Captain Sandy Yawn has been around for nine out of 10 seasons of Below Deck Mediterranean, and she doesn’t plan on leaving the series anytime soon.
Since joining the franchise during the second installment of the Mediterranean-based spinoff, she’s remained in the leading role, naturally helming season after season — by not only managing countless crew members but also by quite literally being behind the wheel of each superyacht.
With nine seasons under her belt, Captain Sandy is a Below Deck expert. She stands as the only woman to serve as a captain of the sprawling yachting franchise and is the second-longest running Below Deck captain ever. (If Below Deck Med reaches 12 seasons with her at the forefront, she will break Lee Rosbach’s record of 10 seasons as a captain for the show.)
“I love it,” she tells The Hollywood Reporter of her role as Below DeckMed‘s captain. “I don’t plan on leaving unless they make me leave, and I hope that’s not the case.”
Below Deck Med season 10 has depicted quite the hectic journey for Captain Sandy’s deck team, and Monday night’s episode saw a double firing and the return of a familiar face in a season nine alumni. With last season’s deckhand turned bosun Nathan Gallagher on his first turn in the managing role, the captain teases that his professional struggles aren’t the only storyline driving season 10.
“Nathan is excellent on deck. However, I think when it comes to managing, he has a lot to learn,” she says “But as the season goes on, let’s see what’s revealed.”
Below, Captain Sandy celebrates the landmark 10th season of Below Deck Med in conversation with THR, where she reflects on inviting Joe Bradley back to the crew, what’s to come from fellow season nine cast member Gael Cameron’s forthcoming appearance, what she’s learned as a reality TV captain over the years and which Bravo series she’d like to have a crossover special with. [Hint: it’s a person more than a show in the network’s roster.]
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This year, Nathan [Gallagher] was promoted to bosun. What about Nathan made you entrust him with this tall order of stepping into the role of bosun?
If you watch [season nine], the first season that Nathan was on board with me, you’ll see how well he is on deck. I said, “He’s my bow guy,” and Joe [Bradley] looked at me shocked, because I had no idea that he was the lead deckhand [last year]. Nathan is excellent on deck. However, I think when it comes to managing, he has a lot to learn.
What has it been like working alongside Aesha [Scott] as your chief stew for the second year in a row?
How could you not like working alongside Aesha? She just brightens the day. We laugh, she comes in my cabin, she hangs out on the bridge in between service, and we crack up laughing. Aesha is exactly who she is, as you see on TV, just like me. She is the most kind, gentle soul. She’s a wonderful human being, and I’m so grateful we had that time together.
The deck team has had quite a rough start to this season. As a captain, how do you balance letting your bosun manage his team before stepping in to take control of the situation?
Well, we started with [two] people down with food poisoning. I wish they could fit all the footage in, because there was a lot that was left out. Max [Salvador-Holz] worked really hard; I helped him wash the boat. To have a green deck crew, that green, especially two [people], is rare. It was interesting for me to watch the show and hear Tess [Budd] talk about how she knew how boats run, but yet, she didn’t, she just stood around. There was no, “Let’s do this.” Yachting is all about working it out and keeping moving. You just don’t stand still. We’re there to serve, your eyes are all on the guests, and that wasn’t happening. I felt bad for Nathan. I think Nathan did give direction. He wrote a list to show them how to shammy or rinse a boat. His task list wasn’t complicated. I don’t have a problem with Nathan. But as the season goes on, let’s see what’s revealed.
In this week’s episode, two members of the deck team were fired, and we see Joe Bradley come back. Why was he the right person to bring back from last season?
Joe’s an entertainer. He’s great with the guests. Joe’s a hard worker; Joe cares. How could you not want someone like that back? He’s an asset, for sure.
At that point when you did invite Joe back, was it ever an option to also bring Gael back?
No, of course. You know, you don’t know what’s going to happen. I like to begin with a crew and finish with the same crew. I don’t want to fire anybody.
Looking at where Gael and Nathan are now in their relationship with their family, a lot of their story still needs to play out for viewers. Is season 10 going to tell this story of where they are now in their relationship?
Absolutely. That’s what I love about this show. Doing this job, it’s a story. It’s threaded together just how it plays out. It’s not produced. We’re not told what to say. So yes, it will tell the story of their relationship, and I can’t wait to watch it, because there’s a lot of stuff that I don’t get to see because they’re on their best behavior in front of me. And they’re living their lives, right? I’m not in their life. Yes, we’re working together, but it’s very different when it’s on a personal level.
When you joined the show in season two, did you ever anticipate that you would remain on the series as a captain for as long as you have?
No, honestly. I had to learn a lot, just to step back. But I love working with production. I love Bravo as a whole; they’re rock stars. Plus, they’re creating this incredible TV show that so many people watch. I was just in D.C. on appearance — people flew from the Netherlands to meet me. I was like, “Wow, you flew all the way?” And they’re like, “Yeah!” It was incredible. So when you see how the show reaches people and it inspires them, for me, it’s working. Keep doing you, because really, I am who you see on the show. I’m not an actor. I do care about the crew. I want to help transform them into this incredible career, if that’s what they want. It’s been fun. I love it, and I don’t plan on leaving unless they make me leave, and I hope that’s not the case.
What is one of the biggest shifts that you have seen year after year in Below Deck Med as the show has gotten bigger?
Relax more. I am a captain from an industry [where] we are the best, right? Every yacht competes against each yacht. We want to be the best; we want to have the best chef; we want to have the best service; we want to have the best toys; we want to be a floating resort, the best turn downs — all the little things that matter to people when they pay that kind of money. When you’re doing Below Deck Med, I had to learn to allow the crew to grow part of a storyline. In yachting, there’s no storyline. Now, I have relaxed more, and it’s very entertaining for me. Sometimes I just want to go in the control room and watch [and] want to see how it turns out. And now I’ve learned to do that, which is very different than if I was to step on a charter boat in life.
You are the only woman who has served as a captain in the Below Deck franchise. When do you think we will see the next woman step into that role?
I hope there’s another woman captain. I would like the balance of the yin and yang. When [will that happen]? I have no idea; that’s up to Bravo. It’d be nice to see another woman. Malia [White, former Below Deck Med bosun] is a captain. There’s a lot of captains out there, but I get it. Like, it’s a personality. It takes a lot to do this job. Not everyone could step in and do this job how we do it. It’s very different in terms of work. I said it at BravoCon a couple years ago, [that] I’d like to see another woman captain. I would love [to see] Captain Kate McCue, she was [on] Celebrity [Summit]. She’s the captain now on the Four Seasons [Yachts.] She’d be great TV. Very great personality.
You are the second longest running Below Deck captain, only behind Captain Lee. With Below Deck Med season 11 you would match his record, and with a potential 12th season, you would overtake that record. How does it feel to be a mainstay of this franchise?
It feels great. It’s still weird for me, the fame thing. I just had some water filter guy here this morning, and they wanted a picture, and I was like, “We’re fixing my water filter,” you know? But of course I said yes. And it’s rewarding in a way where you see how people are excited and they’re inspired. And why wouldn’t I want to continue? It feels amazing. But when I’m walking through the airport and you just want to catch your flight, you see how excited people are — you can’t not stop and say hi. I want to stay. It’s cool. I love my relationship with NBC and Bravo, the people there are fantastic from all sectors in the network. And I love when I get to do things with them. Every day is an adventure. That’s what it’s like — it’s an adventure.
How do you navigate the TV side of [being a Below Deck captain] and the reaction from fans?
Production is great. They’re very respectful [and] we respect each other. They’re great people to work with. The fans, if they have opinions, that’s their opinion. They don’t personally know me. Ones that love what I do, it’s like, cool. But in the beginning, it was hard. [During the] first two years [on the show], I had to learn they’re just people, and usually people that are angry, that probably want something that you have and they don’t have. I recognize that, and bless them. You know, bless and release them, honestly. Because it’s not personal. It’s their stuff, not mine.
Who is your favorite chief stew and bosun that you have worked with on Below Deck Med?
I plead the fifth amendment. I like them all. It’s interesting, every season you get really close to the people you work with. So for this season, of course, it’s Nathan. So, yes, there are some that I’m good if I don’t see them again. But I’m not naming them.
What is something about being a Below Deck captain that would shock viewers? What’s something that viewers don’t get to see about the role?
Oh, everything that we do. It’s a lot of work. I talk to the engineers a lot. We’re working, solving problems. You think we don’t have mechanical issues? Of course. We get the oldest boats. Most boats that are new we don’t get, because owners don’t want them damaged. So we get the old boats that need work and toilets, and we’re solving problems with the engineer. That’s what we’re doing when you don’t see us.
Are there any other Below Deck crew members from the franchise that you haven’t worked with that you would want to work with on Below Deck Med?
I’m open to anyone. Do I have a favorite? Not really. I think they’re all great. Whoever wants to come and work on Below Deck Med, bring them on. But I’d love a crossover.
Just like Below Deck Down Under with the housewives [of Salt Lake City] that’s coming?
Yeah, I want a crossover. I’m a little jelly that [Captain Jason Chambers] got one before me.
What show would you want to cross over with?
I would like Lisa Vanderpump.
So a Vanderpump Rules [Below Deck Med crossover]?
Yeah, like Vanderpump, whatever she’s doing now. Because she would be so discerning about our service, and to be able to meet her criteria would be that I would know we won. And if she can’t do it, then I’d love to have the [Real] Housewives of Beverly Hills.
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New episodes of Below Deck Mediterranean season 10 air Mondays at 8 p.m. on Bravo and stream Tuesdays on Peacock. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
