Sailing La Vagabonde - The famous crew checks out their new Rapido 60 in Vietnam

Late 2019, during a seatrial of Romanza in New Zealand, Elayna and Riley decided to put their trust in Rapido for the continuation of their adventures, meaning the construction of a 60-foot trimaran. Three years later, the YouTubers and their eldest son Lenny went to the factory in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to see hull #4 of the Rapido 60, soon to be named La Vagabonde III. The trio were immediately impressed by the size of their future multihull and the space they would have on board: the headroom allows Riley, at almost 6 feet tall, to stand upright without any difficulty, and there’s plenty of storage space, especially in the cabins and saloon. The trimaran is entirely built in carbon fiber, allowing for it to be kept under 10 tons lightship weight, while the prospect of stepping the 78-foot (23.8 m) rig with twice the sail area they had previously on their Outremer 45 is a source of great joy for the family, who may be dreaming of future speed records. The diesel engine is backed up by an electric motor, and though their intention is to favor renewable energy, diesel remains a security factor. “Building a boat is much more like building a house than buying a car,” according to Riley, and that's why the couple plans to get involved in the rest of the process, contributing to the 40,000 hours needed to build a Rapido 60. “We want to get in and get our hands dirty without actually slowing down the process of the boat built,” the couple explained. Elayna, Riley and their sons have temporarily settled in Ho Chi Minh City, which will allow them to document La Vagabonde III‘s last few weeks on the hard while the hundred or so employees of the shipyard are busily working to get them under way soon. Launch is expected about 3 months after their visit to the shipyard, likely in February/March 2023, after which the family plans to head off to discover Asian waters. In the meantime, you can follow their daily life as amateur workers on the Rapido Trimarans team on their YouTube channel, @SailingLaVagabonde.