thanks, Tammy
Hi Tammy,
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed your first time sailing. I sailed for the first time as a teenager and from that point forward, I fell in love with it. It sounds like you were bitten by the sailing bug as well.
I took my classes from Sail Away Sailing School. The instructors are very helpful and knowledgeable.
I just finished taking the 103 Basic Cruising and the 104 Bareboat Charting courses on Lake Superior. Now I need to take the next step and get out on the water..
http://sailawaysailingschool.com/Sail_Away_Sailing_School,_LLC_St._Paul,_Minneapolis_MN_Lessons/Summer_2015.html
Kind regards,
Christian
setting an anchor… buy a good anchor first. a Rocna would be my first choice. and buy one that is recommended for a boat larger than the one you intend to sail. bigger and heavier. different sailors have different approaches to anchoring but making sure you have enough scope out is essential. anything from 5-1 to 7-1 depending on conditions. once you find a good place to drop the anchor (generally not into a grassy bottom if possible), play out the rode slowly and gently letting the boat drift back with the wind. when you feel you’ve backed off the drop point sufficiently, i.e. the 5-1 ratio at a minimum, then you can use the engine in reverse to gently pull on the rode, gradually increasing the RPM’s to about 2200. you can leave the engine going at that speed for 15 seconds or longer or until you’re sure the boat isn’t moving. the time and RPMs here is up to you and your taste and your confidence in the holding ground. i’m sure others will have much to say on this subject.
Chain is another important part of staying put too, as it’s extra weight helps. Rope rode won’t give you any advantage as far as holding goes. Also if you have good holding bottom and or there is little room to squeeze into an anchorage with lots of other boats then 3 to 1 scope often has to serve, and usually is fine if you have backed down to set the anchor and are sure it is set. The key to that is low RPMs… you’re not trying to drag the anchor, you’re trying to set it.
Hi Christian,
So sorry for the late response! You probably found Riley’s free guide by now but if you haven’t, here it is: http://sailing-lavagabonde.com/download/
This has a lot of what you’re looking for 🙂
Cheers,
SLV
Hi Christian!
Fellow Minnesota La Vagabonde follower here. Wishing you well in your endeavors!
So glad to hear you are making an album ! Do you have a YouTube Channel for your music ?
Hey Elayna,
Great to hear you’re recording your songs, love your voice.
Can’t wait to hear some more material of yours on Spotify or Youtube… liked the lay it down version (even with the special effects!).
High expectations, hope that you include some a cappella songs as well.
Good Luck Dann
Hello you pair of vagabonds. This is Lizzy and Mark we live aboard a Benny 37 Oceanis. We are in the Chalenge Harbour in Freo. You are welcome to drop by any time. Email me and I shall give you our mobile#.
Sincerely and Best,
Lizzy N Mark
Lees Stirrer
Challenge Harbour Freo
awesome
Hi guys , working up in Port Hedland , Riley if you need some work give me a call and I’ll try to help you out .
Regards Mark
I hope you folks were paying attention to the Volvo ocean race. Particularly when Team Vestas Wind ran aground in the Indian Ocean. The reef was marked on paper charts, but poorly represented on e-charts at certain magnifications. Hell, it is even visible on Google Earth.
Safe voyaging, when you get going again!
Hi !!
have you realized that next year could be one of the worse el-nino years we had for decades? Why not go down the Brazilian coast and head for the pacific a year later ?
All the best !
Hi Joerg,
it is a very painfull trip from granada down to brasil……..people rather go back to to the azores , down to the cape verdis and then to brazil……
Hi Ingo,
agreed .. Brasil is not a good option…. but going through the Panama canal with a 95%
probability of a strong El Nino event is worse. Have a look at the predicions at
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/index.shtml
Cheers,
Joerg
Hi Guys,
I really enjoy your videos! If you ever get the chance to come to the New England (USA), please let me know (I would recommend it as a summer trip, too cold in the winter). There is some beautiful scenery up here!
Hi guys, I have recently gotten the itch to learn about sailing and hope to cruse one day. I stumbled across your videos on youtube and I really enjoy them thanks and keep them coming. I really enjoy the spearfishing and freediving segments of your videos as I am a spearfisherman myself, I also build custom spearguns in my free time. I was wondering if the “Sailing La Vagabond” T-shirts/apparel is avalable for purchase anywhere I would love to get the Riley hair and mustache shirt.
Thanks A.T.
You must do Hawaii! All the islands! Every cove, every anchorage, every beach. But do be careful of the reefs…
Hi guys,
thanks for sharing your adventures with us all. If you happen to sail by Hong Kong, come and visit Lamma Island, my girlfriend and I will invite you guys to some dinner or lunch or both, lol 🙂 and if you need help with your boat we can all help you, one way or another.
bon voyage and stay safe
Laurent and Florence from Lamma
Love watching the Youtubes, I have a question about your view on multihulls ? I’m hearing more about capsizing and mast issues , and I recently saw in one of your episodes that you happened upon just that . Would you feel comfortable in one away from the dock going where you two have travelled?
I just finished your journey thus far and share your sorrows at this time. I too will be putting up for the winter this weekend, 27′ Catalina. While I have been busy doing the family thing over the years, I can’t wait to for my journeys to begin. Just ordered your lessons learned and Elaynas music (which is now standard voyage tunes). Keep your dreams alive and the videos coming. The like minds of this world are living through you.
Your journeys are most inspirational and entertaining!
Safe travels always
Tom
Amazing experience…very good atmosphere, great videos!!! thaks for share your jorney with all of us
You guys are an Inspiration
Cannot wait for you guys to get back out there. I live vicariously through you two.
Since I was a kid I’ve had an obsession with the Panama canal ( not sure why). So excited to see you go through it.
I just learned how to sail this summer, hopefully I can make it down there some time as well.
Keep up the good work and best of luck.
Hi Guys.
Just stumbled across your site and liked what I have seen.
11 days out from xmas just wondering were you will be for xmas.
fair winds and hope you have great xmas and great new year.
chris
I think maybe the San Blas or Cartagena (sp). Thanks for watching mate.
Hi Riley & Elayna
Have you both passed Curacao yet 30th Dec? We are all looking out for you. New Years eve is amazing here firework wise more spent on fireworks here per capita than Holland. Now seeing all the yachts coming in from Bonaire to celebrate.
Fair winds – downwind all the way now ………
I smiled and laughed my way through your “intro video”. You guys seem to be having a blast.
I’m 53 yrs. old and just discovered sailing about a month ago. Oh my god!!! What did I do for the first 53 years.
Looking to buy a Westsail 32, or a Hans Christian 33T within the next year and learn everything possible to travel world asea.
Best wishes, kids!
Kevin
Both awesome boats Kevin – you couldn’t go wrong with either!! The HC33 will be more expensive, but such a beautiful and solid boat!! The WS32 is also a great boat (biggest difference might be the tiller steering of the WS vs. the wheel steering of the HC. Take your time and walk before you run, but spend time at it and you’ll get there!! =)
Steve
Thanks, Steve. Already checked on a couple of boats, and am learning so much!!! Many people are so helpful, and there is so much to learn…as soon as all the funds are pulled together and organized, then I am off and running, or should I say sailing?
Trying to remain calm, but I am almost frantic about finding the right boat.
Hey guys,
Just showed my girlfriend one of your videos. She got really pissed at how young, beautiful and unbelievably fortunate the two of you are to enjoy the lifestyle you made for yourselves. Guess you have to make your own luck. But that was nothing until she realized Elayna had such an amazing voice AND could play the guitar!!
We are heading out to the BVI later this winter to try and follow in your footsteps. Enjoy!
Where might you go after you traverse the canal? Will you ever be sailing up towards California? If you do hit me up and I’ll take you out to dinner. Super big fan. In university right now, then gonna save my money to hopefully do what you are doing.
Help.
I cannot locate a link to any recent vids.
I watched about thirty or more of the earlier ones.
What shall I do now ?
Bernie
Here’s the most recent video I can find (April 16, 2016): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHZimZY84sU
They’re just starting to transit the Panama Canal.
i am so worried about the contaminated fish and water in the pacific ,fukushima radiation its all over
Please god keep them safe
Hi Guys.
Just a quick note to say thank you. We love your videos and can’t wait for the next one. You two are very brave and lucky. Keep living your dreams and thank you for sharing with us. Travel safe!
Tim and Lisa.
Nova Scotia, Canada.
Please, please, pleeeeeeeease come to Hawaii!! My wife and I would absolutely love to meet you!
The best time to come would be Halloween and hang out with us in Waikiki! (YouTube search it).
But anytime would be awesome!
Have fun in dry dock!
hugs,
Rick & Mayves
Kinda pointless to have a where are we now page that shows where you were almost a year ago…
Guys you have got to get a laser pointer, id suggest over 150mw laser, and id really suggest getting a wicked laser 2 watt arctic laser, or the 900mw green one, they go extremely visibly over 40 miles and can even be seen from space, needless to say much much more effective than a sill old flair, also you should really get some guns on your ship, and a distill lol, peace and love guys 8)
http://www.wickedlasers.com/arctic
Yes, Please come to Hawaii. North Shore, Oahu (Haleiwa Small Boat Harbor) I can help with arrangements. Thanks for helping me relive some of my memories of sailing! You guys are amazing and would love to meet you. Hawaii is a bit out of your way if your headed to Oz, but well worth the extra miles. If you are going to stop in Tahiti I have some wonderful people you guys can’t NOT meet.
aloha,
Paige
Ridiculous quest there. What happened after? Take
care!
Please come back soon!
I just found your chanle and i know watch more youtube then i do movies.
You guys are great and can’t wait to see where the adventure takes you next
have you two made landfall.. you should leave some info. You are overdue
Hi, been dreaming of buying a yacht in the Carribean and sailing it back to Oz for years. Been reading sailing blogs ect.. To work out things I have to do. Love the way you guys have ‘let’s do it’ mentality, and get things done. Think you can over plan things things and best way to start something is just do it.
Keep up the good work ; )
We are in love with your videos! Ya’ll have inspired us to look into sailing and leave our stuff behind! Also Elayna I love your clothes, where do you shop?
Hello!!!! incredible adventure!!! Waiting for more videos!! I couldn’t download the book/guide you wrote.
This is very encouraging, as I’ve been saling since I was a kid…. I do wanna go sailing the world tooo!!!!!
Saludos from Argentina!!!
Hi guys bigissueglen here I became homeless after a bad upbringing when I was 14 years old and Traveled the UK since 2 years ago I decided I wanted to change my life and live on a boat so I set up a Facebook and Twitter campaign that was successful I bought a trapper 501 already in the Mediterranean I have never sailed before and would love the opportunity to learn I have been watching your videos since I was offered my boat and have enjoyed all of them I never would have thought I would be in such a great place with such a lovely boat when I started my campaign I was just hoping for a small river cruiser but here she is I don’t have much money but I could not go on watching your videos without contributing something have asked before on the comments on one of your YouTube videos if I could come join you guys for a passage one day and would like to ask again hope all is well and look forward to seeing more of your videos I am moored at port addia un Minorca at the moment would love to he’s from you keep up the great work guys and Elana I would love to do a collaboration with you I also play guitar and sing thx guys hope to hear from you soon when I am in a better position I will up my monthly contributions
I luv watching you guys (any vlog) after midnight and dream.. Thx
Praise God!
Hi Riley & Elayna:
I was just thinking, maybe you will never see think message……..but God Willing……..I think God put people together for Live on purpose! It seems to me you both on are that course in life and even though you both are doing well on internet donations…..it is still God who has given you all this beautiful World to be seeing…………..I believe He did Protect You both from harm from those pirates!
I once told my ex-wife when we were married, that if she simply Prayed and asked God for protections from all evils…….those who would come close to her with ill intent, would run away with an overwhelming FEAR! (intuced by God) I think you guys are under God protections!
Vincent
Riley and Elayna, you are both a credit to humanity, brave in spirit and tremendously adventurous. After watching some of your videos I feel like I know you both. Good luck in your travels. Wilkesy in Byron bay
I would suggest to take an ultimate experience of sailing tour (Costa Rica) . I can help with the tours, snorkeling in Playa Flamingo & Tamarindo beach. I would say that it would bring a life long experience!!
I would suggest to take an ultimate experience of sailing tour (Costa Rica) . I can help with the tours, snorkeling in Playa Flamingo & Tamarindo beach. I would say that it would bring a life long experience!!
Wish you would automate your location data on a page.