Australian couple Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu, better known as the couple behind the YouTube channel Sailing La Vagabonde, have spent nearly a decade documenting their idyllic yet challenging life on the high seas.
With two young kids in tow, they've shared everything from picture-perfect sunsets to nerve-wracking storms with their 1.9 million subscribers.
But this month, their adventure took a terrifying turn off the coast of Japan in what they have described as "the most harrowing ordeal of our lives."
A midnight collision off Japan's coast.
In the early hours of November 4, while the family were asleep on their newly launched trimaran, La Vagabonde 3, they were jolted awake by a violent impact.
According to Yahoo! Japan, their anchored yacht collided with the bow of a fishing boat called "Taiyo Maru" near Okinoshima Island in Kagawa Prefecture.
Thankfully, there were no injuries, and the Coast Guard reported no oil spills or environmental hazards.
But Riley's own account hints that there's more to the story. He described it as "the most harrowing ordeal of our lives."
In a post to their followers, he wrote, "Whilst my family and I were sleeping, our boat was struck in an accident that has left us shaken and deeply impacted."
He added, "We are immensely grateful for the messages of support and understanding from everyone during this time. As we process and recover from this incident, we kindly ask for your patience as we take some much-needed time to regroup and assess the situation."
"No one was physically harmed, for which we are deeply grateful. However, the damage to our vessel is extensive, and our sailing journey has been interrupted indefinitely," Riley added.
Riley also pointed out inaccuracies in Japanese media reports, suggesting that some details of the collision remain unclear.
"While we will provide further details in due course, we are aware of an article circulating in Japan that contains inaccuracies regarding the incident."
"We ask for your understanding as we address these discrepancies and manage the legal complexities involved," he noted.
Elayna, also posted a comment on social media saying, "Hey guys. We were in an accident but we're okay. Thanks for all your messages, we'll reply when we can."
A singer meets a sailor, how Sailing La Vagabonde began.
The couple began their journey back in 2014. Elayna grew up on the remote west coast of Australia and was working in Greece as a singer when she met Riley.
Riley, from South Australia, had been out working on oil rigs to save up to buy his first yacht, La Vagabonde, which he was sailing around Europe at the time.
The pair hit it off and went sailing together, with Elayna eventually deciding to join Riley in his cross-country nautical adventure. She began documenting their travels online and uploading the 'movies', as they call them, to YouTube so friends and family at home could keep up with what they were doing.
This was around the time that alternate living went viral online, with everything from tiny homes to van life becoming hot property. Their channel boomed, and the couple have continued to live full time on boats and vlog their experience ever since.
Elayna and Riley have since welcomed two sons, Lenny and Darwin, who also live on the boat with them.
A life defined by high seas and high stakes.
This isn't the first time that Riley, Elayna, and their two young sons, have faced peril at sea. The couple has documented everything from battling fierce storms to handling mechanical failures.
One of their biggest challenges? Coping with the toll of constant rocking, sleepless nights, and the relentless grind of creating content while trying to sail around the world and raise their young family.
Elayna has previously spoken of the mental toll of their lifestyle in YouTube video titled "Burnout — I really don't know if we can go on", saying "After nine years of posting weekly videos and keeping up with it only missing two videos in nine years, it's just had a huge impact on my mental health and I just need a rest."
And while sailing the world with two kids sounds like the ultimate dream, raising a family on the open ocean has its own set of challenges.
From navigating remote locations to keeping the kids entertained during long passages, Riley and Elayna have shared the realities of parenting at sea in a refreshingly honest way—and completely relatable for anyone with kids.
This latest collision off Japan's coast wasn't the first time they've found themselves in a terrifying situation. Let's not forget the infamous "monkey attack" in Thailand.
In 2022, Riley and his two sons were exploring Monkey Island when a group of cheeky (and seriously aggressive) monkeys went for their belongings.
As Riley tried to retrieve the family's bags, things quickly escalated, and one of the monkeys lunged at their son Darwin. With no other choice, Riley found himself literally punching a monkey to protect his child.
"The head honcho was sort of marching down the beach and Lenny said to me 'Are we in trouble here, dad? Is it going to hurt me?'" Riley said.
"I said 'no, we'll be okay', but then they went for the bag and then they went for Darwin. "
Elayna added, "We can't say he got bit, but Riley had to punch a monkey and the tooth ended up in his finger in a couple of spots."
The family had to sail to get Riley immediate medical attention to the puncture wound on his finger.
"The rate of rabies is super high and it is a 100 per cent death rate if you do get rabies, so he's had to have 20-plus injections since the incident."
Fans rally behind the family.
Now, with their latest ordeal in Japan, Riley and Elayna's community of followers have once again rallied around them, flooding their posts with messages of support.
One follower commented, "I know your vessel means the world to you but it's all replaceable and family isn't. So glad you're all ok. What an awful thing to happen"
Another added: 'Sending love and healing vibrations to all on board, we admire your strength and tenacity. This is an incident that although harrowing and unfortunate, you are resourceful and will get through it.'
Others have shared similar sentiments, expressing relief at the family's safety despite the uncertainty of their next steps.
For now, it seems that their journey is on pause. Riley shared that the damage to La Vagabonde 3 is "extensive," and they have no immediate plans to resume their travels.
But if one thing's certain, it's that this family has faced enough challenges on the high seas to fill a lifetime—and they've come out stronger every time.
Feature image: Instagram.
Mamamia wants to hear about your financial well-being and how you feel about the future.Complete this short survey now to go in the running to win a $50 gift voucher.