‘Below Deck Med’ Captain Sandy Yawn on Marrying Girlfriend Leah & Her Spat With Lee Rosbach
Q&A
The waters have been anything but calm in the Italian Riviera for Captain Sandy Yawn as she leads another charter season on Below Deck Mediterranean. Even before the M/Y Mustique left the dock, she had to navigate through not having Chief Stew Tumi Mhlongo and Stew Kyle Viljoen on board right away due to visa issues.
If that weren’t enough, she was down a bosun due to certification verification and paperwork problems with Ruan Irving. Luckily familiar faces in Stew Natalya Scudder and Deckhand Luka Brunton were able to lend a hand. Yawn also has Deckhands Haleigh Gorman and Lara Du Preez, and Stew Jessika Asai rounding out the crew.
As Season 8 gets into full swing, the no-nonsense [newly engaged] captain gets candid on what we’ve seen so far and what’s to come.
First off, congratulations on your engagement. Why would you say now was the right time to pop the question? Will there be a long engagement? Take me through that a little bit.
Captain Sandy Yawn: I don’t know why it took so long. My mindset has never been one of let’s get married. But Leah [Shafer] shared some things with me, and I thought, “Why not?” I love her so much. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. We’re going to get married right away. Like next year, the beginning of the year, hopefully.
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You’ve had to face a lot of challenges right off the bat this season on Below Deck Med. How do you stay centered in these high-pressure situations?
I’m an experienced captain. I’ve been doing this for years. This isn’t the first time we’ve had these situations arise outside of the show. You prepare for this your entire career, so it’s about managing problems one problem at a time. You can’t lose your mind over it. You just have to stay focused, and get the job done because we have a charter that begins the very next day. In my industry, you make money [for your boss], you have a job. You don’t, and you don’t have a job.
On Captain Lee Rosbach’s podcast, he placed the blame on you regarding Bosun Ruan Irving’s certified documents. How do you respond?
Captain Lee from day one has never supported me. I think he is a man in a man’s world who doesn’t like a woman being a captain, to be honest. In my industry, I feel proud of what I do. I work very hard to get to the helm. If he doesn’t support me and always critiques me because he is the captain of all captains, which isn’t the case, then what can I do? I wish him well. Good luck in your life. Have a great life. He doesn’t weigh in on my captaining. He is not the captain of all captains. The United States Coast Guard is the captain of all captains.
Honestly, I’m a Mediterranean captain. I don’t know the last time Captain Lee has been in the Med, maybe 30 years. I have great relationships with people of the Mediterranean. I work very hard as a captain. He knows I don’t hire the crew, so I’m not sure why he is commenting.
Capt. Lee Rosbach
How was it having Tumi on board as the chief stew? What did you make of the conflicting dynamic between her and Natalya?
Natalya did a favor, and stepped in last minute, knowing that Tumi and Kyle were coming in. Knowing her role would change, and she knew that. Now I am proud of her. She worked very hard. I love Natalya, I’d take her back any day. Having Tumi on board was awesome, too. Kyle as well. You see in the trailer I’m threatening to fire someone because they are talking out of both sides of their mouth, so stay tuned to see if I do fire someone.
The reality is we’re there to do a job. I’m there to manage the personalities and keep them motivated to keep doing their job. That’s what I do. The navigating side is a great side because I get to drive the boat and navigate. That’s where I get the peace. Then I go downstairs and take care of that storm. I try to be calm in the middle of the storm.
After Ruan went home, how did you feel about Luka stepping into the role for the first time?
Luka has been an engineer, so the moment he called the distances, I knew he could do it. Really, being a bosun you do have to run a team, but also call distances and make sure I don’t hit anything while I’m docking. He was great. I love Luka and would love to have him back. That would be awesome.
(l-r) Captain Sandy Yawn, Luka Mulholland — (Fred Jagueneau/Bravo)
Talk about the charter airing on the show now where you weren’t able to leave the dock. How was it having to face demanding guests in this situation?
You are spending a lot of money, and you want the boat to leave the dock. Our issue became their issue, which isn’t really fair. I would be asking for a credit if I were them. They of course sign up to be on this TV show, but they still pay money. We do have weather issues, so it was more weather-related than paperwork or document-related. I could have still left the dock. It wasn’t crew-related why I didn’t leave the dock. It was weather-related.
How does the M/Y Mustique compare to others you’ve been on?
M/Y Mustique is a Trinity Yacht built in New Orleans. I was in the shipyard at the time it was being built. I thought, “Wow, it’s really cool.” Now all these years later stepping on this vessel, it was awesome to run. It needs some love for sure. It needs a little money in it, but it was great.
Kyle spoke about his serious battle with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome on Instagram. How do you feel about him making his struggles public and creating awareness?
Terrible. Horrific to have to go through that. I had no idea how it affected people and it made me aware of it. I’m curious about what in your DNA makes that ignite. I’m not a big medicine taker. I’ll take it if I get sick, but it’s scary. It’s a very scary situation…In my first season, I got to know Kyle. He is an easy one to work with. He is a great guy.
Last season on Below Deck Down Under, Captain Jason Chambers had to deal with a very serious issue on board involving sexual misconduct. How was it for you to watch that unfold as a viewer?
It comes down to respect in the workplace. No means no. The reality is in our industry people drink a lot. They are not forced to drink, but they go out and party. I don’t know what happens. It’s like the word no ends up not meaning anything. Yes, it has happened in our industry for years. Captains have always intervened and fired the person. It is having accountability on the other end. Aesha [Scott] was a big part of that as well, which was really great to watch how she helped.
The show brought up something that has been going on for years and something that has shifted and changed through the years of yachting. We’ve all evolved. Just like in any industry including television. It’s handled. Nobody is going to ignore it or pretend it didn’t happen. When it’s brought to the bridge, it’s handled and taken care of. You get help for the person and make sure they are okay and as a crew have to move on to the next charter. It is a business, but it’s at zero tolerance. Just like drugs. That’s how it is in the maritime industry across the board.
You’ve parlayed your success from the show into podcasts, spoken word tours, and now a part of BravoCon, which keeps getting bigger. What’s it like for you to get out there?
I think our TV show is more than entertainment. It offers hope for people. There are careers in this industry. I’ve had thousands of messages about how to get into the maritime industry. In fact, I created a charity where we are creating an in-school curriculum for public schools for parents who can’t afford to send their kids to college with the maritime industry there as an alternative.
I look at things that if a door opens, walk through it. Don’t be afraid because you can always walk back out the door. I’ll try anything once. When you’re on television, I think you have a responsibility to the viewers. That’s how I feel. I show up in life and in the world conscious of my behavior. I try to make sure the kids that are out there watching know the responsibility that comes with being in leadership and encouraging those people. I do a lot of public speaking. I see these doors of opportunity and walk through them.
Is there anything you want to do that you haven’t? Maybe more reality TV competition?
Sure, I would love to see same-sex couples on a show like Real Housewives. Just not one same-sex, but an entire show of same-sex couples. I’d be open to that.
Dancing with the Stars?
Listen, I asked Leah for dance lessons for Christmas. I really want to learn swing dancing and other kinds of dance.
How would you sum up the season?
First of all, being in Genoa, I saw where Christopher Columbus lived. I loved the Genoa people, and the Italian Riviera. As far as the crew goes, it’s the drama, interpersonal relationships, the hookups, the meltdowns. I see it for the first time often when you see it because when situations make it to the bridge, I usually fire someone. If they can’t sort out their problem below deck, how will I? I can’t change their attitude. That’s on them if they want to stay on board, they have to shift their attitude even just a little bit to where they can get along with others.
Below Deck Mediterranean, Mondays, 8/7c, Bravo
