Captain Sandy Yawn Navigates a Busy Harbor and Intense Drama on ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’ Season 8
We’re so excited about Captain Sandy Yawn and her engagement to her longtime girlfriend (now fiancée) Leah Shafer! So, before her life gets hectic with wedding planning and the holidays, we wanted to chat with the Bravolebrity about Season 8 of the hit Bravo series Below Deck Mediterranean.
In my interview with Captain Sandy Yawn, she explains why docking the Mustique requires a few extra steps in Genoa, Italy, and she also provides some insight into the ongoing drama and personality clashes between interior crew members. In addition to chatting about a cringe-worthy, but necessary staff change, she reveals the best part about the show, who she met a BravoCon 2023, and what holiday gift she hopes to get from Santa.
Kwin Mosby: Season 8 of Below Deck Mediterranean is based in Genoa, Italy. You’ve been there before, right? What do you like about it?
Captain Sandy Yawn: It was one year since I filmed. Genoa is full of history, and I love history. I lived there for one year doing a refit on board the vessel I had a fire on in the Red Sea. Genoa is a winter city; It comes alive and is vibrant.
Genoa is known for creating pesto and focaccia. Also, Genoa was known for its merchant maritime sea trade and was one of Europe’s wealthiest cities.
Last season, you had to navigate the 163-foot superyacht Home in and out of the port in Malta, and now, you’re at the helm of the 180-foot Mustique in Italy for Season 8. How was navigating a motor yacht in and out of a dock in Genoa, Italy? And can you explain the role of the pilot who hops aboard the ship before heading to the dock?
Absolutely. With different boats, there’s always a difference in maneuverability. The Mustique is a full-displacement hull. So, the whole belly of the boat in the water versus Home, which is a semi-displacement, which is more of a flatter bottom. So that moves around more than Mustique.
Mustique for me is very easy to maneuver. Having the pilot on board is so we don’t hit things in the harbor because a lot of accidents happen. So, when you’re over a certain tonnage, they require you to have a commercial pilot. The pilot will stand next to me and tell me when to move, where to pull over, and where to hold position.
The funny part is that you also have VTS, Vessel Traffic Service. So, there’s a guy on the radio that I have to get permission to leave the dock. I can’t leave the dock until I have the pilot on board. Those two don’t communicate; so, it’s all left on my shoulders.
So there were a couple of times I forgot to call VTS, and I have never been screamed at so loudly by an Italian. It was really bad. So the second time I did it, the pilot was on board, and he was quite a ‘ham.’ He loved the camera. So, VTS screamed at the pilot, but he screamed back at him.
And he goes, “Apparently, you’ve done this before.” I go, “It’s a lot to manage. Why don’t you two talk?” When you’re coming to the boat why not have that communication between the two of you and say, “I’m on motor yacht Mystique, pilot on board. When is it clear to leave the dock?” Because there’s a lot of logistics happening—the movement of cameras, VTS, and the pilot.
The Crew of Below Deck Mediterranean Season 8
That sounds stressful. So, you probably have to rely on the exterior or deck crew quite a bit. How was it working with Luka Brunton who had to step into the role as the Bosun immediately?
Working with Luca is such a joy. He’s happy to be there. He’s not in his ego, and from what I’ve seen on the show, he loves the ladies. I had no idea.
No matter what, he has to be trained because he was not in that position before. So I just keep reminding him, “All toys out,” right? That means everything. And I know it’s a pain in the butt for them because by the time they launch everything and they do all the water activities, then they have to load it all. It’s exhausting. But I would love to have him back. He was a joy to work with.
Speaking of staff… Season 8 started with several staff changes, including Kyle Viljoen and Tumi Mhlongo not making the first charter and Ruan Irving lying about his missing paperwork. Your conversation with him made me cringe a little bit. Was it as stressful as it looked for the first charter?
Absolutely. We had flag state inspection on board, who looked at all of our documents. So basically, people know they’re safe because the flag flying on the yacht. That person or head of that authority comes on board and looks at all of our certifications to make sure that we’re properly trained because we’re taking guests to sea.
So, you want to know that I can rescue you, and everybody else on my crew can also save your life. The reason we have to bring our original documents is so you can’t photocopy a picture over a picture, right? I had no idea that the MCA (Maritime and Coastguard Agency) scanned the QR code, and the real picture came up of the person’s license.
Ruan tugged at my heartstrings. You don’t really see that on camera. They can’t capture all the footage and put it on the show. I wanted him to win, and I invested a lot in him. We had many conversations and I said, “I just want to know the truth. We can figure this out.” He still lied, and to me, I could never trust him. That’s why I said I would never work with him because he’s dishonest.
Some people make mistakes. They’re dishonest, but then they tell the truth. He never told me the truth. And when he said, “My certificate’s in my friend’s safe;” it was like saying my dog ate my homework.
Yeah, his excuse sounded a little suspect and fishy. That’s unfortunate, rules are in place for a reason.
Something I think is hard for some viewers to understand is the code of conduct when it comes to fraternizing with the charter guests. We saw you jokingly tell the chef, Jack Luby, to pack his bags after he confessed that he had shots with the guests. So what are the guidelines for the crew?
You know, after watching the show, it’s like funny. I love that Tumi said to Jack, “Do the right thing and tell Sandy.” In the past, I’ve had to fire people because they’ve crossed the line with the guests. They drank, got tipsy and a charter guest came to me and said, “By the way, this happened, and I was mortified.”
In Jack’s case, I was joking when I said, “Pack your shit.” I was totally joking. I am not a person who can play jokes on people because I laugh. But in this case, I was like, “Good job, Sandy.” [she laughs] I remained serious. But his reaction… I don’t think it registered that I said that. Jack is awesome. I wouldn’t fire Jack.
Those girls were very tempting and it’s hard. Also, he came to me, and he was honest. I didn’t hear it from someone else. It’s similar to Ruan’s story. Tell me the truth and we’ll figure it out together because at least then I can trust you. I can trust Jack now, and he’ll never have shot with the charter guests again.
Intense Interior Crew Drama on the High Seas
There’s a lot of drama this season, especially with the interior crew. How has it been watching the interactions between Tumi, Natalya, Kyle, and Jessika? Do you think Tumi is managing the team well?
Yeah, I think Tumi is excellent. I think she’s a great leader. She’s got a lot to learn, of course. I will say this, you become a leader by learning from your mistakes. I didn’t become a leader by not learning.
So, when Tumi boarded the vessel, what I wished for her would have been to say, “Thank you, Natalya, for getting this boat organized,” and not share what she thought of the vessel, right? Because it really takes away from that person, even though that wasn’t her intention at all. She was just sharing her facts. As a leader, you can’t always do that. You have to acknowledge the work done and then move on. And then as the season goes along, you sort out your problems. You don’t have to verbalize that to people.
Tumi didn’t have a fair start because Kyle was in her ear. I like that Kyle admits that he does talk out of both sides of his mouth, but he admits it and he knows that’s his problem. But Kyle is sincere in his heart of hearts that he doesn’t want to do something to hurt someone. I know that about Kyle. He is not malicious. He gets caught up in the moment, and he starts talking, and sometimes you have to tell him, “Don’t talk.” He has to learn that filter.
As far as Natalya, I’m proud of her for what she did. I’m disappointed in her behavior because I think Natalya’s got a little lost in her ego. And for some reason, she feels entitled that everybody should apologize to her and be so grateful. We’re all there doing the same job at the same level. It’s hard to step back into a role after being a chief. But the reality is that when you promise someone a job and immigration holds you up, you’re not going to take that job away from them because some paperwork’s been held up.
So, that was the explanation to Natalya. She understood that role. I think if Tumi had come in a different way, maybe that relationship would be different, but then you have the Kyle effect. I’m glad I’m not downstairs. That’s all I’m saying. [she laughs]
Agreed. [laughs]
Speaking of Natalya… how did you feel when she officially resigned and made the decision to leave the ship?
Of course, I understood how she felt regarding her boyfriend and the upset within the interior crew. As I watch the show, I see that everyone had a part in it.
Kyle was called out by the chef about how he treated Natalya. You gave Kyle a stern warning, a second chance, and he promised he’d change or improve his behavior. Even after that chat, how did you feel seeing the episode with him packing, contemplating resigning, and Tumi encouraging him to stay?
I don’t lead with a feeling I lead with facts. I feel for any human being who struggles emotionally and physically. Kyle needed to see how his words and his behaviors impacted others around him. I like Kyle very much; he has lessons in life to learn and one thing is for sure, “he admits it and wants to do better.” For me, that is a quality that I admire.
Based on what you’ve watched so far on the show, what do you think about new crew member Lily Davison and her work ethic?
She is kind, she is new, she wants to do better, and I will give her the chance. She knows I mean business and she is very respectful. She deserves a chance.
Best Moments from Season 8
So moving on to the next question, what would you say is the highlight or highlights of Season 8?
The highlights always are a combination of things. It’s a different boat for me to drive. It’s a different location although I’ve been there [Genoa, Italy] before, which is really nice because it’s like going home in a way. And it’s a new crew. It’s about inspiring them to work in this industry because I love the maritime industry. That’s the joy of doing this show.
And then there are the challenges. When I watch the show back, I think, maybe next time I’ll pause a little bit. I critique myself because I like watching my docking. So I ask myself, “How I could do things differently.”
I also like it when I’m correcting someone or resetting them to their true north. When you’re in leadership, you want to always learn, and to remain teachable is key. It’s like a football team. Every time they lose a game or win a game, they go back, and watch the game. They study their moves and why they did what they did, right? Improvement is a big part of this show for me.
