Summary
Below Deck Mediterraneanleader,Captain Sandy Yawn, has come out of her usual character in season 9. Captain Sandy has been the figurehead of theBelow Deckfranchise’s first spinoff since its second season, so fans have been watching her on-screen since 2017. The 59-year-old is originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but now calls Colorado home withher now-wife, Leah Shafer.Captain Sandy did not have the easiest road to captainhood, as she had a checkered past in her younger years, but she has been open about her issues.
TheBelow Deck Medfrontwoman has been transparent about her past addiction problems with drugs and alcohol but has showcased how proud she is to be sober. She got sober in 1989, and her maritime career kicked off shortly after that. She was given a chance by a superior and was able to go to captain’s school, where she earned her credentials. Captain Sandy has over 30 years in the yachting industry at this point and is showing no signs of relinquishing her public career onBelow Deck Mediterranean.
Below Deck Mediterraneanhas evolvedover the years, and Captain Sandy is demonstrating that she has too. She has been criticized by theBelow Deckcommunity for being a micro-manager, a hypocrite, overly harsh with her words to her crew, and meddling in situations that she should back off from as a captain. Currently, fans are watching the tail end ofBelow Deck Medseason 9, where Captain Sandy and her crew have been showing the guests a 5-star experience in Greece. Throughout this season,Captain Sandy has handled situations that have been out of her character, but it has made her better received by fans than in the past.
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8Captain Sandy Let Joe Bradley Drive The Boat After A Mistake
She Helped Joe Feel Better
Below Deck Medseason 9’s Joe Bradley was chosen by Bosun Iain Maclean to be the Lead Deckhand before getting to know his skill level on deck. While Joe has been in the industry for several years, he made several mistakes, including one while docking that caught the attention of Captain Sandy. This caused Captain Sandy to pull Joe from his position on the bow of the yacht and give that responsibility to Deckhand Nathan Gallagher. In essence, Joe got demoted, and Iain got scolded for not vetting his lead choice properly.
Joe felt terrible about the scolding, demotion, and his poor deck performance. Instead of letting Joe feel bad, Captain Sandy uncharacteristically asked Joe to come to the wheelhouse so that he could let him steer the boat. Instead of tearing Joe down and making him feel worse than he already did, Captain Sandy tried to bring him up.
In the past with mistakes, Captain Sandy has laid into her crew when they are already in a low place, like she did with Chief Stew Fraser Olender inBelow Deckseason 10.
7Captain Sandy Opened Up About Her Cancer
She Became More Relatable
During the season, the guests had one charter with a guest who had survived their battle with cancer. Captain Sandy felt kindred with this guest and opened up about her own battle with cancer during an interview. This was the first timeBelow Deck Medfans had heard about Captain Sandy’s past health issue, and it made them see her through a different, more relatable lens.Captain Sandy had kidney cancer nine years ago, and it has been in remission since she fought it.
6Captain Sandy Capped On The Rude Guests
She Has Never Done That Before
In season 9, Captain Sandy showed up for her crew in a different way than she ever has done past. There have been plenty of rude guests to come onBelow Deck Med, andCaptain Sandy decided to address the guests' rudeness with a very undercut approach.The rude guests unwarrantedly felt like Aesha and the crew were not being on point with their overwhelming demands and callous attitudes, which Captain Sandy caught wind of.
Captain Sandy appeared during a beverage service behind the bar, to give the guests a piece of off-handed advice. Her advice was heard by the parties who needed to hear it, and they weren’t happy about it, but the point seemed to be taken (via@belowdeckbravo.)
“I always say this. If you beat character down, you’re going to kill their spirit. But if you’re gracious and you’re thankful, you’re going to build them up, and they’re gonna wanna do more for you.”
5Captain Sandy Conforted Bri Muller
Captain Sandy Doesn’t Comfort The Crew
When Third Stew Bri Muller was having issues with Second Stew Ellie Dubaich, she brought her emotion and her sense of being overwhelmed by the situation to the crew mess while she was eating. Captain Sandy came down to the crew mess and saw how upset Bri was. Captain Sandy comforted Bri and did not scold her for the drama that was happening Instead, she told Bri to handle the situation with maturity and not to lose sight of the job and her performance, whichseemed to have a positive effect on Bri’s attitude.
4Captain Sandy Let Aesha Handle The Bri & Ellie Drama
Before She Took Over
Bri and Ellie’s drama started over their mutual romantic interest in Joe Bradley, and it escalated into tensions in the laundry room. Ellie thought Bri wasn’t respecting her authority, and Bri felt like Ellie was sabotaging her. The growing tension between the two Stews was brought to Captain Sandy by Chief Stew Aesha Scott, but instead of stepping in at that point and steamrolling the situation, Captain Sandy relinquished power to Aesha to handle the situation.
Ultimately the two Stews' feud was at a point where Aesha couldn’t talk either of them down or facilitate their peace on the job. From there, Captain Sandy took over and laid down the law.
Captain Sandy’s hands-off approach to the initial problem was out of character for her, and it showed not only that Captain Sandy adopted a new approach to escalation but that she trusted her crew more than she had in the past.
3Captain Sandy Has Not Fired Bosun Iain Maclean
Captain Sandy Gave Iain A Long Leash
Captain Sandy also showed a softer side when dealing with Bosun Iain. Iain has made many little mistakes and several larger ones throughout the season thatBravo’s Captain Sandy would have seen as firable offenses in the past. Captain Sandy prompted Iain to step his game up and learn from his mistakes, as opposed toher earlier management style of booting him for causing too many issues on deck.
2Captain Sandy Cried To Aesha
Captain Sandy Was Vulnerable
Aesha and Sandy have an established friendship since Aesha was on two seasons ofBelow Deck Medpreviously. Aesha also commented earlier in the season that she has had dinner with her boyfriend, Captain Sandy, and Leah. In season 9, Aesha was in Captain Sandy’s quarters whenCaptain Sandy started crying and opened up about getting a phone call from Leah saying that their dog had died.
Aesha comforted Captain Sandy as she cried and showed her pictures of their beloved dog. In the eight seasons Captain Sandy has been on the show, viewers have never seen her shed a tear. The unfortunate circumstances and Captain Sandy’s reaction to them gave fans a different side of the normally emotionally stoic captain. The situation made viewers see that she had real-life problems back home, just like the problems she’s seen her crew go through.
1Captain Sandy Will Propose To Her Fiancé
Fans Are Seeing A Different Side To Captain Sandy
TheBelow Deck Medseason 9 trailer was available to viewers before the season started, and they were privy to the fact that Captain Sandy was going to propose to Leah. Captain Sandy brought her personal life on board, andfans have gotten to see her romantic side and get a glimpse into the love life that she shares with Leah.Fans had heard Captain Sandy talk to Leah on the phone before, but this dive into intermingling Captain Sandy’s personal life and her role on board has never been seen before. It inserted a more human element into how she has been perceived this season.
However, off-screen, Captain Sandy dipped her relationship with former OG Below Deck captain, Captain Lee Rosbach, into negative territory that her now-wife Leah was in on. Captain Lee got offended during the time when Captain Sandy filled in for him onBelow Deckseason 10, over Captain Sandy not running the firing of Camille Lamb by him. In the social media display, Leah jumped in and chastised Captain Lee for not being grateful for Captain Sandy’s help.
Moreover, Captain Lee did not receive an invitation to Captain Sandy’s wedding. So while Captain Sandy has painted a nice picture on screen, there has been drama going on off-screen. In any case, Captain Sandy has come off as more relatable this season, and viewers have gotten more of a glimpse into a softer side of the respected captain, which has only helped herBelow Deck Mediterraneanreputation. It’s possible fans will continue to see Captain Sandy in a better light if she keeps her approach different like she has this season.
Below Deck Mediterranean
Cast
Below Deck Mediterranean is a Bravo reality television series that follows a crew that works aboard a gigantic superyacht during the busy season. The show highlights the challenges of the crew as they serve their high-end clientele. Each season tackles new locations, such as Greece, Croatia, Italy, and France, with some repeating.
