Everything You Always Wanted To Know
Joshua Smith
Founder and Editor at Cruising Freedom
This is the definitive guide on Cruiser’s Academy for 2023.
Over the last several years, I have spent many hours watching and researching everything I could about Cruiser’s Academy to learn more about their story.
(Yes, I really am *that* obsessed with Brady and Blue from their time on Delos 😃)
If you wanted to know:
➜ How Brady from Cruiser’s Academy afforded his boat
➜ How they make their money today
➜ What boat do they have and its upgrades
➜ If he got kicked off S/V Delos
➜ How you can start crossing oceans
Then you’ve definitely come to the right place.
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… 🙂
Cruiser’s Academy FAQs (January 2023)
Boat Name
S/V Lintika whose home port is Seattle, WA.
Crew Members
Brady Trautman (age 37)
Alex Blue (age 36)
This is one of their most recent videos:
They were previously on S/V Delos but when Brian and had a baby, Brady decided to go out on his own.
Brady was considered to be more laid back and many YouTube viewers believed that he wasn’t contributing as much to the boat, being more of a backpacker rather than a sailor.
That said, he did a lot of the video production behind the scenes.
Josje, Brady’s former girlfriend, hasn’t been seen since she left Delos years ago. She’s been totally offline for 2 years.
Other guys on the channel include Ben Soofer and Sean Westoby who help out as crew. They’re from South Africa.
The Boat
Brady purchased a yacht with bitcoin ($150,000) which is a 1980 Passport 42 that had $300,000 worth of boat work done to it over the last 15 years.
The previous owner, Justin, purchased a new Amel 50 and somewhat donated the yacht to Brady as he had been following them since the Delos days, just like me.
You’ll be surprised how they afforded to buy this. More details below.
Upgrades
Many of the boat upgrades were done by the previous owner.
Location
According to Instagram and YouTube, they are in San Cristobal Island. They have spent quite a bit of time in the Galapagos Islands.
Past Cruising
Brady has effectively sailed around the world with his brother, but has limited experience on the new boat.
My favourite moments were sailing in Madagascar, Cocos Keeling and the Solomon Islands.
Affording It
Was Brady rich? Definitely not! He hasn’t had a job for many years and simply ‘got by’ with a minimum income on Delos and personal savings.
Fortunately, he bought a condo in March of 2020. It went up in value and he considered refinancing the house to get out the equity to purchase his yacht.
However, a long-time and anonymous fan (not me, I promise!) gave them a no-interest loan to purchase their yacht with Bitcoin. This dude had been holding it for years.
They have built social equity within the sailing community and it doesn’t surprise me that they were offered this epic deal. Hopefully, we’ll see this generous individual appear on the channel in years to come.
Net Worth
As of 2023, Brady and Blue from Cruiser’s Academy have a net worth of $370,000.
Making Loot
They make their money through:
➜ Running sailing lessons on their yacht in Lake Tahoe (you can book these online!)
➜ Allowing ads to be shown on their channel
They haven’t monetized their channel all that well.
Collaborations
As they are a young channel, they haven’t joined forces with any other cruising YouTubers, but have a ton of respect for Chasing Bubbles.
Big Moments
During their journey, they haven’t had bad experiences or drama.
Future Plans
Where to next? When they’re not running sailing lessons, they are planning to explore the world.
Key Takeaways
What can we learn from these sea gypsies?
➜ Luck comes to those who work hard
➜ Be willing to share your journey
➜ Learn how to do your own boat work
➜ Find a special mermaid to share the journey with you
And don’t be afraid to take calculated risks.
Conclusion
Brady and Alex are legends within the sailing community. Despite only having 11 videos, they have amassed 70,000+ subscribers, many of which came from the Delos days.
In Brady’s words: “Through sailing, you can empower people to make positive changes in a small amount of time” and I certainly agree.
I certainly can’t wait to see what’s to come! Will they have kids? Do another circumnavigation? Who knows, but I’m definitely strapping in for the ride!
Create Your Own Cruising Freedom
Hey! 😃 it’s Joshua again…
I’ve been very inspired by Cruiser’s Academy 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…🙂)
